Latin America Gets a 'Swiftie' Bump: Achieves New Record-High

Low-cost airline Breeze Airways is adding several new non-stop routes for the spring, including flying out of San Diego for the first time.

Staring at a map of North and South America, from the frozen extremities of Canada down to the Diego Ramírez islands off Chile, it’s hard to fathom the cultural variations that have evolved across the two continents. This is a region of ancient civilisations and lost cities, from the indefinable magic of Peru to the jungle temples of Mexico. Yet it’s also the birthplace of rock and roll, country music and the blues, with a wildly vivacious, deep-rooted commitment to the good times. Just look to New Orleans and the Deep South, where renowned music forms arose beside atmospheric marshlands, in a truly authentic piece of Americana. Here, five experts reveal their favourite cultural locations and experiences across the two continents.

The National Western Stock Show & Rodeo officially kicked-off yesterday with a parade through Denver’s downtown streets featuring 30 longhorn cattle, horses, cowboys, cowgirls, tractors, marching bands and floats. This year’s events will be Jan. 6 – 21, 2024 at the National Western Complex.

The bilateral meetings further provided the President and the Secretary General with an opportunity to extend ICAO’s gratitude to Peru for its generous and continuous hosting of the organization since 1948.

Passports could become a thing of the past for those arriving in the UK under new Home Office plans to create ‘frictionless travel’ at Britain’s borders. New hi-tech e-gates will be fitted at airports which will be so advanced they will allow arrivals into the country using only advanced facial recognition.

Junkanoo, a polychromatic burst of music, dance, storytelling, and parades practiced in the Bahamas, was recently inscribed on the 2023 UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It’s the first intangible—a practice, skill, tradition, or craft—in the island nation recognized by the international cultural organization.

In the last few years, the health-meets-travel trend has reached new heights, in no small part thanks to gyms themselves. In 2019 the luxury fitness-club empire Equinox opened its first hotel in New York City. Now, everyone's taking their exercise routines with them wherever they go. “Before the pandemic, my clientele was local,” says Luke Goulden, a London-based personal trainer who now also coaches clients virtually. “They don't want to break routines when they're traveling for work or pleasure.” The good news: Hotels are paying attention.

During a recent trip within the U.S., the car’s GPS navigation system took me on an unexpected route between Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Basalt, Colorado. It steered me through a small town named Paonia in western Colorado, where I happened to have spent time—decades ago—as an intern for an environmental newspaper. Wanting to see this town again I veered in. Remembering that this region apparently now has a reputation for producing wine, I parked outside a wine and liquor store and purchased some bottles.

While many reports this time of year are focused on looking at what lies ahead, Skyscanner is taking a different approach.The global travel marketplace has crunched its voluminous booking data from the past 12 months to provide an insider's review of the “Year in Travel” for 2023. All of the Skyscanner number crunching resulted in insights surrounding the most popular travel destinations of the past year among U.S. travelers, cheapest flights, biggest hotel bargains, and even the most budget-friendly car rental destinations. Let’s start with the most popular travel destinations, shall we?Drumroll please….Sin City aka Las Vegas, Nevada nabbed the top spot in the hearts of American travelers in 2023, attracting more visitors than any other location.“From visiting one of the many world-famous casinos or checking out world-renowned restaurants and shops on the Las Vegas strip, US travelers loved to visit and feel the vibes of Sin City,” says the Skyscanner report.  Coming in second place among Americans was the eternal favorite, London.

Philippine Airlines just joined American Airlines' ever-growing list of international partners, putting the Southeast Asian archipelago much closer in reach. 

With landscapes ranging from glaciers to deserts and home to every adventure activity imaginable, it’s no surprise that Latin America is a prime destination for trekkers. If you’re planning a trip, you’re covered with this travel gear for Latin America list. Whether hiking on glaciers in Argentina, trekking to Machu Picchu in Peru, driving 4WD through the deserts of Chile, or swimming with sea lions in the Galápagos, you’ll be ready for any adventure.

Pickpocketing is rife on the London Underground, new statistics have revealed.