Travel

On a clear spring day, my mother and I hiked an unmarked spur trail to Subway Cave, in Boynton Canyon, near Sedona, Arizona. As we scrambled up a cliff to the cave’s opening, we heard a little boy ask his father, “Do you think moons could be spaceships? We’re always finding more of them.” I turned to my mom, who looked at me with wide eyes. “That kid gets it,” she said, impressed.

My family was about halfway through a 280-mile, eight-day bike tour around Denmark this summer when we stopped at a coastal hamlet with a sheltered dock, a line of vacation homes and a small, seaweed-strewn beach.

The air is crisp, and the leaves are bursting into vivid hues. Maybe you’re planning a road trip to admire the beauty. But getting your fill of fall foliage from behind the wheel can turn into an awkward juggle between admiring the vistas and navigating traffic. If you hop on a train, you can give the scenery your full attention and view some sights you just can’t see from the highway. Here are five great American train rides that offer day trips for peak-autumn panoramas.

I spent my second day in Iceland in a hotel on the outskirts of Reykjavik, trying resolutely to knit. Gathered around a coffee table with me were Ragga Sjöfn Jóhannsdóttir, my instructor, and my friend Lindis Sloan, both experienced knitters who fluidly worked the yarn with barely a glance at their hands.

From honeymoons to anniversary celebrations, vacations for two can bring romance in your relationship to the next level. While the average romantic may book a pair of tickets for Paris or Italy to make the most of that next big retreat, there are plenty of other romantic hot spots around the world worth considering. Here are of some of the most romantic spots around the globe. Santorini, ...

For more than a millennium, Kyoto flourished as the imperial capital of Japan. But in a seismic upheaval known as the Meiji Restoration, in which feudal shogunates gave way to a modern nation-state, the capital was moved to Tokyo in 1868. And Kyoto fell into decline.

Propelled by HBO’s “White Lotus,” Sicily has become an increasingly popular international destination. But while the tourism focus has remained on the northeast part of the island, in the coastal hill town of Taormina, the island has so much more to see, especially in the south: the moody beaches of the southernmost points of the island, the charming inland towns like Scili, its remains of ancient Greece.

The party started an hour before the M/S Gabriella ferry slipped out of Stockholm harbor for its overnight voyage to Helsinki. At the outdoor bar on Deck 9, passengers had gathered for the 4 p.m. sailing. Talking excitedly over drinks, they reveled in the Nordic summer weather – bright sun, cool breeze, electric blue sky with cotton-ball clouds – while a DJ mixed bass-heavy Eurodance and vintage disco. Kids on holiday with their families dashed about.

The day I packed my entire life into my car and drove from Boise to Spokane, I spent the seven-hour drive wiping so many tears from my eyes I could barely see the road.

When Lucas McIntyre moved to Spokane from Memphis, Tennessee, in 1998, he had never seen a mountain. At least, not one bigger than his apartment building.

With its historic church steeples and the arched Blue Bridge stretching across the north branch of the Potomac River, the city of Cumberland in western Maryland offers a picturesque view of small-town Appalachia to anyone passing by along Interstate 68.

Dan and Carol Taylor parked their camper van in a Green Bluff empty parking area, after visiting the store at Walters' Fruit Ranch to buy treats ahead of a one-night stay. The orchard is among more than 5,500 sites for Harvest Host, a RV membership company that coordinates brief stops at a network of farms, wineries, breweries or small businesses. Electric, water, and sewer hookups typically aren't available, but the benefit is a free night's stay. Most RVers buy products or donate at sites.

Every July, tens of thousands of visitors descend on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, crowding the frenzied passenger docks in the seaport of Buenaventura as they wait for speedboats that will whisk them to the small communities lining remote Málaga Bay. They’ve come to see the humpback whales.

“Hey mate!” a cyclist called to us in an Australian accent as he pedaled by on the rocky dirt road that serves as the main street of the village of Theth deep in Albania’s Dinaric Alps. Along with my friend and travel companion, Dave, I had not seen another bikepacker in four days.

At 6 million acres, New York’s Adirondack Park is the size of Vermont, and larger than all of New Jersey. A unique mix of state and private property that encompasses mountains, wilderness areas and lakes, the park draws more than 12 million visitors annually who want to hike, paddle, explore and more.

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?”