Travel in county Mitchell

Southwest Airlines is back with another big network update.

It might sound like an impossible request: a last-minute Labor Day getaway with gorgeous weather and minimal crowds that you can squeeze into a long weekend. There are good reasons many destinations across North America won’t fit the bill. Wildfires are burning in some parts of the West, tropical disturbances are brewing in the Caribbean, the East Coast’s coastal retreats are packed, and much of the South is sweaty and oh so steamy. But if you’re still hoping to stretch out the last days of summer, there are places that are not too hot, not too crowded and not necessarily that far away.

I used to really like air travel—largely because of a Disney movie from the late seventies called The Rescuers. The leads are mice: a chic one, voiced by Eva Gabor; and a frumpy one, voiced by Bob Newhart. They’re on assignment to save an orphan girl who was abducted for the purpose of retrieving a diamond from the Louisiana bayou—but first they have to get there from New York City, which involves riding in a sardine tin strapped to an albatross. When the bird wings off the roof of a skyscraper at sunset, poor Bob is practically peeing himself. But not Eva. “Oooo! I just luv takeoffs!” she says. “It’s just like being on a rollerscoater.”

From the neon-light art installations to cool rooftop bars; genius space-saving rooms to artisan cocktail lists, the Moxy Hotels brand is all about fuelling a hotel stay with a playful essence. But, while youthful in ethos, Moxy, the youngest sister in Marriott Bonvoy’s hotel stable, also serves up a grown-up, intelligent offering, by tapping into what savvy travellers truly want from a city visit.

From South Asia’s most inspiring writers speaking in Jaipur to literary heavyweights entertaining crowds at Hay, book festivals are now a truly international affair. Bibliophiles can get their cultural fix across continents and throughout the year, taking their pick between huge extravaganzas and intimate gatherings. Here are some of the highlights in 2016: