Travel in state California

A great hotel mattress is one of the joys of vacation. Nothing beats sleeping in a soft bed after a long flight. Luckily, with this year’s Cyber Monday mattress deals, you can recreate that same feeling at home. We sleep in our own beds almost every single night, so maybe we should raise our standards of comfort. And of course, the foundation of a comfy bed is its mattress, making it the first place to start. So, if you're in the market for a mattress this year, and are upgrading your bed, bedroom, or general living situation, you could benefit from being in the loop about 2023 Cyber Monday mattress deals—these are the best of them for hotel-quality sleep.

A bipartisan introduced in the House of Representatives Friday is the latest effort to apply pressure on the travel industry to be more transparent in how it displays and markets so-called junk fees.

Seven travel tech startups have raised more than $171 million over the past two weeks. 

Universal theme parks around the world are in the midst of a period of unprecedented growth. The second Super Nintendo World — which is the first in the U.S. — opened at Universal Studios Hollywood in February. In Florida, Universal Orlando is building an entirely new theme park slated to open in 2025 called Epic Universe. You'd think Universal would have its hands full already, but you'd be wrong.

It’s hard to talk about Alaska's capital without the conversation turning to nature. Juneau’s privileged position on the Gastineau Channel — where temperate forests reach seafood-rich glacial waters — has birthed a city of foragers, fishermen and hunters. And with the return of Cordon Bleu-trained chefs such as Lionel Uddipa, Juneau is taking Alaskan cuisine to new heights, where sustainably sourced salmon, wild game and foraged fare all take centre stage. We talk to Lionel to learn more about farm-to-fork cooking in the region and how new eateries are combining Alaskan traditions with sustainable practices.

“If you need to update Facebook, do it now,” the conductor announces over the tannoy. The passengers chuckle but dutifully pull out their phones. As we trundle into the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains, we’re about to enter another mobile dead zone.

Best Western Rewards' latest promotion has launched two generous hotel deals that allow you to stack bonuses this winter. And while you may already have your holiday or winter stays booked, this hotel promotion is one that you should really consider and take advantage of. Keep reading to find out how you can earn up to 100,000 reward points, as well as a $100 gift card.

Amtrak carried 28.6 million customers on train trips during its latest fiscal year. That number, while an improvement of nearly a quarter from 2022, fell short of its aim to match pre-pandemic ridership of 32.5 million trips.

Northern California’s historic Gold Country is booming—for the second time. This string of former mining towns in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada burst onto the scene in 1848 during the fabled gold rush.

It’s about to get easier to escape from Salt Lake City to the gorgeous islands of Hawaii thanks to a new flight from Hawaiian Airlines set to launch next year. 

Hawaiian Airlines is saying aloha to its 16th destination on the U.S. mainland.

There have been songs written about La Seine, movies set alongside her quays, and masterpieces painted about her. While the Seine is definitely Paris’s favorite river, there is its lesser-known, black-sheep sibling: the Bièvre River.

Booking.com and Warner Bros. Pictures have this week announced a new collaboration to celebrate the holidays and the debut of Wonka (in theatres December 15). The limited-time collaboration comes in the form of two sugar-coated stays at Wonka’s Sweet Suites in both New York and Los Angeles.

In 1973 Jack and Dolores Cakebread were visiting friends in Napa Valley and mentioned they would be interested in buying their land if they ever wished to sell — to their surprise the friends called back later that day and agreed to a deal. Cakebread Cellars is now celebrating fifty years and have released their ‘ 50th Anniversary Chardonnay Collection ,’ made up of four single-estate wines made from the first varietal bottled by the winery. I spoke with co-owner Bruce Cakebread, son of Jack and Dolores, about his parents, the history of the winery and his favorite vintages.

Low-cost carrier Breeze Airways may soon expand beyond the United States with international flights.

Cyber Monday and Travel Tuesday may be over, but Delta Air Lines is still rolling out the deals for travelers eager to get away.  The airline recently published a list of “Fly Into A Winter Wonderland” deals on their website, which offers discounts both in cash and using Delta SkyMiles redemptions for flights both within the United States and internationally.  “Redefine the winter blues and take advantage of low seasonal fares to destinations from cozy cities to tropical escapes and alpine adventures,” Delta shares on their website about the sale. Travel + Leisure spotted deals from nearly every one of Delta’s hub cities in the United States. The current promotion offers deals between December 2023 and January 2024. The lowest miles fare was 14,000 miles and $12 for a round-trip flight from Seattle, WA, to San Francisco, CA.  Some of the other top flight deals include:

Breeze Airways announced two new routes and one new city Wednesday as the startup carrier continued to fill in its route map.

In November, 2023, Time Out magazine named Mexico City as the #1 city in the world for culture. In the 1990s and early 2000s Mexico City, was known for smog, sprawl, and street crime, and was not usually near the top of the list of cities most international tourists wanted to visit. But, over the last ten to fifteen years, local government officials and private sector entrepreneurs have worked to spark a new wave of urban renewal and transformed the way Mexico City is seen around the world. In 2016, The New York Times listed Mexico City as its number one recommended destination to visit. While urban planners, architects, and police have all played big roles in Mexico City’s evolution, a new group of globally renowned chefs has also helped catalyze Mexico City’s transformation, and also helped boost Mexico’s soft power by elevating Mexico’s gastronomy to be more universally regarded as one of the most complex and tasty cuisines on the planet.

If you’re looking for a budget-friendly flight down south—you’re in luck. Southwest Airlines has announced it will be expanding its international flight schedule by next summer—with new routes flying to Mexico, Costa Rica, Cayman Islands, Turks & Caicos, and more.

If you’re a Pink Floyd fan, you know Mono Lake. Perhaps not by name, but certainly by sight. It’s the location for the legendary Aubrey Powell “The Diver” photo (also called “Monosee”) from the inner sleeve of Wish You Were Here. Even if you’re not a Pink Floyd fan, you might have come across this photo, where a pair of legs are sticking out of perfectly still water near alien-looking rock formations. The whole thing is surreal in that way that Powell and the company he co-founded, Hipgnosis, was so skilled at creating.

The Mount Hood stratovolcano, around two hour’s drive east of Portland, Oregon, is the most transfixing ski destination you’re ever likely to lay eyes on. It’s a perfect snow-topped pyramid, pushing high through the clouds, with a belt of fir trees and pistes that crisscross the forest like strands of a spider’s web. Get closer and you’ll see the pattern is the result of several exciting ski areas: Timberline, Mount Hood Skibowl, Mount Hood Meadows, Summit Ski Area and Cooper Spur. For those who love winter sports, this region always offers another reason to stay longer. 

Whether the person you’re shopping for this holiday season has been a longtime devotee or is a new fan of hallyu—which translates to “Korean wave”—the global obsession with South Korea and its creative industries, from film to skincare, is undeniable. Because there are so many options out there, refer to this handy and well-curated gift guide of Korean experiences and items.