Star travel tips

Astrophotography is the art of capturing photos of the nighttime sky. It’s like landscape photography, except it happens in the dark hours after sunset. This type of photography requires camera gear, know-how, and determination. You can start with the equipment you already have, but grit and patience are things that can’t be bought or taught — you must want it. By the end of this guide, you’ll be armed with a few simple rules and helpful apps, so you too can venture out and capture photos of the stars.

Packing your bathroom essentials can be a hassle. It's tempting to take all those tiny toiletries, throw them into a plastic bag, and call it a day. But with the right toiletry bag, you can avoid spills, simplify your packing routine, and stay organized—no more digging around to find what you need. Even better, Dopp kits make it less likely that you'll forget any of the essentials at home.

The key to seeing any celestial phenomenon is pretty obvious: You must be in the right place at the right time. While the exact location and time changes with every astronomical event, the right place is undeniably somewhere far away from any light pollution. These days, unless you make your way to a dark sky park, finding a spot on land that’s far away enough from civilization isn’t easy, so why not take to the seas? In the middle of the ocean, chances of street lights ruining your stargazing experience are very thin, that’s why cruise lines are ramping up their astronomy at sea offerings, including northern lights cruises, solar eclipse cruises, and more.

Whispers of lunar vacations are causing a stir while down-to-earth astrotourism continues to bloom as a carousel of eclipses and supermoons light up the sky. You may not necessarily need to stray too far from home on your hunt for celestial spectacles. Rental cabins with moonroofs put sleeping under the stars on the table for those who prefer an alternative other than a traditional camping setup. These divine Airbnbs with a glass roof in the United States are made for lazy stargazing from bed.

The vast expanse of the cosmos has long captivated human imagination and curiosity. And thanks to advancements in technology, astronomical observation has evolved from being a practice limited to only a few members of a society with access to expensive tools to something accessible to anyone with a smartphone. In the era of mobile apps, when people spend more time looking at their phones than ever before, it’s nice to use your phone for something that actually helps you better connect to nature.

If conditions are favourable, you don’t need much for a simple astronomy exploration. However, it can be a lot more comfortable and rewarding with a little planning and some key items of stargazing equipment. There’s a few essential pieces that will dramatically change your experience in a dark sky area.

When you think about visiting Morocco, you’re probably thinking about staying in riad. Although riads are undeniably pretty cool, it’s worth going outside the box and checking out this ecodome in Essaouira. Les Jardins de Villa Maroc, surrounded by Argan and Tuya trees, is a county guesthouse with 11 stylish and eco-friendly “ecodomes.”

On a central downtown corner, a vast shop in a bright red historic building reflects the heart of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Of course, a cowboy hat is de rigueur here in the boundless West, and you could get lost for hours in The Wrangler. Ultimately, you’ll leave happy after your fitting for the cowboy chapeau of your dreams, and having watched a skilled hat shaper mold it into just the style you prefer. Their boot selection is endless and so too is the supply of sartorial gear that you hadn’t known you needed for the city’s annual Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Ever since SY23 bagged its first Michelin star and the guide’s much-coveted ‘Opening of the Year award’ in 2022, all eyes have been on the Georgian seaside town of Aberystwyth. Out on a limb on Wales’s storm-smashed west coast, the town nurtures one of the UK’s hottest food scenes, with chefs elevating produce-led Welsh cooking to the extraordinary, using locally farmed, fished, foraged and fermented ingredients.

If I had to recommend one place to eat tapas in Spain, it’s Bar Poë in Granada, not only for the food, but for the atmosphere. It’s always bustling (come early to guarantee a seat) with a local and international crowd. Run by a friendly husband-and-wife duo, every drink comes with a free dish, and, unusually, you can choose your tapa. International and big on flavour, the menu includes Portuguese piri piri dishes, salt cod, curries and more. Jason Rich

A lavish dining experience is hardly a new concept. However, “lavish” all depends on one’s interpretation of the word. The ancient Romans' diet was mainly based on cereals, vegetables, legumes and cheese, while meat and fish were mainly consumed by rich people. The wealthy Romans commonly ate their puls with eggs, cheese and honey, and it was also occasionally served with meat or fish.

It's the dawn of a new era for Hawaiian Airlines.

Just revealed is that October 5 will be the announcement of the 2023 version of the Michelin Guide to Vancouver. Michelin had already expanded its 2022 guide to the city in July by adding an additional 10 restaurants—and hinted that some of them might be awarded with stars or Bib Gourmand status in their forthcoming 2023 guide.

Porto, a coastal city in the northwest of Portugal, has long been relegated to Lisbon’s shadow, but it’s finally commanding global attention for its culinary offerings. 

Summer nights may be great for August’s Perseid meteor shower, but it’s hard to beat fall for stargazing. Longer, darker nights and the earlier rise of the bright stars of Perseus, Taurus and Orion make it the ideal time to indulge in one of the hottest trends in travel—astro-tourism.

Hawaiian Airlines recently unveiled reimagined cabins that will be featured on its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners when the aircraft enter service in early 2024, complete with tip-to-tail interior upgrades, including the Honolulu-based carrier’s new business-class Leihōkū Suites, revamped economy seats, and an interior design inspired by the islands. Now the tickets for the first flights are on sale.

Tom Brady is getting back to work. Just not on the gridiron.

Nothing captures the Indian Ocean quite like rum — and it has a long history in the region. Sugarcane, the key ingredient, has been cultivated for the fiery brew in India for thousands of years, and the spirit has been distilled in Réunion and Mauritius for centuries. Today, the local rum industry is still small, but quality is improving all the time with many producers drawing the eyes of the world.      

For a long time, I thought compression socks were exclusively worn by nervous nellies worried about getting blood clots from sitting too long (deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is a very rare condition in which a blood clot forms in your leg and travels to your lungs). As a result, I never thought I had a need for them.

When packing for my vacation to Kauai, the second oldest Hawaiian island, I didn’t think I would be drinking a lot of craft beer but as soon as we settled, I learned Hawaii is home to some excellent local craft breweries.

Sergio Jimenez has traveled to Denmark and Iceland. He’s made his way to the outskirts of Copenhagen and Reykjavik and buried himself in the culinary art of one of some of the world’s most acclaimed chefs. He’s trekked up and down the California coast delving into the origins of America’s farm-to-table movement. Jimenez has basked in the flavors of the globe’s freshest menus, absorbed the experience around him. He’s taken notes. And he’s taken those notes home to San Diego.