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Winter is here and that means ski trips are top of mind. But you may be questioning the merits of hitting the slopes this year. I certainly was before driving up to a handful of Colorado ski resorts for day trips and weeklong excursions. My biggest takeaway? The experience and potential risks vary from mountain to mountain. While in Winter Park, I saw too many noses in lift lines and around the base, despite the overhead banners that read “mask zone....

In many ways, animals are better than humans: they’re more compassionate, they’re better at flying, and they are absolutely more accurate when predicting the future. At least that’s the case with the country’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil. That’s why every year since 1887, we humans must turn to this revered rodent to determine when the interminable winter will end. Do not fear as you sit, shivering in the dark of February — all will soon be revealed....

At a glance, you might have thought I was on spring break. Twelve empty shot glasses and picked-over bowls of chapulines sat strewn before me on the bar, along with enough bottles to send a kegger’s worth of coeds under the table. But this was no Cuervo-soaked bacchanalia — it was the Agave Experience at Montage Los Cabos, a tasting more akin to a Bordeaux cellar visit than an MTV special....

The boardwalk in Ocean City, Maryland has become an icon of summer travel. Lined with restaurants and shops, miles of white-sand beaches, and a lively amusement park with a Ferris wheel that offers a birds-eye view of the entire town, this warm-weather getaway has become a favorite for weekends away with family and friends. While Ocean City has been welcoming summer vacationers to its shore for nearly 120 years, many of the area’s famed establishments popped up in the last half-century....

As the kids move out of the house and work obligations lessen later in life, many adventurous souls find themselves yearning to trade in family trips to the pool to instead hit the road, striking out to destinations previously unimagined. Free to roam the globe, this wave of baby boomer explorers is pushing into new frontiers well beyond the typical bus tours to Europe, creating a whole new category of over-50 adventure and luxury travel....

Jessica Miller knows she’s got a good thing going on. As the communications manager for Park City Mountain and Midwest Resorts, Miller not only gets to live in one of the most picturesque communities in the country, but she also gets to ski down her favorite mountain almost every day, all in the name of work. Oh, and one more thing: She has first dibs on some highly coveted doughnuts....

In the middle of a sweltering summer you can bet that pretty much everyone has their air conditioners running as cold as possible. However, according to Consumer Reports, most of us are probably running our air conditioners at the wrong temperature, which wastes energy and causes our utility bills to soar. Energy Star came out with recommendations for setting your air conditioner so you can save money and use energy efficiently, according to Consumer Reports....

There’s something liberating about heading out on the open road. You can pull off to look for aliens from a UFO watchtower (yes, it’s a thing), spend the afternoon picnicking at an overlook, or cruise through the night fueled by gas station coffee and snacks. All you need is a reliable car, a killer playlist, and a plan that’s flexible enough to allow for a little wiggle room — because that’s where the fun comes in....

Whether you’re a thrill-seeking solo traveler looking for the world’s most intense roller coasters or a family planning a magical vacation filled with fun for parents and kids alike, theme parks have something for everyone. From historic European destinations to record-setting parks in the Middle East, this list of the world’s best amusement parks highlights some of the most beautiful, thrilling, and downright fun spots to visit across the globe. Disney and Universal dominate the list with their famous theme parks in the U....

There’s no doubt that the Lone Star State is known for honky-tonks, barbecue, and plenty of wide-open spaces. Many of these wide-open spaces are managed by the National Park Service (NPS) and include vast mountains, deserts, canyons, raw shorelines, and dense forests with thousands of trails, animals, and plant life to discover. From the West Texas mountains to the East Texas bayous, and everything in between, here are eight of the best national parks and sites in Texas....

American Airlines has canceled flights into July due to a combination of inclement weather and staffing shortages as the country recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The first few weeks of June have brought unprecedented weather to our largest hubs, heavily impacting our operation and causing delays, canceled flights and disruptions to crew member schedules and our customers’ plans,” a spokesperson for the airline told Travel + Leisure in a statement on Monday....

