I dined at a James Beard-nominated restaurant for the first time. Here are 10 things that surprised me.

The winner of the rapidly approaching U.S. presidential election is bound to have an outsized impact on the travel industry, a topic Skift has examined in recent weeks. But that’s not the only important politics-related matter on the minds of travel executives.

“It’s a Dall sheep!” the train tour guide exclaims as we swoop past a jagged cliffside dotted with fuzzy white creatures impressively balanced on their rocky perch.

Oct 3, 2024 • 6 min read

Oct 3, 2024 • 7 min read

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jennison Grigsby, an American mom and yoga teacher who lives in Valencia, Spain. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When most people think of Dubai, they picture towering skyscrapers, glittering lights, and people decked in designer clothes. While that's true to some degree, for me, the city has always been about community get-togethers, roadside shawarma chats, and weekends by the beach.

Last week, Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 storm before ripping through six states leaving a path of destruction in its wake and killing more than 100 people. The record-breaking storm – which clocked 140 mph winds and a storm surge that reached more than 15 feet above ground in the Florida Big Bend region – has left millions to deal with flooded roads, flattened homes and buildings, and power outages. North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama have all made disaster declarations as emergency responders work to rescue missing persons and more than 1.2 million are still without power as of Wednesday, according to PowerOutage.us. Popular North Carolina mountain towns – including Asheville – which have become top tourist destinations in the fall, have been reduced to debris as residents are left to rebuild their lives. Carrie Tucker of Charlotte, North Carolina, told Travel + Leisure in the wake of Hurricane Helene, western North Carolina is “completely cut off from life – no roads, no gas, no food.”

As a beer aficionado, I've been to my fair share of brew festivals throughout the US, several of which were "Oktoberfest" themed.

Sep 30, 2024 • 3 min read

I grew up in New England, and have spent many summers visiting popular destinations like Nantucket, Newport, and York Beach.

In 2019, while on a trip to Marrakech in Morocco, Gary He, a Brooklyn-based photojournalist, received an unexpected surprise with his regular McDonald's order.

According to the trade group Cruise Lines International Association, 10% of cruisers go on three to five vacations at sea a year.