Winter Olympics travel tips

Sep 23, 2024 • 6 min read

Delta Air Lines will soon begin new service connecting Salt Lake City and Seoul, South Korea. This is the first time the two cities have been connected with nonstop service, and the inaugural flight will take off on June 12, 2025. This airline recently announced this would be its fifth flight route from a United States hub city to Seoul.

Aug 20, 2024 • 0 min read

With some European countries overrun by tourism, Italy is taking measures to curb the amount of visitors.

I’m cheering from the banks of the Seine in a plastic rain poncho, my dress soaked and loafers sloshing. The rain has not let up once during the four-hour Opening Ceremony, but as we watch boatloads of beaming athletes float past us one by one waving their national flags, my smile could not be wider. By the time the evening comes to an end, Celine Dion is belting Hymne a l'amour from a glittering Eiffel Tower—some in the crowd cry, others dance, or FaceTime family—and a contagious sense of universal joy ripples across Paris.

With the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (commonly known as the 33rd Summer Olympic Games or Paris 2024) now open, the State of Utah received official word on the eve of the opening ceremonies that The Beehive State has been selected to host the 2034 Winter Olympic Games, in its return to the United States. Utah was the last American location to host the Winter Olympic Games in 2002. 

At 4 o'clock every afternoon, the sound of a horn can be heard across Steamboat Square, the bustling base area at Colorado's Steamboat resort, marking the end of the ski day.

Hosting the Winter Olympics in 1964 — and again in 1976 when Denver backed out after originally securing the games — transformed Innsbruck into a superstar for snow and ice sports.

Forty years ago, the Yugoslavian city of Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. Many new structures were built, and the Games were seen as something of a reunion since many countries had boycotted the 1980 Summer Olympics held in Moscow.

With historic landmarks like Akershus Fortress and some of Scandinavia’s most intriguing museums, Oslo is steeped in rich history that makes Norway’s capital the ideal destination for those eager to delve into Scandinavia’s past.

Rome will be celebrating its legendary birthday on the 21st of April. According to legend, Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BCE. So, on this date, there is a holiday to celebrate, the Natale di Roma. Pesaro as The Italian Capital of Culture 2024 in the Marche region has been announced as the Italian capital of culture for 2024.

Compared to other big-name international cities, Beijing remains a very affordable destination for most visitors.

Winding through Slovenia’s Julian Alps, it’s easy to miss the signs to the Vogel ski centre and carry on driving. The cable car and car park are concealed deep in woods above beautiful Lake Bohinj – a deliberate policy to keep the landscape free from tourist clutter and visible ski infrastructure. The result is one of the most natural skiing areas in Europe.

Despite Norway’s dominance at the Winter Olympics, Scandinavia isn’t the first place you might think of for a skiing vacation in Europe. Iconic destinations such as the Alps in France, Switzerland, and Austria often overshadow the Nordic countries when it comes to winter sport getaways.

Iconic national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite are already well known for winter fun. But many state parks also offer a snowy escape. Here are a few of the best.

Sun Valley, Idaho is practically synonymous with skiing and winter snow sports—and for good reason. Interest in skiing surged in the decades after the first Winter Olympics in 1924. Sun Valley Resort opened in 1936 with the goal of becoming America’s premier ski resort—debuting the world’s first chairlift, adapted from a system used to haul bananas onto ships in Panama.

Most Decembers, I take an admittedly self-indulgent look back at my favorite new and new-to-me hotels. As travelers continued to make up for lost time (even as staffing remained a challenge and the world became an ever more confusing place), hotels continued to dazzle. My hat is off to the places that opened. And my heart is filled with love for those places that have held strong, raised the bar and innovated.

Of the key Alpine ski destinations, Italy offers the best value for money. Here, an espresso can cost €1.50 (£1.30) a shot, and a piste-side plate of pasta €10-15 (£9-13), items that are often 70-100% dearer in the A-list ski areas of France. And a peak-week, February half-term holiday in a three-star hotel can come in less than €1,745 (£1,500) per person half board, including flights and transfers. And that’s not taking some back-of-beyond resort as a point of comparison, either: all these prices are available in or around Canazei in Val di Fassa, part of the vast Dolomiti Superski area. On its doorstep, more than 300 miles of perfectly groomed pistes spin off the central Sella Ronda circuit; explore the area’s outer limits and that total hits 745 miles.

Use our insider’s guide to the region’s most popular spots – and a few more-off-the-beaten-track destinations, too.

While Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts are home to their fair share of spectacular landscapes, those who venture into the vast interior of the country can find towering mountains, verdant forests, and rushing rivers—and for those hoping to explore all three at once, Alberta is the perfect destination. Measuring in at just over 660,000 square kilometers, this sprawling province hosts large tracts of the Rocky Mountains, offering ample opportunity for outdoor adventure aficionados to explore to their hearts’ content. For impending visitors, there’s no shortage of dazzling ecolodges to use as a base, but when it comes to finding the perfect blend of luxury accommodations and rustic charm, there’s no beating Mount Engadine Lodge.

Palisades Tahoe’s historical decision to change its name in 2021 was a springboard for a series of major enhancements the storied California ski area has since made.