I moved from Boston to New York City about six months ago. When I returned home recently for the first time, I found it mostly the same — except for one shining, curving thing. The Encore Boston Harbor, a new $2.6 billion resort and casino, welcomed me back with open arms, 83,000 fake flowers, and 11,000 sparkly jewels. At least this was the first spectacle I laid eyes on upon setting foot inside....
When countries around the world began charting their course of reopening, I knew I wanted to report on the ground as global cities welcomed back travelers. The opportunity to visit places right as (a shred of) normalcy returns was a rare privilege — seeing storefronts unshutter, communities re-emerge from lockdown, and businesses re-acclimate to tourism. This summer, I showed up in Greece days after their quarantine mandate lifted, and moved over to France on the morning of their reopening....
As Paris reawakens this fall, recently waiving testing requirements for vaccinated visitors, the city’s luxury offerings have followed suit. Luxury hotels are debuting new restaurants — Hôtel Plaza Athénée recently unveiled new restaurant Le Relais Plaza and the Ritz Paris is serving up well-mixed cocktails at their new bar. But the Dorchester Collection’s Le Meurice is welcoming travelers back with brand-new suites. Courtesy of Dorchester Collection Le Meurice is already known in Paris for having some of the city’s most opulent suites....
Being stuck at home doesn’t have to be a total downer. In fact, you can actually use this time to learn something new. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City may have closed its doors in March due to coronavirus, but that doesn’t mean it’s not engaging art lovers around the world. Not only can you take a virtual tour of the museum, but you can also deepen your art knowledge through one of the MoMA’s online classes....
Using a credit card for travel purchases often offers consumers a great deal of assurances in case something doesn’t go as planned, but there are limits to the refunds they can claim — at least without suffering some consequences. And for some travelers, the repercussions of their refunds come in the form of a ban from one of Europe’s most popular budget airlines. On Oct. 12, Ryanair put out a statement barring a list of travelers after they received credit card refunds for flights they did not take due to COVID-related lockdowns....
There are big things popping for Standard International. That includes a few new locations and brand-new CEO you need to know about. In the fall, the company announced three new hotels slated to open at the end of 2021 and the start of 2022: The Standard Hua Hin, The Standard’s first resort in Thailand; The Standard Bangkok Mahanakhon, the brand’s highly anticipated Asia flagship, which is set to open in 2022; and The Standard, Ibiza, also slated to open in 2022....
Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley is now taking reservations. In August, the Four Seasons brand announced its latest property in Napa Valley will be opening this fall. The resort, the company explained, will invite guests to come “explore the winemaking process first-hand” where “the grape-to-glass experience is part of every stay.” Courtesy of Four Seasons “Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley marks a significant milestone for our brand as we expand our California collection with the introduction of the first Four Seasons resort within a working winery, offering an array of opportunities to elevate the guest experience through immersive programming,” Vince Parrotta, the president of hotel operations — Americas West, shared in a statement....
Undoubtedly, you put a great deal of time into crafting the perfect vacation. From the right destination to picking your preferred seat on the plane, and finding the ideal hotel room, you like to take care of it all. But, even with all your diligence, there may be one thing you can’t control, and that is getting the ocean-view you asked your hotel for all due to a technicality. According to Business Insider, “ocean-view” can mean totally different things to different hotels....
Editor’s Note: Travel might be complicated right now, but use our inspirational trip ideas to plan ahead for your next bucket list adventure. Copenhagen has long been acknowledged as Scandinavia’s style capital and a trendsetter when it comes to design and cuisine. Lately, the city has also experienced a hotel boom with the opening of chic new properties like Hotel Sanders and the recent expansion of the historic Nimb Hotel in the Tivoli Gardens, including a new rooftop pool....
It’s well-known that some passports are more powerful than others. Take, for example, the Japanese passport, one of the most powerful global entry tools on Earth. Japanese passport holders can visit 189 countries around the world without needing a visa. And while being able to visit more countries is cool, what may be even cooler is being a card-carrying member of the world’s most exclusive passport: the Sovereign Military Order of Malta....
