20 free things to do in Ho Chi Minh City: experience Saigon for nothing

Fall is finally here. As we embrace the chillier months, travel brands are already preparing for the upcoming holidays. Just in time for spooky season, Extra Holidays is offering up to 20 percent off resort stays located in cities with Halloween spirit, activities vary from family-friendly to completely frightful—you've been warned. Marriott Bonvoy is having a Fall Flash sale where members can save up to 20 percent off of weekend hotel stays, perfect for those looking for a regenerative staycation or who want to attend an away game this football season.

Autumn is a big season for hotels, especially those that represent the winds of change. In New York City, Standard International debuts its latest hotel concept, The Manner—which feels less like the hedonistic Standards of yore, and more like any of the city’s growing number of fabulous private-members clubs. Across the country in California, a beloved Laguna Beach icon enters an exciting new chapter. Salt Lake City is finally getting a new lifestyle hotel—just in time for another ski season. And the country’s first ultra-sustainable, “carbon positive” hotel opens its doors in Denver to set an example for hotels everywhere. There’s a lot happening, and a lot to explore—where will you go first? These are the most exciting new hotel openings of fall 2024.

Low-cost Icelandic airline Play is making it easier to travel this fall and winter with $99 flights to popular cities across Europe.

Luxury hospitality company Four Seasons is wowing travelers with a brand-new around-the-world private jet trip from California back to Canada, touching on three different continents.

The “Golden Triangle” of Southeast Asia was named such due to the region’s thriving opium trade from the ’50s until the early 21st century. The mountainous region, where the borders of Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar meet, subsequently became fashionable with backpackers hopping between the countries before going south to Cambodia and Vietnam.

To encourage travelers to Japan to get off the beaten path, delve deeper into the country’s cultural heritage, and venture beyond the popular tourist destinations, Japan Airlines is offering complimentary domestic flights all across the archipelago.

You have a phantom ship named Caleuche to thank for the haze obscuring Chiloé from sight as you sail from mainland Chile. Chilotes say this enchanted galleon travels underwater at breakneck speeds, shapeshifts to avoid detection, and rewards local merchants with booty when they dare strike a deal with its crew of wizards. Even if you don’t believe in sorcery and superstition, this mysterious archipelago will disarm you with its rugged wilderness and charming fishing villages.

Sober travelers who wish to take to the seas find it nearly impossible to book an alcohol-free cruises. Major cruise lines focus heavily on alcohol consumption, trying hard to sell expensive drinks package to cruisers. In return, cruisers who paid big bucks for their drinks package tend to indulge a lot more than usual in an attempt to get their money’s worth, creating an atmosphere that’s very unhealthy for those who want to avoid booze altogether.

At a time when most airlines, budget or otherwise, are determined to make you pay through the nose for any piece of luggage you want to bring with you on a flight, Avelo Airlines, is going against the grain. Since May 25, 2024, Avelo, a US-based budget airline, lets adult passengers departing from Sonoma County Airport (STS) fly with one case of wine for free. As of September 16, 2024, however, the airline will be expanding its Wine Travel Free program to and from all its routes in the Western US.

Ankara, the Turkish capital, has been wilting under days of intense heat. Our taxi driver lets us out at the station with a gift of a cool apple. The forecourt is a mess of commuters competing for taxis and minivans. Through its automatic doors, though, is a gleaming air-conditioned cathedral to Turkey’s high-speed rail. The relief is short-lived—a uniformed attendant at the information window soon informs us our train, the Doğu Ekspresi (translation: Eastern Express) actually departs from the old station next door.

The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) is planning to increase its staff presence in the North American market and will open an official MTA office in New York in 2025, according to Carlo Micallef, CEO, speaking at an event in New York for the travel industry and travel media. The eventual objective, he said,  is to have a nonstop flight to Malta from the U.S.  

Sep 24, 2024 • 7 min read