Best neighborhoods to visit in Chiang Mai

I first arrived in Chiang Mai in May of 1992. I came to visit a high school buddy who had married a local – a professor at Chiang Mai University. They introduced me to the local cuisine, and to their friends and family members who took me under their collective wing. 

It's hard to resist the allure of Europe, where travelers can find iconic historic sites waiting around seemingly every corner. But the continent's perennial popularity has also meant that many of those best-loved spots are impacted by overcrowding – and the visitor caps, ticketed entry and other restrictions that follow. 

While there aren’t many bargains in Munich, there are a surprising number of one-of-a-kind activities and sights that are completely free.

A stay at an airport hotel is usually booked with convenience in mind. You’ve got an early morning flight and want to be close to your departure gate or you’ve got a layover that’s too long to wait out in the lounge, yet too short to venture deep into a city. But some airport hotels go above and beyond with their amenities and design, and, Skytrax, a London-based air transport ratings organization, rates airport hotels each year.

Traveling in Greece is always an adventure — even for a local like me.

Ever dreamed of spending a night in Paris’ Musée D’Orsay? Or parking yourself among the race cars in the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy? Or how about drifting off to sleep among clouds in the house from Up? Those are just a few of the fantastical locations recently revealed in Airbnb’s Icons collection for summer 2024. Airbnb says it will offer more dreamy locations on a regular basis—mostly for free—and more than 4,000 “golden tickets” will be awarded to guests this year.

Michelin revealed its top picks for hotels in Italy, using its new hotel “key” system. Only a small number of hotels made the grade.

It was the small and enigmatic Berlengas archipelago that drew us to Peniche harbour. Peniche, 60 miles north of Lisbon, is famous for its surfing beaches, but the islands off its coast often get overlooked. Every morning a couple of hardy passenger boats bounce over eight miles of waves from the peninsula of Peniche to Berlenga Grande. We took our seats on deck between sacks of onions and oranges and, flecked with sea-spray and followed by flocks of screaming gulls, we watched green hills emerge from blue waves ahead. At the port, the goods are unloaded with gulls wheeling and cawing overhead.

An amazing part of traveling is discovering a new place, but there’s something special about returning to a beloved destination—which also speaks volumes about what makes a place stand out as one of the best.

Generations of backpackers will tell you that Thailand has long been a great destination for travelers on a shoestring. And it’s particularly easy to visit the northern city of Chiang Mai on a budget, even with its swanky luxury scene and five-star hotels.

I absolutely love Italy, for many different reasons. But I hate the way in which many Americans go about planning trips there. Survey after survey shows it is the number one dream destination for U.S. leisure travelers, but the way those travelers get their information and advice gives me nightmares.

What better way to celebrate the start of a marriage than with an unforgettable honeymoon in a dream location? But with so many exquisite island destinations to choose from, it can be difficult for honeymooners to decide which is the best for a romantic getaway.  On average, couples spend around $5,000 on their honeymoon, so they’ll want to make sure they get the most value for money.