Travel

The Chicago skyline backdrops the Chicago Jazz Festival at Millennium Park’s Pritzker Pavilion on Sept. 4, 2026. (Chris Sweda/baiduhai)

Conde Nast Traveler readers name Chicago ‘Best Big City’ for 10th year in a row

By Robert Channick

October 6, 2026 at 3:25 p.m.

Conde Nast Traveler received nearly 800,000 votes for this year’s Readers’ Choice Awards, which cover...

Olivia Estrada, the on board manager, carries plates of food to the dome car for guests aboard a Patrick Henry Creative Promotions private rail car as it travels from Chicago, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, on May 19, 2026. Private train cars may seem like a relic of the past, but for some rail fans, nothing beats having — or renting — your own sleeper car. (Jamie Kelter Davis/The New York Times)

The quiet allure of private rail

By The New York Times News Service Syndicate

October 2, 2026 at 6:15 p.m.

Private rail cars traveled 429,000 miles on Amtrak in fiscal year 2025, according to the...

Cary Sabados shops for chocolate at Hotel Chocolat in Lakeview on Feb. 12, 2026. This Lakeview location, opened last April, was the first Chicago store. (Eileen T. Meslar/baiduhai)

Chicago-based Hotel Chocolat going nationwide with airport concessions, grocery stores and new retail markets

By Robert Channick

September 23, 2026 at 12:37 p.m.

This fall, Hotel Chocolat will pop up at 49 airports, hit the shelves at Wegmans,...

Travel Troubleshooter: Owner and Airbnb disagree on refund for rental. Who’s right?

By King Features Syndicate

May 10, 2021 at 5:36 p.m.

Q: Last spring, I made an Airbnb reservation for a vacation rental in Lanai, Hawaii,...

Go away with … Cobra Kai’s Joe Seo

By Jae-Ha Kim

May 11, 2021 at 12:46 p.m.

One of Joe Seo's goals as an actor has been to portray well-rounded characters that...

Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, which is normally crowded with tourists, is nearly empty during a coronavirus lockdown on Nov. 4, 2020. The world beckons, especially for those who have been vaccinated, but would-be travelers face a difficult moment when travel possibilities are at odds with the facts of a still reeling world.

The dream: international travel. The reality: chaos and confusion.

By The New York Times

May 7, 2021 at 4:40 p.m.

In recent days, a steady stream of promising news has painted a rosy picture of...

As a band performs on an outdoor stage, throngs of bikers in black leather jackets and T-shirts enjoy the music at Poopy's, a wildly-popular biker bar south of Savanna.

Born to be wild, Savanna’s stunning scenery along the Mississippi River is a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts and bikers alike in Northwest Illinois

By Jay Jones

May 6, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

Driving into this Mississippi River town on a Saturday afternoon last October, it was impossible...

Families, not bikers, are the predominant visitors to Mississippi Palisades State Park, where Lookout Point and other bluff-top perches provide stunning views of the river and neighboring Iowa.

Savanna, Illinois

By Contributed Content

May 5, 2021 at 5:14 p.m.

Savanna's stunning scenery along the Mississippi River is a magnet for outdoor enthusiasts and bikers...

Go away with … Jacob Hopkins

By Jae-Ha Kim

May 5, 2021 at 9:33 a.m.

For actor Jacob Hopkins ("The Goldbergs," "Dragons: Rescue Riders," "The Loud House"), the pandemic certainly...

Go away with … ‘Punky Brewster’ star Jasika Nicole

By Jae-Ha Kim

May 4, 2021 at 4:13 p.m.

The last Hollywood event that "Punky Brewster" actress Jasika Nicole attended was the 2020 Golden...

Cruising could resume from U.S. ports in mid-July — if passengers are vaccinated

By Ron Hurtibise

April 29, 2021 at 4:02 p.m.

Cruising could resume from U.S. ports by mid-July aboard ships with at least 98% of...

Millions of birds migrate north each spring. Here’s how to see the action within a couple of hours of Chicago while you hike, bike, kayak or picnic.

By Jeanine Barone

April 28, 2021 at 6:03 p.m.

Nothing signals spring more majestically than the mass northern migration of millions of birds from...

A visitor waits outside O'Hare International Airport in Chicago on March 11, 2021.

Celebrate a return to travel with these 7 must-see destinations

By Kerri Westenberg

April 28, 2021 at 2:49 p.m.

At airports across the country, security checkpoints are newly abuzz. Car rentals are selling out....