Travel

Hiking and kayaking in the daytime? Fun and invigorating. But under a full moon, those activities can be transcendent. Gazing at blue skies is pleasant – but rather ordinary. Looking up at the night sky, on the other hand, feels as though deep mysteries may be revealed.

Travel+Leisure magazine’s 50 Best Places to Travel is always a fun read, but this year’s category breakdown makes it even more wanderlust inducing. There’s a section of “Where to Go 2024” rankings for travelers looking for cultural immersion, food and drink (Sonoma County gets a shout-out), big city thrills and more.

ORLANDO, Fla. — I grew up in Orlando, and every time I tell someone I’m from there, they crack a joke about Mickey Mouse. Yes, I went to Walt Disney World all the time! But the sprawling city is so much more than the Mouse House and chain restaurants, even more so since I left 15 years ago. Dare I say it’s ... cool now? From world-class restaurants to family-friendly activities, here are seven ...

“I have analysis paralysis,” said my friend Maite, an Argentine who lives in Madrid. Maite is a world traveler but has always been stymied when it comes to Greece. “There are too many islands. How do you decide?”

Some adrenaline-thirsty travelers pursue fresh powder, and some seek the perfect surf break. Others strap themselves to a 30-foot kite and skim across the waves, looking for a chance to catch a little air.

Every year is an Olympics year in Lausanne, Switzerland, a city of stone buildings, tile roofs and historic church squares perched on a hillside overlooking Lake Geneva. As home to the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Museum, the city is involved year-round in championing the Games, long before and long after the official ceremonies take place. (This year, the Summer Olympics and Paralympics, mostly in and around Paris, run from July 26 to Sept. 8.)

Ahead of the third season of the culinary drama “The Bear,” Chicago is abuzz with sightings of the cast. Seasons 3 and 4 are shooting back to back, and despite showrunners’ best efforts to throw Chicagoans off their trail with filming code names, actors have been spotted at O’Hare International Airport, an Evanston church and the lakefront.

It was while sipping the tasty goose soup he’d ordered that my friend Matt said he was considering giving up his American citizenship.

If you’ve ever traveled to the United Kingdom, the coast of northern Maine or eastern Canada, you can expect a similar feel when visiting the San Juan Islands. What’s different is that the temperatures here are moderated by the waters that encircle them, resulting in a generally mild maritime climate.

A family beach vacation is an American classic. But depending on their children’s ages and inclinations, some families may be drawn to different kinds of shorelines: those featuring clear, calm water for snorkeling and learning to swim; or, for shell collectors and young naturalists, sandy stretches carpeted with seashells or bordered by tide pools. For castle builders, fine sand is a must, while would-be surfers need tidy waves, ready to ride. Here are six great beaches in the United States and Baja California for family-favorite summer activities.

In popular imagination, France’s Fontainebleau is inextricably linked to its grand Château. But when I visit, I typically skip it entirely. Yes, the 1,500-room Château de Fontainebleau that was inhabited by French kings and emperors for eight centuries may seem the most arresting attraction in this region 37 miles south of Paris. Instead, it’s the surrounding forest that entices me to return again and again.

It was a check-the-box trip, one intended to fill our quota to earn my husband possible Swiss citizenship. With dual nationality, I’m fortunate enough to hold the coveted red passport due to my family bloodline.

Even for someone who loves getting lost in museums – especially “everything museums” like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – London’s Victoria and Albert Museum might have been my Waterloo. The statistics are daunting: 5,000 years of artistic production with more than 60,000 works on view (from a collection of some 2.8 million) in about 150 galleries beneath 21 acres of roof.

BIG SUR/THE LOST COAST, Calif. – California’s famous shoreline assumes a variety of names as it winds its way from the sunny south to the forest-dotted north. But whatever you call the region that straddles the California-Oregon border, where the Redwood Coast meets Oregon’s shore, this remote stretch offers a spectacular escape from civilization.

Each year, thousands of baby green sea turtles clamber across a beautiful, white-sand paradise that is one of the largest hatching sites of this species in the Atlantic, adorably making their way to the sea. There’s one noticeable absence: people.

The scenery starts to change when you leave the tall hotels and tapón (traffic jam) of San Juan behind.

BEND, Ore. – My family used to go to Blockbuster every Friday. Walking to the store on 19th Street and First Avenue in Manhattan, we’d wander through the aisles of DVDs, negotiating what to rent for our weekly ritual of making pizzas and watching movies, and I’d try to sweet-talk my way into a Nerds Rope or a box of watermelon Sour Patch Kids.

My first view of Monterey Bay on California’s Central Coast was thrilling – a raft of 40-something sea otters – and free. The next time I would get close to them, at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, it cost nearly $60. That split between free access to outdoor wonders and investment-grade attractions epitomized my experience in the area.

ATLANTA — Peak wedding season starts in May, which means it’s almost time to start planning bachelorette parties. If you’re in the middle of preparing for a memorable event but don’t know about the location, don’t worry — we can help you with that. Las Vegas, Nashville and Miami are most common for the bachelorette scene. However, if you and your crew are fans of the outdoors or want something ...