8 reasons Vancouver is cooler than you think

Southwest Airlines is helping travelers take two vacations almost for the price of one with the company’s first-ever buy one, get one 50 percent off sale.

Planning a road trip this summer? For the sake of safety and peace of mind, your own and others’, add this to the pre-departure to-do list: a review of your driving habits. After all, while there’s nothing you can do to change other drivers’ bad habits, you are at least in control of your own.

Food pics on Instagram feeds can sate even the biggest visual appetite. Search a hashtag such as #food or #restaurant and you’ll find the world represented through its dishes. A sweet bun served up in a village tea house in Myanmar, a high-concept amuse bouche straight from Paris, a mile-high roadhouse burger from somewhere along Route 66—there’s something for every taste.

The average payback for six major hotel chain loyalty programs—the value of what the points will buy, compared to what you pay to earn the points—is near 9 percent. That’s substantially higher than the return from the big three airline programs, which fetch about 4 to 6 percent. Those figures come from IdeaWorks’ 2017 CarTrawler Hotel Reward Payback Survey. Among hotel programs, Wyndham’s payback is highest, at 16.7 percent.

If Minnesota doesn’t come to mind when you think of a city-weekend escape, you must not be familiar with the City of Lakes. Minneapolis is an arts and culture hub that surprises most with its style and spirit—Bob Dylan, a Minnesotan himself, marveled at the ahead-of-the-times music scene he saw in the 1950s in Minneapolis and nearby St. Paul.

Have you ever booked a last-minute trip because you suddenly realized you had a few days to spare? If you have, you’re not alone. More travelers than ever before are participating in the latest travel trend: Spontaneous vacations.

At the Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver, something is abuzz. Fairmont hotels might be synonymous with luxury, but at this one, travelers can take one of the best free tours in Vancouver—a beekeeping demonstration.

Tucked between Vancouver Island’s pristine waterways, lush forests, and rugged wilderness is some downright delicious coastal cuisine. Chefs, distillers, and purveyors here rely on locally grown ingredients to infuse their creations with the flavors of the destination itself.

When I enthusiastically booked a cabin for an ocean cruise over a decade ago, I wanted to fall in love with cruising. It felt like something all the cool kids were doing.

Cushioned by the North Shore Mountains, Vancouver is interrupted by pockets of greenery and bay views. The natural landscapes are matched by the port city’s art museums, vibrant food culture, and wine bars that show off what British Colombia is capable of. Downtown Vancouver, BC, hotels put you within walking distance of the main sights and are just a short subway or boat ride to outlying spots. These are the best luxury hotels in Vancouver for living the high life on Canada’s West Coast.

Whether you’re hitting the trails or planning a deep dive into First Nations history, the chances are you’ll pass through YVR during your time in Vancouver, British Columbia. Vancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in the neighboring city of Richmond, BC. Although the Canada Line links you to Downtown Vancouver and the cruise port in less than half an hour, spending a night at one of the nearby Vancouver Airport hotels spares you the risk of sprinting for the red-eye.

Osaka is affectionately known as "Japan's kitchen". It's the birthplace of ramen noodles (which celebrate their 60th birthday in 2018) and is home to some of the country's quirkiest restaurants.