In 2015, I moved my family of four from Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico to pursue my dream job. Although I had lived on the island when I was young and vacationed there, I had never worked professionally or lived there as an adult.
04.02.2025 - 20:29 / cntraveler.com
Even if you've only dabbled in wellness travel, you probably know how hard it can be to bring the wellness home with you. You get a killer massage that releases weeks of stress and anxiety, then board a long, difficult flight and return to your life feeling like you could really use a good massage.
Lately, the wellness world has become preoccupied with longevity, the loose theme of our special package. While the topic has a whiff of faddishness (and the obsession of certain Silicon Valley founders with living forever doesn't exactly lend it credibility), I think the longevity discussion is useful because it shifts the focus from getting pampered (though that's certainly still allowed!) to acquiring positive life habits—many of which are simply about rediscovering natural rhythms that the modern world has a way of disrupting. Whether it's rethinking your approach to sleep or prioritizing making deep connections with others in nature, these are ideas you can easily incorporate into your everyday existence. All it takes is a little mindfulness and intention. For me, it's a bit like food or decor: While you're on the road, you can pick up recipe ideas and cool ingredients, objets and design inspirations, and weave them into your life later on.
But why, you might ask, do I need a pricey vacation to start doing this stuff? Couldn't I just read a book? Well, yes, but I find that turning to travel—and friendly guides who can point me in the right direction—is the best way to practice the changes I'd like to make back home. I don't know about you, but writing as I am on January 2, I could sure benefit from some models for healthy living right now!
As I said, it's January 2, less than 48 hours since the horrific New Year's Day attack on Bourbon Street. The scars will surely linger, but as Leslie Pariseau's lovely story about New Orleans two decades after Hurricane Katrina shows, the city is an incredibly resilient place, and it will bounce back. Be sure to include it in your travel plans this year.
This article appeared in the March 2025 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.
In 2015, I moved my family of four from Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico to pursue my dream job. Although I had lived on the island when I was young and vacationed there, I had never worked professionally or lived there as an adult.
For fliers who haven’t encountered it before, SSSS on a boarding pass stands for Secondary Security Screening Selection. It’s the Transportation Security Administration’s method of selecting passengers for additional security checks. If the acronym appears on your ticket, it means you’ll be subject to an extra-thorough screening—despite having pre-approval through a Trusted Traveler Program such as Clear, NEXUS, Global Entry, or TSA PreCheck. This can extend the boarding process by 15 to 45 minutes (or longer), which is always frustrating if you’re running on a tight schedule.
If overindulgence makes you feel more sluggish than rested and relaxed after your vacation, it's time to find a new way to cruise. You're in luck — several cruise lines are offering 2025 and 2026 wellness-themed sailings that are bookable now as you kick off your self-care goals for the year.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vitus Stenhøj Schiøtz, 23, a Danish traveler who got a working holiday visa to live in Japan. He moved to Japan in late 2024 and works as a chef in a restaurant in Nozawaonsen, a small town northwest of Tokyo . It's been edited for length and clarity.
We've been trumpeting the great rail renaissance for a while now, and the trend sees little sign of slowing down, especially with Australia's latest addition to the world of luxury train suites.
Feeling overworked, undervalued, and generally a bit frazzled? Then, it's time to start planning a wellness-focused getaway that will totally re-align you. And Book Retreats has just got the place to go. In December, Book Retreats released its Holiday Relaxation Report, which ranked the best relaxation destinations around the world, including a special focus on the top spots for wellness. To determine its rankings, the team created a seed list of 76 places, which it selected based on their «safety, solitude, serenity, nature, and wellness.» The team at Book Retreats then ranked those selections using nine data points, including the percentage of protected area, forest coverage, crowd density, noise and light pollution, peacefulness, and total wellness experiences. Finally, it gave each destination a score of 1 to 100 to reveal the top spots.
This Q&A about moving to Canada from the US is part of Why I Moved, a recurring series about Americans building a life abroad.
Some people prioritize food when they travel, others focus on the local music scene. But for a certain group of visitors, there is nothing more absorbing than settling down in front of a striking scene and putting pen or paintbrush to paper.
Italian carrier ITA Airways is leaving the SkyTeam airline alliance and will — eventually — shift to Star Alliance.
Do or do not. There is no try.
The idea of an epic overseas family holiday was nice in theory but a nightmare in reality, and if I had my time again, I probably wouldn't sign up for it.
A tragic crash of an American Airlines regional jet Wednesday night at Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which ended a long accident-free run in domestic aviation, drew shocked reactions from safety experts and the flying public.