We’ve all dreamt of running away from it all at least once or twice, right? Most of the time, that dream passes us by. But hang on, because for those willing, this little Scottish isle is more than ready to accept a few new runaway resident dreamers. The Isle of Rum, located 30 miles off the coast of Scotland, has opened up applications for those interested in joining its current population of about 30 people....
When a Canadian tourist visited Pompeii back in 2005, she was so taken by the site that she decided to bring some souvenirs home with her. But instead of heading to the shop, she stashed five artifacts from the Italian ruins and flew back across the Atlantic Ocean. Now, 15 years later, she’s sent them back, claiming that she’s suffered a “curse” since she stole the historic relics. “I was young and dumb,” she wrote in a letter in cursive on binder paper, as seen in a photo posted by Italian newspaper Il Messaggero....
An ancient petroglyph panel in Big Bend National Park was “irreparably” damaged after visitors scratched their names into the rock last week. The vandals etched their names and the date into the panel of prehistoric art in the Indian Head area of the remote West Texas park on Dec. 26, according to the National Park Service. “Big Bend National Park belongs to all of us. Damaging natural features and rock art destroys the very beauty and history that the American people want to protect in our parks,” the Park Superintendent Bob Krumenaker said in a statement....
Musicians Ruby Boots and Nikki Lane were in for quite the surprise when they headed to the airport for a Southwest flight out of Chicago. The duo had performed together at a Halloween concert before taking their flight a day later than planned, only to spot a legendary face navigating the terminal, according to the Southwest blog. Actor, comedian, and writer Bill Murray was walking by, and Lane struck up a conversation by mentioning a mutual friend....
Travelers will be able to select an “X” as their gender on passport applications starting this month, the Department of State announced on Thursday. Starting April 11, all U.S. citizens will have the option to select the “X” marker on their passport applications, indicating “unspecified or another gender identity,” according to the State Department. The definition was decided on after “qualitative research” with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics as well as after consulting “many members of the LGBTQI community....
The Italian city of Venice officially banned cruise ships from the historic center this week, according to reports, the latest move in a years-long effort to force the large ships out of the beloved city. On Wednesday, Italian ministers approved a ban that would bar large cruise ships and container ships from entering the city’s Giudecca canal, which leads to St. Mark’s Square, the BBC reported. Going forward, these ships will have to dock at the city’s industrial port while officials consider alternative locations....
Last fall, Hurricane Irma swept across Anguilla, devastating homes and businesses and leaving almost 90 percent of the Caribbean island without power. But Anguilla refused to be defeated by the storm. The island quickly rebounded to welcome tourists, as hotels and restaurants reopened and the beaches were cleared of debris. And T+L readers showed their support for Anguilla, voting it the No. 1 destination in the region for the second year in a row....
Here’s a bit of all-too-scarce good news from 2020: The North Pole isn’t under any mandatory stay-at-home orders, so jolly ol’ Saint Nick will indeed be making his annual rounds to spread some (sanitary) Christmas cheer. While sitting on Santa’s lap is definitely on the 2020 naughty list, that doesn’t mean you can’t share your extensive Christmas list with him. Santa Claus and his elves expect to be busier than ever packing the sleigh and readying the reindeers....
Travelers who book on Airbnb know the service offers an incredible range of accommodations — and they also know that sometimes those accommodations come with pretty high fees. Airbnb now has a plan to change how booking fees are handled for professional hosts who sign up for its service beginning June 4, Skift reported. Beginning June 4, the new structure will be rolled out for professionally managed properties in Asia Pacific (except Japan), Europe, the Middle East, and Africa....
Belize has become the first country in the Caribbean to allow vaccinated travelers to visit without a COVID-19 test. Vaccinated travelers now need only to present a vaccination record card, with full inoculation completed at least two weeks before their arrival into Belize. They must also download the Belize Health App and input the required health information within 72 hours prior to landing in Belize. Countries That Are Open to COVID-19 Vaccinated Travelers...