Life as we know it has come to a screeching halt. As the world attempts to fight off the Coronavirus, people have been asked to socially distance — which includes working and learning from home — and to stay away from all of our favorite places. However, destinations are hoping to bring a few smiles to people’s faces as well as their newly implemented Zoom meetings with custom-made backgrounds. And now, those destinations include animated Disney movie locations....

You can still celebrate the earth while staying at home. Even if you are opting to stay home in order to combat the spread of coronavirus, it’s okay to still be sad about not being able to go out and enjoy nature in the warmer weather — especially in honor of Earth Day. But there is a way to enjoy this little blue marble we all live on this year. The American Museum of Natural History in New York City announced its new programming to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day....

Airbnb and Eva Longoria are teaming up to bring everyone a celebration unlike any other in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. According to Airbnb, the month-long event will run from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and will showcase the positive impacts of the Hispanic and Latinx communities on the globe. In a statement, the home rental giant explained, the celebration will feature a “variety of culturally rich Online Experiences from across the United States and Latin America that honor Hispanic and Latinx traditions and will culminate with a one-time online cooking class hosted by Eva Longoria....

There’s plenty to see above and below ground at Carlsbad Caverns National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site in New Mexico. Cacti, Ponderosa pines, canyons, and cougars abound at ground level, while a lesson in geology hides just below the surface, where you can wander through the intricate maze of more than 119 enormous caves that lurk underneath the Chihuahuan Desert. National Parks trip ideas Millions of years in the making, a network of stalagmites and stalactites loom large, continuing to grow droplet by droplet in these formidable chambers that were created thanks to naturally occurring sulfuric acid seeping into and dissolving the limestone....

The Travel + Leisure Global Vision Awards aim to identify and honor companies, individuals, destinations, and organizations taking strides to develop more sustainable and responsible travel products, practices, and experiences. Not only are they demonstrating thought leadership and creative problem-solving, they are taking actionable, quantifiable steps to protect communities and environments around the world. What’s more, they are inspiring their industry colleagues and travelers to do their part. Three of this year’s Global Vision Awards honorees are in the business of creating perspective-shifting experiences — tour operators and travel outfitters that want to expand your horizons, and not just in the literal way....

Whether money is no object or you’ve been saving every penny, there are lots of ways to ensure maximum bang for your buck when planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Disney has more than two dozen hotels, hundreds of dining options, various ticket combinations, and extra-special add-ons that run the budgetary gamut from super-saver to super-spender. Keep reading to plan a perfect theme park vacation with our lineup of splurge and save options at Walt Disney World....

West Coast travel could get very cultural this month — and you won’t have to break the bank. This February, some U.S. cities are partaking in Museum Month and providing a host of discounts and events at their best attractions. Plus, there’s an extra reason to celebrate this year: Because it’s a leap year, there will be one more day to take advantage of this offering. For Seattle Museum Month, visitors staying in a hotel downtown get half-off admission at some of the area’s most popular attractions....

Israel will reopen its borders to vaccinated tourists in May, becoming the latest nation to welcome visitors who receive the protective jab. Israel, known for its robust vaccination program, will start by welcoming vaccinated group tours on May 23, the country’s Ministry of Tourism shared with Travel + Leisure. That will be followed by the eventual return of fully vaccinated individual tourists, which could be as soon as July. All visitors will be required to undergo a COVID-19 PCR test before boarding a flight to Israel, as well as an antibody test upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport to prove their vaccination status....

Before boarding the plane, I checked my bag one last time: hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, alcohol sprays, face masks. Not exactly the “souvenirs” I had in mind, but I couldn’t go back to Hong Kong without them. In the week that I was away for the Chinese New Year holiday, rumors of the coronavirus had exploded into full-blown panic as Wuhan, China — the epicenter of the epidemic — was already on lockdown and nearby Hong Kong prepared for the same....