A first-timer's guide to the Midwest

Road trips in Montana really take you places. Massive mountains, glacier lakes, and wild rivers unfurl outside the window on the state’s wide-open roads, each diving into a state of exploration and pure natural wonder. And with plenty of Western scenery and outstretched landscapes along the way, road-tripping across Montana proves it’s all about the journey between destinations.

Visitors often come to Portland, Maine, for the first time because they want to spend a summer weekend in a quaint city by the water, or because they’ve heard about the city’s superlative seafood (80 percent of the United States’ lobster comes from Maine). Seduced by the easy access to nature and relative affordability, many return for longer stays or even for good. Between 2020 and 2022, Maine’s population had the highest percentage increase of any New England state.

Jeff Weinstein is a medical operations associate manager at Global Rescue, with 18 years of combined experience in emergency and disaster response, critical care paramedicine, and emergency management. With specialty training in austere medicine and mountain rescue from The School of Medicine at UNM and is a Certified Wilderness Paramedic (WP-C) from the International Board of Specialty Certifications (IBSC).

If there's one thing New York City does better than most other US destinations, it's overloading the senses.

Pride parties in the summer, Broadway shows in the fall, holiday magic in the winter, cherry blossoms galore in the spring…there’s never a bad time to visit New York City.

I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, from Ewing, New Jersey, in 2019 to attend the University of Minnesota. I planned to earn my degree, get a job on the East Coast, and fall right back into the comfort of my hometown — but that never happened. 

The American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) has seen over 12,000 downloads of its Travel Advisor Career Overview guide to becoming a travel agent since it made the resource free.

With 114,000 square miles of canyons, deserts and forests, Arizona is the sixth-largest state in the US, and the country's favorite Wild West wilderness. As you might expect, this is classic driving country, but with decent rail and bus links, there are alternatives to guzzling gas.

New York City is home to 73 Michelin Star restaurants, with a new batch of awards due this fall. Before the official ceremony on November 7, the world renowned guide has announced a batch of 15 new restaurants that can be up for stars or Bib Gourmand recognition this coming year.

A cyberattack has breached the computer system at MGM Resorts, forcing the company to shut down operations at a dozen of the most iconic casino hotels in Las Vegas—including the Bellagio, Mandalay Bay and the Cosmopolitan—as well as another half-dozen MGM properties around the United States. The attack has left hotel guests locked out of their rooms and unable to use their digital key cards to charge goods and services.

The appeal of the Bavarian capital extends well outside its ornate historic centre — and beyond Oktoberfest season. Buzzy neighbourhoods like Schlachthofviertel put modern Munich’s creativity on show, stylish coffee shops and bakeries set you up for the day, and sprawling parks have helped to build the city’s liveable reputation.

Amsterdam has dominated cannabis tourism for 40 years, but now it’s stepping back from this multibillion-dollar industry, creating opportunities for emerging marijuana destinations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. New rules in the Dutch city’s central tourist area limit alcohol sales, require bars to close earlier, and impose a €100 ($107) fine for public marijuana smoking.