I flew on a major airline's Pokémon-themed plane. The unforgettable experience didn't cost extra — and it came with souvenirs.

Paris is expected to welcome 11.3 million visitors during the Olympic Games, significantly increasing its population density. This surge in visitors is spurring travel demand to international destinations, such as Italy and the United States, that harness this desire to leave crowds behind, also benefiting United Kingdom, Spain, and Greece, as well as farther destinations, such as Thailand or Japan.

Crowdstrike, a cybersecurity firm with thousands of customers globally, admitted on Friday that a defective software update had caused the major IT outage that brought airports, banks, hospitals, media outlets, and businesses to a halt worldwide.

The mass IT outage is causing problems for everyone — even Mickey Mouse.

Qatar Airways was declared the best airline in the world at the 2024 Airline Awards in London on June 24. Qatar beat out Singapore Airlines, last year’s winner, who slipped to the number two spot this year. Emirates, ANA All Nippon Airways, and Cathay Pacific Airways completed the top five. No North American airline made the top twenty, with Delta narrowly missing out at 21. Other North American airlines that made the top 50 are Air Canada (29) and United Airlines (42). In fact, those three airlines are the only North American airlines to receive any Airline Awards. Other popular North American airlines like American, JetBlue, and Southwest failed to even be mentioned for any individual award.

Alaska Airlines has unveiled its next slate of destinations worldwide that can be booked at a significant discount with frequent flier miles.

The dream of free night awards at luxury hotels: It’s the carrot-on-a-stick that drives many of us to get into credit card points in the first place. One sure-fire way to earn these perks is through co-branded hotel credit cards that run sign-up bonuses or annual free night awards. For example, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless offers three free nights when you open a new card and meet certain spending requirements. The Hilton Surpass is also currently running a promo for an additional free night, and all the major brands offer free nights to celebrate cardmember anniversaries for having cards like the IHG One Rewards Premier.

International air travel from China is recovering, but set to remain at a fraction of what it was in 2019, according to data platform OAG. 

South Korea has announced the K-pop girl group NewJeans as its tourism ambassador.

Agoda reports top Asian markets searching for accommodations in Germany during EURO 2024, with South Korea leading and Munich being the most searched city.

Beyoncé background dancer Honey Balenciaga recently told us that she always dresses well when traveling. “I don’t know where that culture died,” she lamented in a recent interview. It’s something that editors at Traveler have long had feelings about—the way we show up to the airport, where parents once forced some of us to don blazers and loafers in order to look presentable. Comfortable clothing has, understandably, proliferated on the scene, in tandem with the tanking of the flying experience’s dignity, and in the past decade the situation has devolved to the point where pajama bottoms, flip flops, and t-shirts with sagging necklines are at least as common as a button-down.

One of India’s largest airlines recently launched a new program that allows female travelers to see where other women are seated when they select their seats online.

Low-cost airline Breeze Airways is adding a number of new routes as part of its latest expansion and having a big sale to celebrate it.