5 of the best cities for a cultural break

Zagreb is Croatia’s historic northwestern capital, boasting many impressive 18th- and 19th-century Austro-Hungarian architectural buildings and landmarks. Travelers should check out attractions like the main square, the Zagreb Cathedral, and the city’s pedestrian district, Tkalčićeva Street — which is a great place for shopping and dining. It’s a historic city featuring many educational and cultural exploration opportunities, including museums, art galleries, and diverse entertainment.

In the autumn of 1948, Marcel Bich, owner of a company located north of Paris that produced ink cartridges for fountain pens, pushed a wheelbarrow in his garden in the village of Rhuis. He considered the new ‘ball point’ pen launched by the Reynolds company in the United States, and was mystified by the allure of this expensive instrument that produced what he considered as shoddy writing. He turned around, peered at the wheel imprint left by his barrow on dirt, and was flooded with a realization. The ball point pen did the same as the wheel—it left an imprint by rolling, not by scratching. He knew this could lead to more fluid, easier writing.

Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier Flynas has hired Goldman Sachs Group, Morgan Stanley and Saudi Fransi Capital for a potential initial public offering on the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul), according to a Bloomberg report.

Tourism leaders from around the world will join together in Saudi Arabia’s capital city, Riyadh, for 2023’s United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Day on September 27 and 28. Global tourism ministers and others in the industry will participate in events to connect and collaborate. The location of this year’s event shows how far tourism has come in the few short years since Saudi Arabia opened to tourists in 2019.

What’s happening right now in Saudi is groundbreaking — literally and figuratively. Huge developments, so massive they’ve been dubbed “giga projects,” are transforming the country like nowhere else in the world, bringing in new attractions, opening next-level luxurious hotels, and even creating entirely new cities.

The Iranian government announced on Thursday it’s removing visa requirements for visitors from 33 countries, including Saudi Arabia — with which Iran has strained relationship over recent years.

Global connectivity, hyper personalization, an improved loyalty program, an airline built for digital natives — these are some of the promises Riyadh Air is making to its future fliers. 

“Bella want look at world,” says Bella Baxter early on in Poor Things. Bella, played by Emma Stone, has the physical appearance of a fully-grown woman but the brain and insolence of, it seems, a small child. She’s spent her life up to this point safe within the grand London townhouse of her creator, mad scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter, whom she calls “God" (played by William Dafoe). She has long played a game on the floor of his study with a stack of atlases, wherein she closes her eyes and drops an index finger down like a rocketon a random point—her playmate must then tell her about wherever it is she’s ‘landed.’ Eventually her curiosity must be quenched by experience.

The Tokyo skyline is known for its ulta-sleek 5-star hotels perched high above the city overlooking walled gardens, centuries-old royal palaces, and majestic Mount Fuji. But the soaring cityscape was taken to new heights this year with the addition of Bulgari Hotel Tokyo, which occupies the 40th-45th floors of Tokyo Midtown Yaesu ultra-skyscraper.

Every generation travels a bit differently, with their value systems and expectations setting the tone for their well-earned journeys. While river cruising has been associated with older travelers, award-winning AmaWaterways has revolutionized the river cruise experience, expanding its appeal across generational divides. Innovations such as active hiking and biking excursions, as well as the introduction of AmaMagna—the most luxurious and innovative ship cruising the Danube River—have made AmaWaterways river cruises attractive to travelers of all ages.

Tourist, transplants and born-and-raised New Yorkers all have one thing in common: They love New York. The city is a trove of inspiration when it comes to gifting, especially with unique items that reflect the exceptionality of The Big Apple in all its glory. Here’s what to gift your favorite New Yorker, current, past or present.

Seven travel startups have announced fundraises of more than $305 million over the past week.