This March, Universal Studios Hollywood is rolling out its newest event, Bravo’s Top Chef Food & Wine Festival, putting park guests in the center of the action of this beloved cooking show. From March 19-20, a number of past Top Chef contestants will participate, including several from the upcoming Top Chef Season 17 – All Stars LA, which premieres on the first night of the festival. More theme park news...
Napa Valley is often considered one of the most luxurious escapes in the country — but the over-the-top suites at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, California take the Napa experience to the next level. The adults-only hotel has just 50 rooms on their 33-acre slice of wine country heaven. And while there is no such thing as a bad room at Auberge du Soleil, their Private Maisons are some of the most coveted hotel rooms in all of Napa Valley, complete with a complimentary bar stocked with six exceptional local wines and reserve Dom Perignon....
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened a record number of travelers over New Year’s weekend since the pandemic shut down travel in March. On Sunday, Jan. 3, the TSA screened more than 1.3 million travelers in airports across the country, the highest number of travelers in a single day in about 10 months, according to the agency’s preliminary travel numbers. While the number is notably high, it is also to be expected....
When I heard that Mayor Luigi Brugnaro declared a state of emergency after the historic high tides in Venice last week, my first reaction was, “I have to get there right away!” As a travel advisor, being able to see the situation on the ground firsthand would enable me to give our travelers an honest update. And after an eye-opening tour of the waterlogged city, I can say with certainty: the flooding is no reason to cancel your travel plans to Venice....
One of the last places you’d think to go on safari is in New York City. But in one small part of Brooklyn, you’ll actually be able to see some wild parrots. One of the many animal experiences on Airbnb includes a Wild Brooklyn Parrot Safari, which happens near Greenwood Cemetery in South Slope. The tour offers guests an up-close look at some unexpected avian Brooklynites: monk parakeets, also known as Quaker Parrots....
Trying to pick the perfect Instagram caption or quote for your next travel gram? Avid social media users shouldn’t underestimate the power a caption can play in the success of your photograph, so we’ve compiled this list of quotes for Instagram so you can pick the best caption, every time. If you’re trying to target a specific audience and grow your following, there are a number of techniques you can use (without buying traffic)....
Hard Rock is bringing the music back to a sliver of New York City that used to be the place for local musicians to shop. The company plans to open its newest Hard Rock Hotel on W. 48th Street between 6th and 7th Ave. — sitting along a midtown Manhattan strip once known as a Music Row where musicians would shop for drumsticks, guitars, and more. But these stores were about far more than stocking up on necessities....
Air New Zealand is luring back travelers with a sense of mystery. Since the nation quickly took action and controlled the coronavirus, domestic travel has been permitted since June, so the airline has launched a “Mystery Breaks” package in which passengers won’t know where they’re headed until two days before departure. The package includes a round-trip domestic flight to any of the carrier’s 20 New Zealand destinations — including Auckland, Gisborne, Hamilton, New Plymouth, and Wellington on the North Island or Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown, and Timaru on the South Island — as well as a stay in an Accor hotel....
Before the current boom of black travel nomads and influencers, there were African-American pioneers who charted a course that would revolutionize the way black travelers traversed the world. More than 80 years ago, postal service worker and travel writer Victor Hugo Green had the foresight to create The Negro Motorist Green Book, a travel guide that was initially the go-to source for black American travelers. It featured a list of recommended hotels, restaurants, and gas stations that catered to black patrons when Jim Crow laws and racial segregation were prominent in the U....
As American Airlines expands its pre-flight COVID-19 testing program, the Dallas-Fort Worth-based airline is cutting back its holiday flight schedule. American Airlines has cut its December flight schedule by almost 50%, meaning it will fly 100,000 fewer flights over the holidays, the Dallas Morning News reports. American is cutting back service at both John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York City, which has some of the strictest COVID-19 travel restrictions in the U....
