An IndiGo flight headed from Delhi to Bangalore on Wednesday landed with one extra passenger when a pregnant woman gave birth to a baby boy in the air. “We are overjoyed to welcome baby Bakshi to the world at 30,000 feet in our lean, clean flying machine!!” IndiGo wrote in a post on LinkedIn accompanied by photos of the cabin crew holding the newborn. “Both the mother and baby are doing fine and we send them our best wishes....
I don’t want to alarm you, but it is time to start holiday shopping. It may seem early, but it’s better to avoid any potential supply chain and delivery issues this year than to be caught with something less than perfect for your friends and family. We aim to please the adventurers on your list here at Travel + Leisure, and because Yeti is the perfect place to shop for the outdoorsman, the on-the-go mom, and the efficient traveler, let’s start with its killer new offerings....
Fitness and outdoor enthusiasts will definitely want to check out the sales on designs with ear hooks for extra staying power, like the Powerbeats Pro Wireless Earbuds, as well as options that are sweat-proof and impressively durable, like the Jabra Elite Active 75t Earbuds. There’s also something for gamers and movie buffs, with the low-latency (and consequently audio visual-friendly) Razer Hammerhead Pro Gaming Earbuds marked down. If you want to take advantage of all these amazing deals, you’ll need a Prime membership....
Getting through airport security can be a time-consuming and frustrating ordeal, especially when traveling during the busy holiday season. Thankfully, a variety of programs and passes allow travelers to speed up their airport security screening via dedicated entry lanes and the ability to avoid removing items like shoes, liquids, jackets, and belts. Here, a list of the options available, from subscriptions to one-time passes. Clear: More than 2.5 million people are currently signed up with Clear, a company that utilizes biometrics to allow travelers to quickly identify themselves at airports with fingerprints and eye scans....
Social distancing suddenly doesn’t look so bad when you look at places like the all-new Montage Cay. In early August, Montage Hotels & Resorts announced its latest project, Montage Cay, a 48-acre private-island resort and residential community in The Abacos Islands in the Bahamas that is slated to open in 2023. Montage Hotels & Resorts, in partnership with Sterling Global Financial, are moving forward to completely redevelop the island over the next few years....
Airlines and fliers are facing a lot of uncertainty as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread across the globe. Carriers have slashed flights, furloughed crew, and grounded the vast majority of their fleets due to evolving travel bans and restrictions. Travelers, meanwhile, have seen their plans put on hold for the foreseeable future, come up against quarantine rules, and faced issues claiming refunds for canceled flights. As airlines have struggled to adjust their schedules, reimburse ticketed passengers, and even repatriate people from around the world to their home countries, one of the questions they have been slower to address is what will happen to customers’ frequent-flier miles, elite status and other loyalty program benefits....
Oogie Boogie Bash — A Disney Halloween Party, which debuts at Disney California Adventure this September, isn’t just Mickey’s Halloween Party shifted over to a different theme park for the very first time. Disney has doubled down on offerings this year with enough entertainment and characters to entice fans of all ages with surprises, spooks, and more “The Nightmare Before Christmas” references than one’s Halloween-loving heart can handle. While parks like Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott’s Berry Farm lean into the blood-curdling horrors of Halloween, Disney has always landed on the side of being supremely kid-friendly....
Many of Europe’s best city hotels have the built-in benefit of centuries’ worth of history. You see it in the lavish design, the white-glove service, and the profound sense of place that emanates from the walls. But far from resting on their laurels, these hotels are in constant reinvention mode, creating amenities and experiences that go above and beyond to defy guest expectations. For this reason, Europe’s top city hotels continue to impress....
European culture, history, and food only get better when paired with the relaxation quotient of an island. The spectacular coastlines of the best islands in Europe — five of which were also voted among the 15 best islands in the world — showcase a wide range of terrains, from craggy volcanic cliffs to feather-soft sand. 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....
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. Our readers know that, in many cases, a hotel is more than just a hotel....
