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,...

File photo a sample copy of a Washington drivers license is shown at the Washington state Dept. of Licensing office in Lacey, Wash.

‘Real ID’ deadline is now May 2023 because of COVID-19

By Associated Press

April 27, 2021 at 4:46 p.m.

Americans will have more time to get the Real ID that they will need to...

For the ultimate girls getaway, unwind at the stunning Post Ranch Inn in California's Big Sur.

6 amazing mother-daughter trips to take this year

By Michelle Gross

April 27, 2021 at 12:25 p.m.

Mother's Day is just around the corner, but let's be honest — you never need...

The 13 best travel hacks from TikTok

By Alene Laney

April 27, 2021 at 11:54 a.m.

Love a good travel hack? You'll catch a bunch of short, easy-to-replicate tips on the...

If you're looking for smaller crowds, head to the suburbs, for instance the Drake Hotel in Oak Brook.

Sweet staycation deals for Mother’s Day at hotels in the Chicago area

By Holly Baumbach

April 27, 2021 at 5:17 a.m.

It's time to make plans for Mother's Day, which is May 9. If your mother...

The Colosseum is seen March 7, 2020, in Rome. European Union officials said April 26, 2021, that they are finalizing plans to allow vaccinated tourists from the United States to travel to the 27-nation bloc in the summer.

Europe plans to allow US tourists back this summer

By Associated Press

April 26, 2021 at 3:21 p.m.

American tourists could soon be visiting continental Europe again, more than a year after the...

How many people have been vaccinated so far? | <p>The up-to-date numbers on COVID-19 vaccinations can be found on the CDC COVID Data Tracker website. As of Jan. 9, 2021, a total of 6,688,231 had received the first dose of one of the two vaccines, and 22,137,350 doses had been distributed.</p>

I’m vaccinated and my kids aren’t: What’s safe for us to do as a family?

By Deborah Netburn

April 23, 2021 at 1:32 p.m.

Now that COVID-19 shots are available to everyone 16 and up, it's just a matter...

In this April 2021 photo provided by the Brevard Zoo, a baby klipspringer antelope stands in an enclosure at the zoo in Melbourne, Fla. The male calf, born on April 15, is the ninth klipspringer born at the zoo. (Elliot Zirulnik/Brevard Zoo via AP)

Florida zoo welcomes 27.5-ounce baby klipspringer antelope

By Associated Press

April 23, 2021 at 10:43 a.m.

MELBOURNE — A baby klipspringer antelope is bonding with its mother before making a public...

A replica of a CTA rail car with video tours of Chicago neighborhoods that pass by inside the new museum experience in the lower level entrance to Skydeck on April 21, 2021, at Willis Tower.

Willis Tower’s renovated Skydeck opens Friday, offering a unique Chicago experience for tourists and locals alike. Here’s a sneak peek.

By Darcel Rockett

April 22, 2021 at 7:51 p.m.

With vaccinations ongoing and hope that wider reopening plans are in the near future, Skydeck...

Spring bird-watching near Chicago

By Contributed Content

April 22, 2021 at 5:48 a.m.

Illinois sits along what's referred to known as the Mississippi Flyway, an avian migration thoroughfare...

Go away with … “A Black Lady Sketch Show’s” Ashley Nicole Black

By Jae-Ha Kim

April 19, 2021 at 11:43 a.m.

Emmy Award winner Ashley Nicole Black is one of the writers and stars of HBO's...