Sofia, Bucharest, Budapest: The best European cities for travellers on a budget

It may seem like the holiday season is still a while away, but thinking about your travel plans now could save you money.

Condé Nast Traveler readers named Istanbul Airport the best international airport for 2024, in no small part because of its reputation for world-class dining. Whether you’re transiting through or you’ve just left the shores of the Bosphorus and need one last kebab, this sprawling hub with its glitzy, mall-like atmosphere features well over 100 pit stops, most offering Turkish specialties. While the domestic gates are separated from the massive international section, everything here is in one large building, so you don’t have to worry about hopping on an air train or navigating between terminals—you just have to walk a lot, passing temptations galore as you go. Think of the hike as a way to work off that gözleme you couldn't resist.

At the Lodging Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona, Larry Cuculic, the CEO of BWH Hotels, leaned forward, his West Point-honed posture softening as he warmed to his subject.

One of the great hassles in surf travel is schlepping around a board. Long boards can be the size of a small airplane wing, and airport personnel, upon seeing a shortboard, sometimes hurl them, as if testing them for flight. Surfers know that it’s not uncommon to pay the oversized luggage fee, which is often north of $150 for one-way travel, arrive in some surfer’s paradise, and unzip their well-padded bag to find their board dinged badly or fully smashed.

Fall in NYC comes as a relief. The city in summer has its virtues—emptier streets, more easily-acquired reservations at most of the best restaurants—but the heat and the reek of garbage baking in it more than wear out that season’s welcome well before September slouches, sweating, into frame. Flattering it is not that autumn follows on its heels, not only turning off the oven but also invigorating New Yorkers who can now don the jackets they are so proud of and walk at their usual bracing clips without perspiring quite so readily.

One of the best things about running is the low barrier to entry—throw on some sneakers and you’re ready to go. But as you start to increase your mileage, whether you’re training for the New York City Marathon, a Rock 'n' Roll half, or a local 10k, you start to realize that what you wear, how you fuel, and the accessories you carry are all critical to your success—in other words, there comes a time when you'll want to upgrade your road running shoes or swap out that old gym shirt for a moisture-wicking option.

Copenhagen was voted one of The Best Cities in the World in the 2024 Readers’ Choice Awards. To find out all the winning cities, read here.

Oct 2, 2024 • 7 min read

Sticking to a diet, especially when you are away from home traveling, is often difficult, particularly if you are a vegetarian or vegan. The options just aren’t the same.

Sep 30, 2024 • 3 min read

October is here and so are these great points and miles deals, and the latest in credit card perks—all of which come in handy for leaf-peeping trips, spooky getaways for Halloween, and last-minute journeys to chase some autumn sun. (Need some ideas? Check out this list of the best places to visit in October to get the travel inspiration going.) And for the aviation geeks: Here’s a rundown of the latest loyalty industry news and perks, so you don’t have to scour the internet to find them. Register for these points and miles deals to boost your account balances, and then start planning where you want to go next. We've got all the best points and miles deals for October, below.

I've traveled the world on a shoestring budget.