I’m a travel writer based in LA – here are the questions visitors ask me the most

A few years ago, when flight prices were awfully expensive, I saw an Amtrak ticket from California to Washington, DC, for just $250 and snapped it up.

Back in March, Southwest Airlines announced it would be launching it first red-eye, i.e. overnight, flights; however flight schedules are revealing more details about new flight options for passengers.  The first overnight flights will depart on February 13, 2025, and arrive on February 14, 2025. These inaugural journeys depart from Las Vegas to both Baltimore and Orlando. The airline will also operate flights from Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville, as well as Phoenix to Baltimore. 

When Los Angeles–based designer Clare Vivier began decorating the 19th-century house she'd bought in her husband's hometown of Saint-Calais, in France's Loire Valley, she had a particular aesthetic in mind. “I love color and patterns but wanted something peaceful, so the intention was to create a dialogue between those two things,” she says. She wanted the house to have a blend of contemporary pieces, antiques, and textiles from heritage maisons to create a space that, much like her namesake handbag and fashion label, channeled both California fun and French sophistication. She also knew that she wanted her longtime friend Kate Berry, a designer and creative director, to help her make it happen.

On a cloudy morning in Senegal, surfer Babacar Thiaw paddled through a sea of plastic. That day, he was the only local in the lineup at his home surf spot of Virage on the coast of Dakar, where his father first opened a surf shack in the 1970s. As he marveled at the barreling brown waves riddled with trash—and travelers—it hit him: “They’re just here for fun and will leave, but I’ll be here forever,” he thought. “Am I going to be condemned to live in this environment for the rest of my life?” Fast-forward more than a decade, and you’ll now find Thiaw making his own waves as the owner of Copacabana Surf Village, a surf shop, zero-waste restaurant, and a hub for sustainability initiatives like beach clean-ups and youth surf camps with an eco lean.

Hundreds of charter and personal planes touched down on the same tarmac this weekend — and it wasn't in the Hamptons, Lake Tahoe, or any other particularly bougie hot spot. It was a pop-up airport called 88NV in the middle of the Nevada desert.

As a full-time travel writer and creator, I'm always eager to explore new places. I've visited all 50 states and have spent my fair share of time in nearly every major city in the United States.

Hawaii has often been the go-to for Los Angeles residents who want a warm, sunny beach getaway (with a recent heavy focus on how to do so ethically). But what if we were to tell you that you can actually fly to parts of the Caribbean from Los Angeles faster than you can fly to parts of Hawaii? 

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ray Zahab, a 55-year-old Canadian explorer and ultra-distance runner who has traversed nearly 12,400 miles across Earth's most extreme environments, from the Arctic to the Sahara. It's been edited for length and clarity.

When Los Angeles–based designer Clare Vivier began decorating the 19th-century house she'd bought in her husband's hometown of Saint-Calais, in France's Loire Valley, she had a particular aesthetic in mind. “I love color and patterns but wanted something peaceful, so the intention was to create a dialogue between those two things,” she says. She wanted the house to have a blend of contemporary pieces, antiques, and textiles from heritage maisons to create a space that, much like her namesake handbag and fashion label, channeled both California fun and French sophistication. She also knew that she wanted her longtime friend Kate Berry, a designer and creative director, to help her make it happen.

Aug 22, 2024 • 0 min read

Travelers can now save on one of the most expensive portions of a vacation.Frontier Airlines recently announced the «Save Now» promotion, which provides as much as a 100% discount on base fares booked with the Denver-based carrier. Base fares mean the cost of the ticket before government taxes and carrier-fees are added to the reservation, which means the tickets are not completely free.  Travelers can redeem the 100% base fare discount by entering the promotional code SAVENOW when checking out.

Alaska Airlines is about to use its luxury partner on a long-haul flight. The carrier will offer service from Seattle to Taipei on Starlux Airlines three times a week.