Being in a strange place can be invigorating and eye-opening. Some of my favorite travel memories include an early-morning run along the Danube River in Budapest, touring the temples of Angkor Wat, and having late-night drinks and steak in Uruguay. There have also been plenty of business trips where the only sites I saw were those visible from my hotel room window, because I was too busy running from one meeting to another....
When traveling, no article of clothing can hold you back quite like uncomfortable or inappropriate footwear can. Sure, an exposed clavicle or a pair of too-tight leggings can bar you from certain experiences, but shoes that destroy your feet will banish you to your hotel room — fast. When your itinerary includes lots and lots of walking, travel shoes leave no room for compromise. To help you find the perfect pair, we asked our editors to share their personal must-packs and found travel shoe picks that have withstood the packed museums of Paris, bustling sidewalks of Berlin, and remote trails of the Andes....
All talk of walls aside, Mexico remains one of the most compelling destinations for American travelers. Reasons to love the nation are many on the food front alone — tacos, conchas, sotol, pulque, mole, and did we mention tacos? — but chief among the factors that draw Travel + Leisure readers on a regular basis is the diversity of experiences they find there. And nowhere is that more evident than in Mexico’s cities, which are richly varied, each offering a cultural experience you won’t find anywhere else....
While I’ve mostly stuck with affordable bedding in favor of saving money, high-quality sets truly do enhance my sleep experience. I discovered this while testing out a duvet set from Boll & Branch, a Fair Trade Certified brand that uses sustainable sources and is free of harmful chemicals, pesticides, and GMOs. Beyond its conscientious footprint, the brand’s products are downright soft, durable, and attractive enough to transform any bedroom. The brand offers a wide selection of duvet and quilt sets, but if there is one worth selecting, it’s the Matelassé Windowpane Duvet Set....
It’s now easier than ever to get all your COVID-19 travel information in one place. Thanks to Delta Air Lines’ new interactive map, travelers can find out everything they need to know — from travel restrictions to local health information — all in one place. The new tool allows travelers to search for their destination, whether in the U.S. or abroad, and scroll through any information they might need while planning a trip....
Put on your Blue Suede Shoes and get ready to rock: Graceland, the home of the famed Elvis Presley, is reopening this week. The Memphis mansion, which is spread out over 100 acres and features everything from Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding attire to the King of Rock ’n’ Roll’s final resting place, will reopen on May 21 with 25 percent capacity restrictions. Restaurants will also be limited to 50 percent capacity....
Equinox, a leader in the “fitness as lifestyle” movement, opens its first hotel in New York’s Hudson Yards this month. With the opening, two aspirations of the new generation — travel and wellness — will collide in a big way. As anyone who has experienced a breakdown of their workout routine while traveling knows, exercising and being on the road traditionally have been at odds with each other. Hotels and resorts have offered bandaids in the form of gyms, workout gear lending programs, and morning yoga sessions....
Some experiences just can’t be bought, like a breakfast with Sir David Attenborough or a private Mumford & Sons show. But thankfully, they can be won. U.K. charity Comic Relief’s latest Prizeathon is offering a slew of rare once-in-a-lifetime experiences and meet and greets in honor of Red Nose Day. This year, Comic Relief is offering what representatives say might be its greatest prize yet — a breakfast for one lucky winner and their guest with Sir David Attenborough at London’s Natural History Museum....
When Starbucks introduced the Pumpkin Spice Latte to coffee shops in 2003 it caused an absolute frenzy. The recipe, cooked up by Peter Dukes, a product developer responsible for helping Starbucks dream up new recipes for its seasonal menu, was an instant hit. Though, at the time, Dukes thought the drink was a long shot. Until the day it hit stores. “I’ll never forget coming in and pulling the numbers and looking at the numbers and how well it sold and then you just knew you had a winner,” Dukes told the podcast Household Name....
Over the past year and a half, my kids have entered a phase I like to call “All Dinosaur, All the Time.” Tyrannosaurs stalk our staircases and our dreams. It’s not the worst obsession — if I’m honest, my own love for prehistoric species will never go fully extinct. So when I read that it was possible to take your family out to a real dig site to dig for real dinosaur bones, my heart leaped....
