Posts

Muslims from around the world have made annual pilgrimages to Mecca for the past 14 centuries. The hajj was formerly an arduous journey, undertaken once in a lifetime, on foot or horseback. It often took years. Fewer than 100,000 people made the trip in 1950. By 1983, the number of pilgrims exceeded 1 million. Today, nearly 1.5 million pilgrims arrive from all corners of the globe.Another half-million are from Saudi Arabia itself, which serves as guardian of Islam’s holiest sites....

Though 2020 is almost over we aren’t quite done introducing you to incredible travelers just yet. Travel + Leisure’s first podcast, Let’s Go Together, is continuing on its journey to introduce listeners to some of the most inspiring and spirited travelers in the world. So far this season we’ve met people working to preserve their native cultures in Alaska and Hawaii, an Olympic athlete traveling the world in her hijab, plus-size travelers who explained what it’s like traveling in a bigger body, and many more....

Mexico just got a lot more animated thanks to the opening of the nation’s first Nickelodeon Hotel. In early summer, Karisma Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya. Like the other Nickelodeon properties, this one is expected to deliver on the fun. Courtesy of Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya The resort features 280 oceanfront swim-up suites that come with plenty of room for an entire family thanks to its two bathrooms and large living areas....

Travelers, even the most seasoned, are not guaranteed magic on every journey they take. Arguably, most extraordinary moments are unplanned alignments of the stars — or the moon. Some places simply feel primed for wonder. Taking up residence in a just-built bamboo tree house designed to mimic the prismatic mobula ray migration in the Pacific Ocean out front is a perfect example. The two-story marvel is part of Playa Viva, an off-the-grid regenerative resort near Zihuatanejo, Mexico, which is, at its heart, a place for discovery, not itineraries....

Between safety concerns and travel restrictions, most extended family gatherings have been put on hold this year. Club Wyndham wants to change that just in time for Thanksgiving. As the nation’s largest vacation ownership club, Club Wyndham now offers a “Quar-nucopia Package,” which allows families to get together in their own two-week “resort bubbles,” culminating in a big Turkey Day celebration. With this Thanksgiving Day special, guests can all head to the same resort, where each immediate family will isolate for 15 days in their own two-bedroom, apartment-style suite....

The restart of cruises in the United States may still be up in the air, but the CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings said whenever they do resume, the company may not be stopping in Florida. The potential clash comes after Florida’s Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an order banning businesses from requiring customers to show they’re vaccinated to receive service. That order puts the state squarely at odds with companies like Norwegian (and its brands Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Regent Seven Seas Cruises) which will require proof of vaccination for all passengers and crew on all sailings through at least Oct....

The Detroit house that Rosa Parks lived in after her famous public act of defiance against American segregation has finally found a new home — in Naples, Italy. The modest, two-story house had been abandoned and set for demolition in 2014 when Parks’ niece, Rhea McCauley, bought it from the city for $500. The house has since made a journey from Detroit to Berlin and back to the U.S., where it failed to sell for the $1 million minimum price it sought at auction....

The cute t-shirt dress is made from a rayon and spandex blend that one shopper described as “by far the softest material” they’ve ever felt. Along with a scoop neck neckline and short sleeves, the A-line dress also features two side pockets to hold your essentials. The dress hits right above the knee, and wearers say its swing silhouette will show off your curves without being clingy or leaving you feeling too exposed....

As someone who likes to travel light, I’m always on the lookout for essentials that are compact and lightweight. And if they are slightly bulkier, I prefer that they have a second function to make them worthy of a coveted spot in my suitcase. Through a lot of trial and error, over my many years of traveling, I finally feel like I have a good selection of travel must-haves that I bring with me everywhere....

I wasn’t expecting to cry at 9:30 on a Monday morning in the Bowes-Lyon suite at The Balmoral in Edinburgh. In fact, I didn’t have any expectations — I had been told I was meeting with the “scent butler” who would provide an exclusive scent masterclass. Besides that, I went in with an open mind. But then I met Imogen Russon-Taylor, the aforementioned “scent butler” and founder of Kingdom Scotland. Several years ago, while figuring out her next career move, Russon-Taylor posed the question, “Does Scotland have a fragrance house?...

