A Luxe Ski Trip to France Is Cheaper Than Skiing in the US (Seriously)

It’s a Parisian scene as iconic as the Eiffel Tower: the sidewalk cafe, where outside, rattan bistro chairs and tables invite passers-by to linger and engage in people-watching, and inside, strangers mill about the bar and exchange small talk over astringent espressos and glasses of wine.

When I told my family I was planning a trip to Hong Kong, they responded, "Why? Isn't Hong Kong similar to Singapore?"

Amtrak is celebrating a special milestone with big savings for passengers.  The train service's Downeaster line, which operates five times a day from Brunswick, Maine to Boston, Massachusetts, recently achieved ten million riders on the line. In recognition of the achievement, Amtrak is offering special $30 round-trip fares on the line when travelers enter the promotional code V232during the booking process.  “This is our best deal of the year and marks our biggest ridership achievement," Amtrak shares about the promotion.

Booking a Caribbean or Mexican getaway just got cheaper. Frontier Airlines recently announced a special promotion that drops the number of miles for a one-way flight to international destinations from the United States to only 100 miles, whereas it usually is 15,000 miles. Best of all, the discounted mile redemptions also extend to select domestic routes, with one-way flights available at 2,500 miles versus the regular 10,000 miles.  The promotion runs through January 24, 2025, giving travelers extra time to plan the ultimate vacation to the Caribbean or Mexico. Travelers can book the deal on Frontier’s website.  Frontier offers service to a variety of Caribbean destinations including:

Jan 16, 2025 • 6 min read

By the time my kids, Mila and Joe, were tweens, they’d become pretty savvy travelers. We had traveled as a family all over Mexico and Central America, to French Polynesia, and around Southeast Asia—Joe had even tagged along with me on a work trip to Egypt. But a family trip to Europe? Nope. I had been urged by a few well-traveled friends to save Europe for a time when my children would really appreciate it, when they could enthusiastically spend not just hours but consecutive days wandering museums and historical sites, when their palettes could handle sophisticated flavors, and when 10 p.m. dinners wouldn’t destroy the following day. I’m not sure why I chose to listen to this parenting advice while cavalierly ignoring all sorts of other cautionary tales and whispered warnings, especially since my kids ate everything, had been visiting museums since their toddler days, and frequently stayed up to 1 a.m. But I did, and year after year, kept punting on a family trip to Italy or Greece, countries I knew and loved and couldn’t wait to share with my kids when the time was right.

As an unathletic kid, I dreaded "going skiing" because it really meant slogging through ski school while my parents hit the slopes.

Air France-KLM Flying Blue has increased the cost of saver-level redemptions to Europe and beyond by approximately 20% on average, but it promises 30% more seats at the lowest saver pricing to compensate. Travel on Points first reported this devaluation.

Soaring granite peaks, glacier-carved valleys, and a myriad of geothermally-heated hot springs are just a handful of reasons that thousands of Americans venture to the Swiss Alps each year.

London has the most congested roads in Europe for the fourth year in a row, according to a new analysis.

Singapore has the most powerful passport in the world for 2025, claiming the top spot with more easy access than any other country.

Namia River Retreat opened last month on the banks of the Thu Bon River in Hoi An, a coastal city in central Vietnam. The tranquil setting — all 60 villas stand between the water and a palm forest — inspires the resort’s wellness program. Activities include yoga, meditation and duong sinh (an Indigenous form of tai chi) sessions and swimming in the saltwater pool; there’s also access to riverside saunas, bamboo bicycles to explore Hoi An and sunset river cruises. An indoor-outdoor spa specializes in traditional Vietnamese medicine using herbs grown on the property and in nearby gardens. The villas themselves are more indulgent than you might expect at a wellness resort. Each comes with a private pool, a sunken bathtub and an outdoor shower, while the décor is replete with local touches, from the ash-wood furniture made in nearby Da Nang to the artisan-carved wooden wall hangings and photographs depicting Vietnamese life. And for food, you can choose between two restaurants: the Fisherman, a seafood spot, and the Merchant, where the playful menu offers cocktails inspired by street food (the Hoi An Chicken Rice Com Ga features a local rum infused with rice and chicken broth) and equally nontraditional dishes like cao lau carbonara, whose sauce is made with duck egg.