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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. When a trip for two suddenly turns into a party of three (or four or five), vacation planning can get complicated — particularly, when it comes to choosing a property that caters to the whole clan, from tiny tots and tough-to-please teens to downtime-starved parents, and yes, even furry, four-legged family members....

Mountains have always provided travelers with a welcome reprieve from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Conservationist John Muir, who helped create several national parks, once said, “We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us.” His poetic description beautifully depicts the mysterious influence mountains have over us. So, it should come as no surprise that more and more people are looking to relocate and buy property in one of the many mountain ranges extending all over the country....

If you’ve ever dreamed of having the opportunity to experience la dolce vita (but the rural version), Airbnb is offering four individuals the chance to spend three months living as a local in the Italian village of Grottole through its Italian Sabbatical program. The winners will be invited to spend the summer exploring the Italian countryside in Grottole, which is located in the province of Matera, in the Basilicata region of southern Italy....

If you’re a fan of Away’s sleek, stylish, yet completely functional luggage, you’ll be thrilled to learn that the brand has expanded its collection into must-have travel accessories that will make your upcoming trips far more comfortable, and perhaps even more fashionable. The Most Comfortable Face Masks You Can Buy, According to Travel + Leisure Editors The collection includes necessities for future travel, including a face mask, compression socks, a foldable travel pillow and carrying case, a padded eye mask, and travel blanket....

While California remains the state most affected by COVID-19 with 3.2 million cases since the start of the pandemic, according to data from The New York Times, the numbers have been trending downward with 39% fewer cases in the last 14 days. Accordingly, Governor Gavin Newsom announced in a virtual press conference on Monday that the previous regional stay-at-home orders imposed in December have been lifted. “We’re seeing a flattening of the curve — everything that should be up is up, everything that should be down is down — case rates, positivity rates, hospitalizations, ICUs,” he said, according to ABC News....

Even though Walt Disney World in Florida is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the animals are still hanging out at Disney’s Animal Kingdom — and there are a couple of new adorable additions. Today, Dr. Mark Penning, the vice president of animals, science, and environment at Disney Parks, announced on the company’s blog that a baby zebra was born on March 21. The post came just a day after Dr....

That complimentary bar of soap has another life after you leave your hotel room. If you don’t end up taking it with you (which, it’s totally fine to steal your toiletries), hotels still have to replace the bar. Because who wants used soap after a long journey? Other than chucking it in the garbage, which lots of hotels have done in the past, some opt to recycle their unused soaps in order to help keep the little bars out of landfills and potentially help keep people healthy around the globe....

A Belgian farmer accidentally moved the country’s border with France by about eight feet, causing a minor international incident this week. “We know exactly where the stone was before, right next to a tree,” David Lavaux, the mayor of Erquelinnes, Belgium, where the incident occurred, told CNN. “In 2019, during the 200th anniversary, they were geo-localized very precisely.” The border between Belgium and France stretches for about 390 miles and is marked by stones that have been in place for more than 200 years....

We think it’s pretty safe to say that many travelers have asked themselves at one point or another, “how many planes are in the air right now?” It’s a fair question! And given that pretty much every single plane is tracked in some capacity, it’s actually one that can be answered. So we asked the experts at flight-tracking software company FlightAware to help us figure it out. More air travel tips...

As much as our readers appreciate beautiful beaches, they expect a more diverse experience when traveling to Mexico and Central and South America. The islands that T+L readers rated the best in the region offer much more, from wildlife found nowhere else to archaeological sites that date back to the 13th century. Every year for our World’s Best Awards survey, Travel + Leisure asks readers to weigh in on travel experiences around the globe — to share their opinions on the top cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, airlines, and more....