“You can take off your mask, miss. No need to wear one on the island,” my personal butler said as I stepped onto the dock at Naladhu Private Island. It was the first of ten Maldives resorts I’d be visiting on my first trip since the pandemic began. The Maldives has done well containing the virus, allowing them to safely open for tourists in July 2020 with a negative PCR test 96 hours prior and a Traveler Health Declaration Form....
Fill your home with the savory scent of Swedish meatballs — and you don’t even have to know how to cook. IKEA is known for two things: affordable furniture that you and all your friends had in college — and meatballs. This year, the Swedish home brand is celebrating a decade of its popular IKEA U.S. Family Program with some great deals and a unique souvenir that requires no Allen wrench, no deciphering of instruction booklets, and no at-home assembly whatsoever....
Academy Award Nominee Jessica Chastain is taking up an unlikely cause. ANGELA WEISS/Getty Images For those who are unaware: it is standard practice among airlines to only begin counting flight attendants’ hours from the moment the cabin doors close. They are financially “off the clock” the moment the flight pulls up to the destination gate, though every airline has their own specific set of rules. On Monday, Chastain tweeted that she “just discovered that flight attendants don’t get paid during boarding or delays....
Living in a big city, just like everything else in life, comes with its pros and cons. In my case, settling down in a bustling neigborhood in Los Angeles has allowed me to experience art, nightlife, culture, beaches — you name it — but it rarely offers any peace and quiet. L.A.’s zen and calm persona goes right out the window when you step into my side of town. So, since connecting with nature and being in a quiet space isn’t something I get to do on a daily basis, I’ve turned to meditative practices and mindfulness prompts to give me some of the relaxation I’ve been craving....
There’s something about arriving on a tiny prop plane that’s the perfect beginning for a tropical island vacation. A rainbow in the distance during the flight was another good sign for my trip to Belize with a niece I hadn’t seen in a while. We landed at the airport in the middle of San Pedro town, and within minutes we were at our hotel, Alaia Belize. The new resort, a Marriott Autograph Collection property, is on the edge of the bustling town, with modern oceanfront buildings wrapped in glass-framed balconies....
Norwegian Cruise Line will require all passengers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before boarding at least through the end of the year. “Under the guidance of globally recognized public health experts and to prioritize the health and safety of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit, we have decided to extend guest vaccination requirements for all sailings through December 31, 2021,” Norwegian Cruise Line spokesperson confirmed to Travel + Leisure on Thursday....
This summer, REI is planning to focus its adventure tourism efforts on several gorgeous pockets of the U.S. The Seattle-based co-op announced it will cancel all international trips after May 21, providing full refunds to travelers who have booked in advance. It also said it would allow international vendors to keep any equipment they had been using to support REI adventures abroad. REI said the decision isn’t one driven by the pandemic or concerns over the safety of international travel....
Travel + Leisure readers know you don’t have to whip out your passport to check into one of the finest resort hotel destinations in the world. From the hills of northern California to the woods of New England, the continental U.S. is home to scores of stunning resorts. Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, T+L asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top hotels, resorts, cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more....
Digital nomadism was on the rise even before the pandemic, as remote workers packed up their laptops and bounced around the world, doing their jobs from wherever they could find good Wi-Fi. Most of these roaming workers simply make the most of the tourist visas in their chosen destinations, but some countries are getting creative in their economic recovery by creating long-term visas specifically geared toward digital nomads. The latest country to jump on this trend is Spain....
Lake Como certainly has no shortage of exceptional properties. From royal mansions that once hosted the likes of Napoleon to modern homes that offer all the luxuries a celebrity-loved spot (hello, George Clooney) calls for, the stunning Lake Como serves as background to some of the most jaw-dropping villas in Italy. And that certainly includes the 16th-century Villa Balbiano that served as the home of Al Pacino’s character, Aldo Gucci, in the blockbuster “House of Gucci....