There are lots of different tours of New York City you can take, but only one will steer you around the city in a vintage car. According to AM New York, a new tour company called Nowaday, in New York City, will take you around in a restored, vintage car. The company has 12 cars total, including a 1928 Ford Model, a 1932 Chrysler Imperial, and a 1931 Chevrolet Series AE....

At Travel + Leisure, we’re dedicated to helping you find the absolute best products to meet your needs on the road and at home. The T+L Top Picks seal is awarded to items our editors have determined to be the best buys in their category. I’m all about making my home as cozy as possible, no matter the season, but especially during the colder months. That includes bedding, bath linens, and loungewear that will make life more comfortable (and maybe even a little more stylish) while we’re staying at home....

Sometimes the journey really is about the destination. This is especially true if you’re hiking to the tea houses hiding in Banff and Lake Louise. Erected at the turn of the 20th century, the tea houses at Lake Agnes and Plain of Six Glaciers were built as a place of respite for explorers traveling by foot or along the nearby Canadian Pacific Railway. And, just as it was in the early 1900s, the tea houses today remain tranquil and welcoming stops for those hiking through the gorgeous Canadian landscapes....

Whether you’re traveling soon or commuting daily, a good pair of leather sneakers will take you far. The right pair will be comfortable to walk in all day and versatile enough to dress up or down. Luckily, we found sneakers from Caslon that are available to shop at Nordstrom, and they’re deeply discounted right now. Ahead of Black Friday, you can score these sneakers for 50 percent off, bringing their total price down to just $40....

If you’re looking to update your backyard, patio, balcony, or any other outdoor space, a comfortable Adirondack chair is a must-have. This classic style, available at Joss & Main, will fit nearly any outdoor living space, and luckily for shoppers, it’s on sale right now. As part of Joss & Main’s Labor Day weekend sale, you can shop this outdoor chair for as low as $219, down from its original price of $310....

For most people, travel isn’t really an option right now due to coronavirus, so airports are seeing a decreased amount of passengers. Now, it seems like one airport is determined to use its empty space to provide some kind of comfort to the public. According to Lonely Planet, Vilnius International Airport in Lithuania has erected a giant drive-in movie screen on its tarmac, which is normally where airplanes are boarded, parked, or fueled....

“You know the Drake Passage can be terrifying?” replied my motion-sickness-prone dad, speaking of the infamously rough body of water between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula, after I’d informed him that I was heading to the world’s greatest wilderness on a 13-day Antarctica in Depth voyage. That potentially wild rite of passage is the price paid for the privilege of experiencing the pristine majesty and serenity of an entirely ice-clad continent bigger than the United States and Mexico combined....

Countries That Are Open to COVID-19 Vaccinated Travelers The Doulove vaccine card and passport holder is designed to allow both of these travel must-haves to safely tuck inside. When closed, the holder is 5.5 by 4.2 inches, and the interior slot for your vaccination card measures 5.2 by 3.5 inches (a typical card is 4 by 3 inches). Not to mention, the secondary pocket is designed for the back cover of your passport to slide into, and, similar to other cases, this one will also fold closed....

One thing every dog owner knows is that while pups love exploring the great outdoors, it’s also an easy formula for messiness and dirty paws. Unlike us, dogs don’t need to bathe every day to stay clean, but their paws are a different story and should be cleaned before they come inside. Apart from the high likelihood of your dog tracking mud into your home if you don’t clean them off, the last thing you want is for your dog to start licking dirt and grime out of discomfort....

Owning a vacation home in Italy doesn’t have to be a fantasy. In fact, it’s easier than ever to find your the charming, Italian bungalow of your dreams. A surge of places in Italy, like Ollolai and Sambuca, have been famously selling off their old homes for only $1 in hopes of reviving their little towns that have suffered from population decline and disrepair. Of course, some buyers out there stay wary....