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Editor’s Note: Those who choose to travel are strongly encouraged to check local government restrictions, rules, and safety measures related to COVID-19 and take personal comfort levels and health conditions into consideration before departure. The holiday season officially kicked off at Universal Orlando on Nov. 14, so from now through Jan. 3, guests can admire festive decor, indulge in adorable seasonal treats, and even have a socially distanced meet and greet with Santa Claus....

A herd of Indiana cows were in an udder rush after escaping from a farm and hitting the highway over the weekend. About 75 Holstein calves galloped down a highway in an almost single-file line on Saturday near Kingsbury, Ind. (just southwest of South Bend) surprising drivers and law enforcement alike. And the legen-dairy event was caught on video. “It’s really important to note, these cows weren’t just walking, they were at a full gallop, if you will,” off-duty officer Capt....

The State Department has removed the option to book last-minute passport appointments online as processing continues to take up to 18 weeks. “We have temporarily removed the online last-minute appointment booking system to ensure our very limited, last-minute in-person passport appointments at one of our agencies or centers go to applicants who need them for urgent travel,” the department wrote on its website. “We made this change to address the problem of third parties booking all available appointments using bots, and then selling them to applicants with urgent travel needs....

Like the majority of annual events held around the world, Oktoberfest 2020 looked very different this year. The world-renowned festival, which was founded in Munich in 1810 to celebrate a royal wedding, is now an annual celebration of Bavarian culture, with beer being hallmark of the festivities. Oktoberfest had not been canceled since World War II, but due to the pandemic, the German government had no choice but to cancel this year’s celebration and hold a much smaller-scale event to avoid the large crowds....

Nepal has reopened to adventurous mountaineers looking to scale the country’s awe-inspiring Himalayan peaks — but with some changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For now, tourism will mostly be limited to those looking to trek the staggering mountains in an effort to control who is coming in, The Associated Press reported. Anyone looking to climb in Nepal — home to some of the most impressive peaks in the world, including Mount Everest —must obtain a visa in advance, arrive with a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours, and already have a hotel booking in order to quarantine for at least seven days in the country, according to the Nepal Tourism Board....

The popular Thai island of Phuket will start welcoming vaccinated travelers in July, according to reports, months earlier than initially expected. Travelers who have been fully vaccinated will not have to undergo a quarantine to visit the beach destination after the country’s coronavirus task force on Friday gave them the all-clear to start welcoming tourists this summer, Reuters reported Friday. By then, the island plans to have inoculated 70% of its residents....

Traveling with children can make for some of the most rewarding trips. I once sat next to a woman on an airplane who told me that she was so worried about having children because she thought it would impede her ability to travel. A few years later, she said, she brought her two-year-old to Portugal for the first time. She told me it was the best trip of her life, because she got to experience every new scent, taste, and scene from a child’s perspective....

Fully vaccinated travelers heading to the Bahamas now have a second option for COVID-19 testing before departure. Initially, a RT-PCR test was going to be mandated for travelers starting Jan. 7, however, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism announced this week that visitors will now have the option to take a rapid test. Either test will have to be taken within 72 hours before departure. Travelers remaining in the Bahamas for more than 48 hours will also need to take another rapid antigen test on the second day of their trip....

Here’s the brutal truth: Americans leave literally hundreds of millions of vacation days on the table every year. That’s hundreds of millions of days working that could have otherwise been used getting hopelessly sunburned on the white sands of Hawaii or jumping from cliffs into the turquoise Mediterranean. And it’s not like you needed another reason to take a beach vacation this summer, but consider this: there’s now honest-to-goodness scientific research supporting a trip to the shore....

When it’s cold in Canada and the United States, head south. Cancun’s pristine white-sand beaches, sparkling ocean waters, and excellent restaurant and bar scenes beckon. Winter is one of the best times to visit some of Mexico’s most accessible beaches and safe tourist strip, but it’s also the most crowded and expensive season. Lots of travelers have the exact same idea to swap snow for sand and hot cocoa for margaritas....

