Condé Nast Traveler

What’s more American than a road trip? Like blue jeans and apple pie, it's so embedded in the culture that travelers from around the world plan a road trip just to experience our open highways and byways. From the iconic Route 66 stretching across the heartland to the rugged beauty of the Pacific Coast Highway, the US has no shortage of scenic routes. What sets the American road trip apart is the sheer diversity of experiences on offer, from camping under a star-spangled sky to exploring epic parks like the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone. “Road trips offer an opportunity to venture out and connect with a multitude of people and experiences,” says Samantha Brown, the television host behind Samantha Brown’s Places to Love on PBS. At its most basic, Brown says, road tripping is about freedom.

The one thing that I absolutely never forget to pack: a travel umbrella. No matter where I’m going, except for the Wadi Rum or the Sahara Desert maybe, there’s bound to be some inclement weather. Rain, sleet, thunderstorms; no destination is without them. Having an umbrella on hand allows you to keep your travel plans intact, and even see the sights in some places without all the crowds.

Let me tell you a story about the United Excursionist Perk, the little-known award travel tip even points and miles pros forget about.

Tucson, Arizona is one of our Best Places to Go in the North America for 2024, part of our global guide to the Best Places to Go in 2024—find more travel inspiration here.

Flying in business class to a faraway bucket-list destination like Bora Bora and staying in an overwater bungalow can take years of planning and saving. But it doesn’t have to. With credit card points and miles, you’ll often find some of the best deals and availability for free flights and stays within a month—or even a couple weeks—of your travel dates, making a last-minute trip to a paradise in the South Pacific a lot more realistic than it sounds.

Reclining seats are one of the most controversial airline amenities. For some, it's a necessity for getting comfortable on long flights. But for others, it's a source of broken laptops, spilled drinks, and mid-flight arguments.

New Jersey might be one of the most underrated destinations in the US. Sandwiched between New York City and Philadelphia, the Garden State is often delegated to the shadows (or as a punchline to its urban neighbors). But this state has plenty of charm—from its 130 miles of Jersey Shore beaches and sprawling natural sites (like the Pinelands biosphere reserve and the country’s largest collection of cherry blossom trees) to its historic riverside towns and sky-high mountains.

Packing for a trip always feels like a dance between art and science—and attempting to pack light complicates things even further. As a travel journalist, I often find myself on the road several times a month—sometimes for weeks at a time navigating various modes of transportation. This means being self-sufficient with my luggage is key. I also don’t want to be concerned about lost luggage when I travel, so I opt to bring only a carry-on whenever I can. My mantra while packing for any trip, whether it's a domestic weekend getaway or a weeklong international adventure, is that every piece of gear has to be multi-functional to maximize space. Below, my tried-and-true tips for packing light with only a carry-on.

The best mother-daughter trips tend to have a Goldilocks element to them: They’re not too romantic or too metropolitan; they don’t call for too many logistics—travel or otherwise—but they’re not boring; they’re not all-or-nothing: buzzy or sleepy, business or pleasure. But rather, they’re just like motherhood is: just right. The best mother-daughter jaunts blend a little bit of everything: great cities, historic museums, delicious food, and the best company.

It was day one of my first solo trip, and I already had my legs elevated against the wall above me in Stockholm’s Story Hotel. My feet were in such excruciating pain, I couldn’t bear the thought of standing.

Throughout April, we're honoring the ancient Arab tradition of hakawatis, or storytellers, highlighting the writers, performers, and poets who are driving the conversation around what it means to be Arab American today—and celebrating the rich culture and histories of the diaspora.

When is the best time to visit Italy?

The languid charm of the ‘dolce vita’ lifestyle has long been the envy of travelers everywhere. Now, thanks to Italy's new digital nomad visa, it's also within reach of remote workers, making working from the Amalfi Coast or the Tuscany countryside easier than ever.

For the April 8 total solar eclipse, photographer Levi Mandel traveled to Buffalo, New York, to observe the celestial event—and the many others who journeyed for it. Below, he shares the experience through text and photos.

The totality of an eclipse is never long enough. My first total solar eclipse experience in 2017 made for the shortest two minutes of my life: the sun transforming into a blazing diamond ring, the beautiful delirium of darkness, that perfect circle in the sky. Before I knew it, the eclipse was over—and my friends and I were plotting how we could catch our next.

It’s a sight that most cruisers dread: Watching their ship sail out of port as they sprint down the pier. But for one reason or another, missing a cruise ship is a situation that travelers could easily find themselves in.

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On Location is a column that lifts the curtain on the destinations behind the season’s most exciting new releases, from film and television to music.

As someone who struggles with claustrophobia, indulging in my passion for travel can be challenging, particularly during long-haul flights.

I am sitting in a lavish four-poster bed adorned with drapes and sipping on herbal tea. The scent of lavender hangs in the air. I am wearing pajamas—and a VR headset. I breathe deeply, in and out. In front of my eyes, flowers morph from yellow to red before their petals dissolve into clouds. The clouds slowly turn into pillows, which drift through the air before shapeshifting into gently rippling bed sheets. A soothing voice speaks: “You are now entering the hypnogogic state.”

Traveling to Europe in the summer months is a rite of passage—steamy nights spent in the south of Spain, snoozy days on the most beautiful Greek islands, breezy afternoons sipping rosé on a terrace in the South of France. But as tourism levels continue to rise after a few quiet years, and peak-season temperatures climb from Italy to Croatia, is the appeal of a big European summer holiday dwindling?