Memo to loyalty programs: Slashing benefits and earning rates impacts my booking decisions

Whenever I pack for a trip—be it a quick weekend upstate or a no-holds-barred vacation abroad—I have the habit of letting my anxiety stuff my bags for me. Quite literally, it’s the albatross that hangs around my travels: I either end up lugging my excessive “just in case” items wherever I go, or constantly shrug a large bag suddenly made awkward by its emptiness onto my shoulder. That is, until I met the Foldie bag—the weekender that contains my plans A through Z and moonlights as a demurely compact handbag.

For the second year running, the editors of Condé Nast Traveller UK put their heads together with some of the most respected people in the food world—the judging panel: chefs Raymond Blanc OBE; Jackson Boxer; Julie Lin; Gizzi Erskine; restaurant critic and food writer Tom Parker Bowles; TikTok sensation Poppy O'Toole; founder of Black Eats LDN Jackson Mclarty; content creator Notorious Foodie; actress and wine bar owner Anna Shaffer; and Traveller UK digital director Sarah Allard—to shine a spotlight on the new restaurants across the UK that have turned heads and won hearts, as well as the chefs, sommeliers, and changemakers making a difference in the industry. The result is this list: the UK's top new restaurants, which acknowledges fine dining spots and fish bars in the same breath, from chef's tables in Birmingham to restaurants with rooms in Norfolk. We've eaten at, loved, and awarded Greek, Thai, Mexican, Punjabi, French, Italian, Korean, and British restaurants—the diversity of the UK food landscape is, after all, the thing that makes it so exciting. These restaurants are places we recommend to you, hand-on-heart, as new openings to visit, support, and enjoy when you travel across the country this year. Happy eating.

It's a season of savings amid the spring break travel season. Alaska Airlines recently launched the 'You're Going Places' fare sale, with one-way deals from $49. Best of all, travelers can also redeem Alaska Air Mileage Plan frequent flyer miles for the one-way deals on select flights as low as 4,500 miles.  From the Seattle, WA (SEA) hub, the airline has discounted fares from $49 to Walla Walla, WA (ALW), and fares from $79 to Bozeman, MT (BZN), San Francisco, CA (SFO), Oakland, CA (OAK), Reno, NV (RNO).

Captain Kate McCue, the first woman from the United States to take the helm of a cruise ship, will soon become the first person to captain a Four Seasons yacht.

A one-day strike by workers at 13 German airports, including the Frankfurt and Munich hubs and all the country's other main destinations, has caused the cancellation of most flights on Monday 10 March.

Avelo Airlines, a low-cost airline, announced 13 new routes and three new destinations for its network, including Nassau, Bahamas, Grand Rapids, and Long Island. This comes on the heels of their recent announcement of two new routes from Charlotte to Nashville and Daytona Beach beginning in April.

For Korean Air, it's out with the old and in with the new.

Exploring Colorado has never been easier, thanks to two new travel packages from Rocky Mountaineer, a scenic rail tour company renowned for its routes through the Rocky Mountains and iconic glass-domed coaches. For the first time, the luxury line is offering shorter journeys on the “Rockies to the Red Rocks” route, which traditionally runs between Denver and Moab, Utah, with a stop in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Verdant grass, stone carvings, and a delightful bench to relax on. By all means, the green space in the small town of Nagaizumi, Japan—about atwo-hour drive southwest of Tokyo—has all the elements of an idyllic park … except for the fact that it totals about 2.58 square feet.

Back in my teenage years, my sweet grandmother gifted me her dear friend Laura’s jewelry case—embroidered in bright, baby pink with Laura’s written across it—a truly from-the-heart gift. While I still occasionally use it, when I do, it is purely out of sentimentality. Given its simple, vintage design of only two large zipper compartments, there’s a serious lack of structure and organization. The truth is, the pouch is far from the sleek designs available today: like most travel accessories, travel jewelry cases and pouches have come a long way since dear Laura’s—and have evolved into stylish and conveniently compartmentalized keepers to pack our most cherished pieces.

Last fall in Texas, Southwest Airlines executives laid out a far-reaching plan to transform the airline.

When people think of St. Patrick’s Day parades in the United States, places like New York City, Boston, or Chicago usually come to mind. And while New York City has the largest and oldest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the country (it was established in 1762), the second largest belongs to a city much smaller in size: Savannah.