Sri Lanka Announces Free Visas for Travelers From These 35 Countries

Melissa Dewalt caught the travel bug a decade ago when she drove from her home state of Pennsylvania across the country to California to visit her then-boyfriend. She then road-tripped north to Seattle.

Aug 29, 2024 • 5 min read

Clarksville, a historic district of Austin, Texas, has lately emerged as a stylish dining and shopping enclave. Among the area’s most compelling new businesses is La Embajada, a design shop housed in a 1923 Craftsman bungalow. Combining the hospitality and interiors expertise of its founder, Raul Cabra — who has designed tableware for some of Mexico City’s most celebrated restaurants, including Rosetta and Pujol — La Embajada presents a refined, regionally diverse selection of Mexico’s artisanal offerings. A series of small rooms display vintage and contemporary furniture, from stately midcentury armchairs and 1970s glass sconces to a minimalist agave fiber rug by the Oaxaca-based textile artist Trine Ellitsgaard. The house is also an actual residence. Cabra often stays in the bedroom up the creaky stairs, and he’s recently made it available for short-term stays (bookings include a daily basket of baked goods from Austin’s Swedish Hill). Guests can purchase the room’s handmade décor, such as a pair of sleek bedside lamps in milky white onyx, a 1960s La Malinche dresser and a bedspread from a Michoacan manufacturer that once supplied Herman Miller. Downstairs, glassware, candles and gifts fill a section modeled after a typical general store in a small Mexican town. But La Embajada’s heart is its inviting kitchen, where visiting chefs cook elaborate meals and staff prepare ice cream and coffee. In another twist, every bespoke detail — including a hammered copper sink, caramel-colored tiles and waxed pine cabinets — can be custom-ordered for one’s own home.

Always wanted to see Antarctica? Holland America Line this week unveiled an unusual new option for getting there.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, August 28, and here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

It has been a very eventful summer and we're all sad to see it go. As we soak up these final days in the sun, endless deals from some of our favorite travel-friendly brands are here to help you prepare for pumpkin spice season. Labor Day sales are in full swing and that means steep discounts on fall-ready clothing, new footwear, outdoor gear, beauty products, and more. We've rounded up all the top deals for travelers, whether you're looking to refresh your fall wardrobe, prep for autumn camping trips, or restock your skincare essentials. There are plenty of deals to shop now through the weekend—and some even running through mid-September. Below, find the best Labor Day sales from Brooklinen, Calpak, Cozy Earth, Monos, and more.

Government officials in Sri Lanka announced that citizens from 35 countries—including the United States—will be granted visa-free entry into the Asian nation, according to the Times of India.

The flag carrier of Mexico is growing in Miami with an all-new route to Cancun, Mexico.

Sri Lanka is set to launch a six-month pilot program on October 1, offering free 30-day tourist visas on arrival to citizens from 35 countries, including the U.S., UK, Russia, India and China. The initiative, which temporarily waives the typical $50 visa fee, aligns with the island nation’s peak travel season, lasting from December to mid-April. This move is part of a broader strategy to revitalize tourism, a sector crucial to Sri Lanka’s economy.

“I tell my friends that I'm now midcentury modern,” the New York–based fashion designer Phillip Lim quips about turning 50. “And like the furniture, hopefully better with age.” Joking aside, Lim, who launched his 3.1 Phillip Lim label in 2005 and now sells his signature clean-lined clothing in shops around the world, saw the landmark birthday as a chance to take stock. “I heard somewhere that, with 50, you get a second dawn. I took that to heart.”

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Scarlett Kiaras-Attari, a marketing executive and education content creator who moved to the UK for her studies. It has been edited for length and clarity.

The first thing you'll notice about the Cape Liberty cruise port is the views: Situated on the Hudson River in New Jersey across from New York City, the port has spectacular skyline panoramas of Manhattan and unimpeded views of the Statue of Liberty. In fact, sailing out of Cape Liberty will bring you face-to-face (OK, face-to-toes) with Lady Liberty when you sail through the harbor.