If irreverent, obscure eats in paradise are your thing, it’s time to book a vacation to the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John. Soon enough, you could be floating in the Caribbean Sea, one hand holding a tortilla overflowing with saucy, stewed curry chicken and potatoes, while the other clutches a frothy spiked seltzer from local St. John Brewers, to cut through the spice of your taco’s fresh jalapeño-cilantro-pineapple chutney. This floating restaurant is far from a mirage, but rather, Lime Out, a boat-up-only venue that just celebrated three years of doling out floating meals and drinks....

Emojis have officially solidified their place in history. Emojination, a group that advocates for more inclusive and representative emojis, announced on Thursday that its interracial couple emojis and hijab emoji have been acquired by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, as a part of their expanding digital collection. The famous (and now, historical) emojis were made thanks to Tinder’s petition to create emojis that better reflected its real-life couples back in 2017....

Springtime in California is nearly here, which means the fields, valleys, and even the deserts are about to burst to life in a vibrant display of colorful wildflower blooms. Yes, you can head to the well-known spots like the Antelope Valley for the poppy bloom, or try your luck atAnza-Borrego for the cactus blooms. But, if you’re on the hunt for a more off-the-beaten-path destination, we’ve got a goodie for you....

Travelers heading to the Hamptons may have their go-to hotels, shops, and fitness studios, but when it comes to getting it all in one place, The Reform Club in Amagansett is a perfect hidden gem where visitors can find all of that and more. Away from the main street in town, this regal hotel resides quietly up on Windmill Lane where if you were driving past you may even miss it as the trees enclave it perfectly....

As any stargazer knows, the most important ingredient for stellar star viewing is inky-black skies. It’s why big cities, with their constantly lit buildings and endless streetlights, are severely lacking in terms of worthwhile stargazing. And it’s why West Virginia, with its sparse population and smaller cities — no city has more than 50,000 people — is heralded as one of the best places for stargazing on the East Coast....

So, you’ve traveled the globe and reached corners far and wide. You’ve seen and done it all — or, so you think. But there are still places even the most well-trodden travelers have yet to discover. You just have to go under the Earth’s surface to get to them. Those looking for a unique getaway that will certainly add to their already stellar travel repertoire can head to the town of Sweetwater, Tennessee....

If you’ve begun to travel more frequently again, you might have realized that your luggage and travel accessories could use an update. Luckily, we have you covered as far as packing tips and organizational products go. For example, if you don’t already have a designated shoe bag to keep your footwear separate from your clothing in your suitcase, you’re going to want to get one ASAP. A shoe bag not only helps you stay organized, but it also makes sure clothing, toiletries, and accessories stay clean, even up against your most-worn shoes....

The world may feel like it is on pause right now, but it’s the complete opposite for the countless healthcare workers tirelessly working day-in-and-day-out to keep people alive amid the coronavirus pandemic. Courtesy of World Health Organization And there’s no better time to take a breath and thank them than on World Health Day, which falls on Tuesday, April 7. The global day of thanks for healthcare workers has inspired countless shoutouts on social media using the #WorldHealthDay from everyone in quarantine, to celebrities, to the the travel industry, and even the International Space Station, which posted a photo of Earth on Twitter to say thanks....

The U.S. State Department eased travel warnings for the United Kingdom and Israel just weeks after raising both countries — and much of the world — to its highest travel advisory classification. The UK, which has begun lifting its strict lockdown restrictions and plans to reopen to some international travel on May 17, is now classified under “Level 3: Reconsider Travel.” Currently, most travel from the UK remains prohibited, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also classifies the country as a Level 3....

The next time you go to turn off the ventilation above your seat on an airplane — whether because you’re afraid of getting sick or you’re downright chilly — you might want to reconsider. Using that tiny vent can actually work to your advantage, as it can help you avoid contact with certain microorganisms that can get you sick during a flight. Travel + Leisure spoke to Dr. Mark Gendreau — the medical director and vice chair of emergency medicine at Lahey Medical Center-Peabody, and an expert on the spread of infectious diseases associated with air travel — to learn how it works and how travelers can best utilize the that little air conditioner....