JetBlue’s Mint service just got a makeover. Announced on Tuesday, the airline is relaunching its premium class service with a host of new products, from trendy food options to relaxing wellness amenities fit for a self-care session at 35,000 feet. “Our new Mint will really help people feel at home while they’re flying,” Elizabeth Windram, JetBlue’s VP of marketing, told Travel + Leisure. “You should be able to work, sleep, relax, [or] do whatever it is that you would want to be doing on the ground — you should do that seamlessly in the air....

Home to the world’s biggest, tallest, and fastest basically everything, Dubai is known for going over the top in everything it does, especially when it comes to luxury. But for visitors wanting to have a different kind of adventure — one that focuses more on nature — there’s Hatta Dome Park, located two hours outside of Dubai. Situated in the rocky canyons of Hatta Wadi Hub in the Arabian Desert, Hatta Dome Park features 15 newly installed dome-shaped tents, each offering views of the mountainous landscape....

There’s something about being stuck in close quarters more than 30,000 feet in the air that seems to put certain people on edge. Bad behavior on planes happens so often that there’s a term for it—“air rage”—and a pretty extreme example was caught on video on a Monarch Airways flight from London’s Gatwick Airport to Málaga, Spain. In the video, which was recorded by a fellow passenger, a man and woman seated side-by-side in an aisle and middle seat, respectively, can be heard screaming at each other over an armrest....

As healthcare workers around the world have been overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic, Qatar Airways is saying ’thank you’ by giving away 100,000 flights to healthcare workers as part of a contest ending Monday. “We at Qatar Airways are incredibly grateful for the commitment and hard work of healthcare professionals around the world who looked after people in these times of uncertainty,” the airline’s Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said in a statement....

Sure, it’s very special to be aboard the maiden voyage of any cruise ship. But imagine if that cruise ship happened to be headed to Antarctica to view a total solar eclipse? Quark Expeditions is upping the game for the maiden voyage aboard its newest ship, the Ultramarine. When the ship sets sail later this year, its first guests will revel in not only being the first to sail the state-of-the art ship, but in experiencing one of the most dazzling natural phenomena on the planet while they do so....

Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park will discontinue its timed-entry reservation system implemented last year for visitors during the pandemic. When the park reopened to visitors in June, officials implemented the system to promote social distancing and keep vehicle entries capped at 60%. The timed-entry system required visitors to register in advance online for a permit to enter the park during an allocated time slot. Officials have said that system will not continue into 2021....

The Acropolis in Athens was covered in a layer of heavy snow on Tuesday as the Greek capital received its “fiercest” winter storm in 12 years. Although the more mountainous regions of Greece are used to snowfall, it is a rare sight in Athens. Particularly heavy, wet snowfall. ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images Ancient ruins around the city were covered in a coat of white snow, making for unique photoshoots of monuments across Athens....

Thailand is once again making it easier for tourists to visit with the return of its “Test & Go Thailand Pass” program, allowing vaccinated international visitors to travel to any part of the country and skip quarantine. Starting Feb. 1, Thailand will allow fully vaccinated travelers from any country to apply for the program up to 60 days before their trip, according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand. To be eligible, travelers must book and prepay for a stay in an approved SHA hotel for two separate nights (on day 1 and day 5), prepay for two COVID-19 PCR tests to take on day 1 and day 5 of their trip, and prearrange a transfer from the airport to their hotel....

Everlane is holding its annual Black Friday sale right now, offering up to 60 percent off a wide variety of clothing, shoes, and accessories, including many items that would make smart additions to your travel wardrobe. Whether you’re looking for cozy-yet-elevated loungewear for long-haul flights or layerable sweaters you can take on cold-weather trips, this sale has something for you. But don’t wait to shop — prices go up on November 29....

Once nicknamed “Isle of Devils,” Bermuda has much more to offer than shipwrecks leftover from the time before GPS systems navigated luxury yachts to the island. Home to pink sand beaches and brightly colored shorts of the same name, Bermuda is the perfect retreat for those looking to catch some sun on the beach, explore hidden caves, or just sit back and sip some rum without a care in the world....