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Roller coasters may be vomit- and tear-inducing thrill machines, but they’re also fascinating examples complex physics at work. Getting a string of cars through a knot of drops, flips, rolls, and launches requires teams of mechanical engineers analyzing concepts like forces, acceleration, and energy. To get an idea of the science behind our favorite rides, we spoke to Jeffrey Rhoads, a professor at Purdue’s School of Mechanical Engineering and creator of the university’s roller coaster dynamics class....

It might be obvious, but here at Travel + Leisure, we love, love, love hotels. In fact, every year, we make lists of our favorites and the ones we’re most excited about opening. Besides the sheer comfort of hotels — the cloud-soft pillows, luxurious robes, and dreamy amenities — we’re also fans of the things they create and serve to guests. For example, did you know that brownies were first created in 1893 at the Palmer House hotel in Chicago?...

Although the immersive Van Gogh exhibits, that welcome art lovers to walk through iconic paintings, have popped up all over the country, the newest iteration of the attraction is even more unique — because it’s on ice. This year, skaters at the city’s Maggie Daley Ice Skating Ribbon in Chicago will have the chance to glide across famous works of art from Van Gogh including “Starry Night” and “Sunflowers” while ice skating, the team behind the previous immersive exhibits shared with Travel + Leisure....

California is known for its laid-back vibe, but it’s also home to some of the most dramatic vistas in the country. It’s this combination of ease and drama that positions the state as a must-visit destination — and makes its beaches some of the best in the country. John Elk/Getty Images California’s Moonstone Beach was just ranked the fourth best in the country by Tripadvisor’s annual rankings of top beaches in the U....

If you ever needed proof of Mother Nature’s beauty, this past weekend’s “firefall” at Yosemite National Park is most certainly it. Alice Thieu / 500px/Getty Images Each year — if we’re lucky — for a few mere days in February, Horsetail Fall, located on the eastern edge of El Capitan in the Yosemite Valley, appears to be on fire. This occurs due to a confluence of events, including the perfect amount of snowfall in the area, along with a precise beam of light from the setting sun....

The coronavirus pandemic may have put the cruise industry on pause, but people still want to hit the high seas. While private jets and expensive country homes and bunkers are seeing a boon from people with extra income trying to get away from urban epicenters, private yacht charter owners say their phones are ringing off the hook with people across income levels wanting to vacation in a “safe” way. “Due to COVID-19, there is an accelerated shift away from a crowded holiday in hotels, big resorts, or a cruise ship to more private and safer alternatives,” Adrian Walker, co-founder and CEO of BoatAffair, a company that offers “boutique yacht experiences,” said....

Tripadvisor and Audible are coming together to make your next road trip, plane journey, and train ride way more enjoyable. On Tuesday, the two companies announced a new collaboration that will allow travelers to “enjoy Audible’s unmatched library of exclusive Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts,” along with new “Trip Playlists” created by Tripadvisor Plus that delivers travel guidance on every journey. “This collaboration makes it easy for travelers to bring their favorite audio playlists with them during their next trip with just a few taps on their mobile device,” the two companies shared in a statement....

The Transportation Security Administration will roll out new, futuristic scanners at airport checkpoints capable of detecting prohibited items and maybe even speeding up the screening process. The new full-size Computed Tomography (CT) x-ray systems are able to create 3D images of carry-on items, allowing officers to detect things like weapons, explosives, and other banned items, according to the agency. The new machines will also allow travelers to keep more items in their carry-on bags during screening, potentially speeding up the process....

The three-mile-long white sand dunes at Lancelin rise abruptly from the coastal scrub, a sugar bowl tipped onto shag carpet. Ninety minutes north of Perth via a dawdler’s highway called Indian Ocean Drive, you can sandboard down their 45-degree face. But on the first morning of my 800-mile road trip to the North West Cape, I wasn’t going to be that easily diverted. The itinerary I’d printed out indicated lunch an hour ahead, so I held steady for rock lobster in Cervantes, a flyspeck town farther up the coast....

Long-haul travel may be off the table for now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take an epic, socially distant trip right here in the United States. Need a little inspiration? Just check out The Duchamp in California, the perfect example of a place where you can still get away from it all. The small yet mighty hotel, located in the picturesque town of Healdsburg, is the ideal spot for those wanting to go on vacation and feel safe while doing so....