Forget snakes on a plane. Ants on a plane somehow seem even worse. On a United Airlines flight from Venice, Italy to Newark, New Jersey, Charlotte Burns, senior editor of the “In Other Words” podcast, found herself facing a swarm of “large, fat ants,” USA Today reported. Burns tweeted about her experience, almost moment-by-moment. If this doesn’t make you squirm and itch all over, perhaps nothing will. According to USA Today, the first ant sighting began on the tarmac in Venice, when Burns saw a “large, fat ant" crawl across her pillow....
In Japan, names are incredibly descriptive. Tokyo, before 1868, was known as Edo, which means estuary. When it became the imperial capital of Japan, the name changed: Tokyo means east capital. Hiroshima, located on a series of islands at the mouth of a bay, means “Broad Island.” When written, Mount Fuji’s name means, literally, “wealth,” “abundant,” and “a man with a certain status,” but the spoken word predates its written meanings....
This year’s World’s Best Awards survey closed on March 2, just before widespread stay-at-home orders were implemented as a result of COVID-19. The results reflect our readers’ experiences before the pandemic, but we hope that this year’s honorees will inspire your trips to come — whenever they may be. Mythologized by twentysomething backpackers and discerning, seasoned travelers alike, Bangkok is Southeast Asia’s most popular urban destination, and it’s not hard to understand why....
After suspending operations last month due to the coronavirus outbreak, Boeing announced it will resume building aircraft at their Washington state facility next week. About 27,000 Boeing employees will return to work next week to resume production of the commercial jets including the 747, 767, 777, and 787. The manufacturer said that they will take extra health precautions to prevent the spread of the virus — especially since Washington state was the origin of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States....
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed its warning against cruise ship travel, no longer cautioning against boarding a ship for the first time in two years. The agency, which updated its webpage about cruise ship travel during COVID-19 on Wednesday, removed all mentions of its level system, which the agency typically uses to classify destinations based on the COVID-19 situation. CDC spokesperson Dave Daigle told USA Today the decision was made based on the current state of the pandemic as well as a decline in cases on cruise ships over “the past several weeks....
As someone who works in the beauty industry, my bathroom is a little overwhelming. Full disclosure, my friends would call that a massive understatement; every surface is covered in skin products, and I regularly hand off samples to my loved ones for a second opinion (and to eke out a little space). But of all the things I’ve passed on to my family over the years, my mom has rarely loved something as much as Glytone’s skincare — and shoppers worship the brand’s Rejuvenating Mini Peel Gel just as much....
Disney+ subscribers will get special perks at Disney theme parks across the country this week, in honor of the first-ever Disney+ Day on Friday, Nov. 12. To celebrate two years of Disney’s streaming service anybody with a ticket and reservation for Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando and Disneyland Resort in California will be able to enter the theme parks 30 minutes before opening. All you have to do is present proof of a Disney subscription and early entry is yours....
If you’re looking for the most magical cruise on Earth, Disney Cruise Line has some exciting new itineraries for you in 2021. Disney Cruise Line is opening bookings for its spring 2021 voyages to the public this week, according to a statement by the company. In addition to the new itineraries, the cruise line will also be launching two new ships in 2022 and 2023. The new Disney Wish will begin voyages in early 2022, the Orlando Sentinel reported....
As Disney World prepares to open next month, the Happiest Place on Earth is introducing a reservation-based system aimed at reducing crowds and making it easier to enforce social distancing. Disney World in Orlando, which has been closed since mid-March as COVID-19 spread throughout the world, will reopen the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom on July 11, followed by Epcot and Hollywood Studios on July 15. In addition to other measures to mitigate the spread of the virus, the parks will utilize its new Disney Park Pass System, which requires guests to make a reservation in advance for each park....
If you want to go on Space Mountain, please, stay buckled up. Disneyland had to temporarily close one of its most popular attractions, Space Mountain, this week after a man climbed out of one of the roller coaster cars while the ride was still in motion, ABC News reported. The incident happened on Tuesday, but unfortunately, Disneyland park-goers were still unable to ride the indoor roller coaster as of Thursday....
