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,...

Old railroad corridors near Chicago transformed into all-weather trails for hiking, cycling and cross-country skiing

By Jeanine Barone

January 2, 2021 at 5:00 a.m.

There's something magical about cycling along a car-free path that grows sun-dappled as it wanders...

Norman Bensinger and Helen English celebrate with champagne at the Drake Hotel on New Year's Eve on the last day of 1940.

What do Princess Diana, Walt Disney and Al Capone have in common? The historic Drake Hotel, which is celebrating a century in Chicago with ‘100’ spelled out in in lights and 100 days of $100 rooms

By Nara Schoenberg

December 31, 2020 at 7:57 p.m.

When Princess Diana came to Chicago she stayed here, in a luxury suite equipped —...

Ice fishing in Wisconsin

By Contributed Content

December 30, 2020 at 5:44 p.m.

Ice fishing in Wisconsin is one way to stop from going stir crazy while cooped...

Rick Steves’ Europe: Portugal’s sunny Salema

By Rick Steves

December 30, 2020 at 12:24 p.m.

As we've had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly...

Celebrity Travel: Go away with … Gianni Decenzo

By Jae-Ha Kim

December 30, 2020 at 12:11 p.m.

In the third season of "Cobra Kai" (premiering on Netflix on January 8), Gianni Decenzo...

In this Dec. 20, 2020, file photo, passengers queue for check-in at Gatwick Airport in West Sussex, England, south of London. The United States will require airline passengers from Britain to get a negative COVID-19 test before their flight, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced late Thursday, Dec. 24. The U.S. is the latest country to announce new travel restrictions because of a new variant of the coronavirus that is spreading in Britain. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)

Can I get a refund for my canceled Hawaii flights? Travel Troubleshooter investigates.

By King Features Syndicate

December 29, 2020 at 11:36 a.m.

When Hawaiian Airlines cancels Jacquelin Heinen's flight from Lihue to Los Angeles, she asks for...

Employers are struggling to deal with the unused days that have piled up during the pandemic.

Did you miss out on vacation this year? You’re not alone

By The New York Times

December 29, 2020 at 10:01 a.m.

In a typical year, New York employees of the magazine publisher Condé Nast must use...

WAIT FOR A SPORTING EVENTS | <a href="https://www.theactivetimes.com/extreme-weather-pro-sports-athletes"target="_blank">Pro athletes have endured a lot</a> for the sake of the game, however this global health pandemic has upended the spring and summer sporting season. Currently, Major League Baseball has not announced a ticket refund policy, and the league intends to play as many games as possible when the season begins. The NHL and NBA have both been similarly mum on refund policies as they navigate the possibility of a season with empty stands and stadiums.

Ed Perkins on Travel: 2020: Goodbye and good riddance

By Ed Perkins

December 28, 2020 at 10:29 a.m.

I've been at the travel business, one way or another, for a very long time....

The Cloud Forest dome at the Garden by the Bay, in Singapore on March 19, 2020. You can feel like you are in the Lion City with a little work in the kitchen, the right book and some time in front of the TV.

How to pretend you’re in Singapore tonight

By The New York Times

December 26, 2020 at 9:45 a.m.

It took over a dozen visits to Singapore for me to fall in love with...

The crystal ball remains cloudy when it comes to travel. Here's how to avoid losing money if you have to cancel.

Booking travel in 2021? Here’s how to protect your investment

By The New York Times

December 26, 2020 at 9:43 a.m.

Between the promise of a coronavirus vaccine and the plethora of trips, cruises and lodgings...