Hawaii’s famous Haiku Stairs, known as the “Stairway to Heaven,” will be removed due to illegal trespassing and injuries at the site that have led to hefty costs. The stairs, built by the U.S. Navy in the 1940s, are now known to lead the best views in Hawaii, despite being closed to the public for over 30 years. Its 3,922 steps wind up a mountain in Kaneohe, on the eastern side of Oahu....
Visit California unveiled its 2021 California Road Trips guide last week — and on its cover is one of the Golden State’s biggest road trip fans: Academy Award-winning actor Kevin Costner. In it, the actor shares his favorite drives from childhood and also reveals why he cofounded the mobile app HearHere to enhance the road trip experience. Courtesy of Amanda Friedman “We didn’t have a lot of money,” he said of his family in an accompanying episode of Visit California’s California Now podcast released earlier this year....
Aeroflot, Russia’s flagship airline, announced this week that passengers who refuse to wear face masks onboard will be seated in a designated “maskless” area of the plane. The decision was announced after Aeroflot declared they would not deny boarding to passengers who refused to wear masks, Reuters reported this week. Although all passengers will be required to wear a face mask that covers their mouth and nose during boarding, they will have the option of the special seating area once the cabin door closes....
Priyanka Chopra Jonas does everything in style, but her travels come with an extra flair. “I won’t lie — the only vacations I take are fabulous,” she told Travel + Leisure with a laugh on a call earlier this month. But it’s a relatively new skill set that she’s acquired in the last five years or so, after a lifetime of being a self-proclaimed workaholic. “It took me about 20 years of working to realize taking vacations is a big part of healing, restoring yourself, and feeling and coming back energized,” the 39-year-old actress and producer said....
If you’ve ever had a secret desire to be a magical creature or to experience Christmas in Santa’s village, this short seasonal job (lasting from late November through the end of December) might be for you. It’s an opportunity to take advantage of your skills as a tour guide and entertainer while you become immersed in Nordic culture and Finnish Christmas traditions. Lapland Staff is seeking energetic and outgoing people with excellent social skills and good verbal English to work as elves this holiday season in Finnish Lapland....
There’s nothing like a pandemic to spur a travel insurance boom. Policies meant to cover overseas medical care, trip interruption, and unforeseen snafus were a hot commodity in 2020 — and that demand is set to continue this year. Purchases of cancel-for-any-reason (CFAR) policies, which are exactly what they sound like, were up more than 500 percent in 2020, says insurance-comparison site Squaremouth. “Since June 2020, a whopping 90 percent of all trips we booked had travel insurance attached,” says Jack Ezon, the founder of Embark Beyond and a member of T+L’s Travel Advisory Board....
Queen Elizabeth is one generous lady. At least when it comes to allowing people to take advantage of her empty castles. A few months ago, in an effort to protect herself from the coronavirus pandemic, the Queen, along with her husband Prince Philip and 22 staffers, all moved into her Windsor Castle estate. The group appears to be hunkered down with no plans to leave anytime soon. That means her Buckingham Palace home is sitting empty....
Ugg is known for its supremely cozy footwear, including boots, moccasins, and slippers. If you’re in the market for a new pair of house shoes that will keep your feet warm this winter, you won’t want to miss out on Nordstrom’s current sale, which includes a particularly fluffy pair of Ugg slippers on sale for 44 percent off, bringing its price down to $50. The 18 Most Comfortable Pairs of Slippers for Men and Women, According to Thousands of Shoppers...
Technically, the Texas State Fair is canceled for 2020, but there will be a way to get your fried food fix. According to the Dallas Morning News, executives for the Texas State Fair will be allowing small groups of people to Fair Park for pictures with Big Tex and drive-thru picnics with their favorite fair food. In addition, the fair will only run on weekends in September and October, to keep crowds to a minimum....
Climate change is an urgent issue impacting all aspects of our lives, including how we travel. Teen activists, like Greta Thunberg, are bringing increased awareness to the effects of climate change on our environment, and adults and children are following suit in an effort to preserve our planet. Now more than ever, people are searching for eco-friendly ways to travel. According to Lonely Planet, Intrepid Travel, a “certified carbon-neutral adventure travel company,” is now offering new family cycling tours to appeal to environmentally conscious Gen Z teens (ages 10 and above)....
