Short break: Styria & Graz, Austria

As summer ramps up in the northern hemisphere, many of us will begin packing suitcases, carry-ons and duffel bags as we prepare to head away on holiday.  

After a pandemic slump, quality of life is again on the rise in many of the world's cities. In fact, overall liveability has reached a 15-year high, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's annual Global Liveability Index, which rates 173 cities on factors including stability, healthcare, culture & environment, education and infrastructure.

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is on the fast track to growing its brand, its property portfolio and its loyalty partnerships. While not the biggest hospitality company, it is laser-focused on being the best by expanding its geography and listening to customers. Even during the tough pandemic era, Hyatt found opportunity to grow in key markets and evolve with the ever-changing travel landscape. All of this helped position Hyatt for the post-Covid travel boom, benefiting both consumers and investors.

Last month I traveled by train from London to Berlin and back.

The 26-country no-border-control Schengen area is in danger of collapsing under the migration threat. Presumably, the new border controls will be for no more than two years. But for now, you have to figure on reverting to the bad old days of mind-numbing border hassles within the area.

Ever dreamed of packing up everything and moving to another country? Here are the most livable cities in the world, according to a study by The Economist.

Looking for the best cities to live in or retire abroad? The world’s most livable city is once again Vienna, Austria, according to The Economist’s Intelligence Unit’s annual Most Livable Cities ranking.

Airlines shuffle route networks around every year, and in 2020 there are already some exciting new routes on a variety of airlines. Cheap flights are a common side effect of new route announcements, so these 13 destinations are likely to see lower airfares in 2020.

If traveling to Europe is on your bucket list for next year, you better make a checklist too. 

Train travel offers scenic views and a more pleasant overall experience than flying. For starters, there’s no need to stand in line for half an hour prior to boarding, in order to be intimidatingly scanned and frisked and then dispossessed of your toothpaste simply because the tube won’t fit inside the eye of a needle. Notably, at least as it pertains to the health of our planet, travel by rail is significantly better for the environment than travel by air. Most popular flight routes around the world have corresponding train routes, and while you may need to allow more time to travel by train, this time tends to turn into part of the travel experience — leaving a better impact on both the planet and yourself.

No one is more game for some last-minute, improvisational travel than a spy. In Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his merry band of fellow spies embark on—and abscond via—more modes of transportation than there are punctuation marks in the title, and they do it all on very short notice. We’re not just talking planes, trains, and automobiles, either—although there are plenty of each, with “Get me on that flight,” a refrain often heard—but also desert-traversing horses, off-terrain motorcycles, and an especially sleek water taxi. The travel writer in me can’t help but wonder—did I choose the wrong career for seeing the world?

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