Bowman’s Travel Brief: Disney’s Swing and Miss

Dreaming of white sands, warm waters, and days spent snorkeling—without a hefty price tag? A Caribbean escape doesn't have to drain your wallet, so long as you plan smartly enough. The key? Maximize your time in the great outdoors, exploring public beaches and lush tropical rainforest trails, and look for charming seaside hotels with special offers or all-inclusive resorts with perks like free bicycle rentals, beach lounge chairs, or poolside cabanas. Off property, dive into authentic local cuisine at artisan markets, where meals come both fresh and affordable.

Getting to Mexico just got easier—and cheaper. Volaris Airlines, a major carrier throughout Mexico, recently announced dozens of new routes from the United States, with a major expansion that including the launch of service at New York/Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). From Newark, the airline will begin service to Guadalajara, Mexico and San Salvador, El Salvador.

Legend of the Seas, the third ship in Royal Caribbean’s Icon Class, will launch in July 2026and spend its first summer cruising the Mediterranean. It will then journey to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from where it will sail year-round to the Western and Southern Caribbean, the cruise line announced today.

The novelty of starting your day with a croissant in Paris and eating Italian pasta for lunch is back on the menu this March. The hugely popular train route connecting Paris and Milan is reopening after a 19-month closure. 

Losing your luggage to the mysterious labyrinth of an airport baggage system is every flier's worst nightmare—especially when nobody at the airline can tell you where in the world it ended up. That's why many travelers have decided to take things into their own hands in recent years by attaching tracking devices like Apple AirTags to their checked luggage.

If Miami and Palm Beach had a love child, it would be Fort Lauderdale. Quickly shedding its image as just a spring break destination, the city is redefining itself as a place that lacks the formality of its neighbor to the north (Palm Beach), but has all the trappings of the vibrant metropolis to the south (Miami). And while Fort Lauderdale is quickly catching up on the five-star luxury-resort front, the real-estate (and therefore hotel) prices have not yet approached the levels of Palm Beach's on Worth Avenue. Fort Lauderdale lacks pomp and doesn’t take itself too seriously: It’s a place that still feels accessible thanks to an abundance of public beaches, a lack of gated communities, and a culinary scene that won’t break the bank.

Bahamasair is eyeing an order for new jets that could grow its fleet and expand nonstop flight opportunities to the island nation.

Let's face it: Americans are obsessed with cars and road trips. Who can resist the call of the wide-open road? But one cyclist organization is imagining a different way to see the country — and it just made a huge addition to its network.

First came the coronavirus pandemic. Then came so-called "revenge travel." Now, it seems like the mad dash to Europe is an annual phenomenon that's here to stay.

It’s hard to imagine a more archetypical New England town than Litchfield, CT. Tucked into the northwestern edge of Connecticut, it’s the kind of small town that would inspire a George Durrie landscape or a comfort-television drama, with a village green that’s brimming with cafes and shops and streets lined with stately Colonial homes and institutional landmarks (America’s first law school, for instance). But tucked behind its pastoral charm and old-world graces, too, are signs of a more modern underpinning: dozens of striking mid-century modern buildings, designed by some of the era's most prominent architects, including Bauhaus architect Marcel Breuer.

"New Orleans is a city of mood,” chef Serigne Mbaye tells me one Wednesday morning in September. We've been discussing the merits of Parkway's po'boys and the old-school kitchen at Commander's Palace. While growing up in Senegal and New York City, Mbaye cooked with his mother, and his Uptown restaurant, Dakar NOLA, braids his memories of this time with his haute restaurant experiences and the deep-rooted African heritage of New Orleans.

Feb 4, 2025 • 8 min read