If you’ve ever wished there was a quicker way to easily edit your texts and notes when using your Apple devices, we’ve got good news for you. Apple recently released its latest version of software available for its mobile devices and iPads on Monday, and one of the most handy tools you can tap into through the new iOS 12 is its text editing shortcut. With iOS 12, Apple users who have devices that don’t automatically come with 3D Touch capability will now be able to utilize the feature....

It’s summer, which means road trips are in season — but this year’s drives will look a little different (and no, we’re not talking about the pandemic). Gas prices across much of the U.S. are rising and rental cars can be hard to find — not to mention expensive. We’re in what Scott Keyes from Scott’s Cheap Flights calls a “carpocalypse.” “Historically, flights were expensive and arduous for travelers [to book] and the car rental was the thing you could put off to the last minute....

Hopping on a plane or jumping in the car aren’t the only ways to go on an adventure. Books have a way of transporting us to new places, and the following list of novels is no exception. We’ve rounded up 30 travel-themed books by Black authors that will satisfy your thirst for adventure and possibly even inspire your next trip. Each book offers a rich narrative with fascinating characters and captivating settings around the world....

Marianna and Sándor Subert wanted to donate their car to charity. They also wanted to drive cross-country. Then it occurred to them: Why not combine the two? In late August, the couple and their 20-year-old son drove their 2006 Volvo S40 from Northern Virginia to California, visiting multiple national parks and cities before donating the car to Goodwill in San Francisco. “Driving cross-country was on our bucket list and because of COVID this seemed like the time to do it,” Marianna says....

It’s just a few days until the best “ring of fire” annular solar eclipse of the decade. In 2019, people in the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia glimpsed the “Christmas Eclipse,” seeing a glowing circle around the moon for a few minutes through solar eclipse glasses. The same thing will happen on Sunday, June 21, 2020, this time across Africa, the Middle East, India, and China — and this is going to be the shortest and deepest annular solar eclipse of 2020....

Intrepid Travel is bringing back its $1 deposit deal, allowing people to reserve a spot on a dream trip and pay later — for less than the cost of a slice of pizza. Intrepid is offering $1 deposits on more than 1,000 itineraries, giving travelers the chance to reserve a vacation for pennies and pay the rest 56 days before their departure, the company shared with Travel + Leisure. To take advantage, travelers must put down their dollar bill before the end of March and travel by Dec....

As Brexit looms closer, British lawmakers supporting the move are calling for London’s iconic Big Ben to ring in celebration. But it’s not cheap. The ringing of the clocktower, which looms over the Houses of Parliament, would cost 500,000 pounds, or more than $650,000 USD, to sound off, The Associated Press reported. The clocktower has been under repair since 2017 and currently, the clock’s mechanism has been dismantled and the belfry has been removed and is getting a new floor....

Bert ter Hart is, quite literally, one in a billion. The British Columbia native became the eighth person in the world (and first in North America) to circumnavigate the globe alone using only celestial navigation. That’s right, for 265 days at sea, he had no GPS, no electronic assistance — just an old-fashioned sextant, log tables, and pen and paper. “I’ve always been fascinated by the early explorers,” Ter Hart, who embarked on the voyage through the five great capes on his 13-meter boat, the Seaburban, in October of last year, told Travel + Leisure....

If you’ve never had the chance to fly Emirates, make sure it’s the first ticket you book once travel restrictions are lifted and quarantine is a thing of the past. For now, though we can’t experience one of Emirates’ luxurious onboard bars on a trip to beachy Ras al Khaimah, the Dubai-based airline is bringing a taste of the sky into our homes. Ranked year after year as one of Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Airlines, Emirates’ in-flight dining experience is unlike any other in the air — and now the airline is sharing recipes so you can treat yourself to a business class meal in your very own kitchen....

Feb. 22 is National Margarita Day, so it’s time to grab your favorite tequila and get shaking. Whether you like them frozen or on the rocks with a salted rim, margaritas are among America’s most popular cocktails, according to Bacardi Limited’s 2021 Trends Report. Although the drink’s exact history is hard to pin down — many accounts say it dates back to the mid-1900s — it has been a popular choice throughout the United States (and around the world) for decades....