Booking.com has made a big update to the AI trip planner on its mobile app.
29.10.2024 - 09:27 / nytimes.com
Deep within the seemingly endless saw-grass marshes of the Florida Everglades, I found myself standing on an unexpected speck of dry land on a bright spring day. The boat ride to this spot had fully exposed my tour group to the blustery wind and midday sun, and the island, by contrast, felt lush and welcoming, ringed by trees that cast shadows and tempered the gusts and insulated us from the elements beyond.
Betty Osceola, a member of the Miccosukee Tribe whose salt-and-pepper hair was pulled back in a ponytail, ushered our group into the shade of a palm-thatched structure called a chickee. “These are the traditional homes of the Miccosukee people,” she announced. She spoke slowly and deliberately for the sake of her multinational tourists in a voice flecked with her native Elaponke, accentuating key words with hand gestures. Her people once lived on “tree islands” like this one, and they continue to tend their ancestral homes. That morning, she’d lit a fire, and the pit’s smoldering embers made the island feel as if its inhabitants had merely stepped away and might return at any time.
During the Seminole Wars of the 1800s, in which U.S. forces fought to expel tribes from Florida, the Miccosukee and their kin, the Seminoles, eluded capture by hiding on tree islands, which are formed by sediment accumulating in roots. They remained there well into the 20th century, their villages accessible only by canoe until the 1920s.
Unlike those early inhabitants, we had arrived at the island on an airboat. After leaving Ms. Osceola’s dock on the mainland, we spent about 15 minutes navigating a labyrinth of shoulder-high vegetation, gawking at the occasional alligator, before reaching an unmarked point in that vast, grassy sea where we veered right into a thicket of willow, and one thatched roof after another came into view. This secluded spot was where William Buffalo Tiger, the first elected chairman after federal recognition in 1962, once lived.
Booking.com has made a big update to the AI trip planner on its mobile app.
Florida might soon have a rival when it comes to cruise getaways. Although the Sunshine State is home to the largest cruise market in the world, Royal Caribbean claims the Texas market has the potential to be even bigger — a concept that has prompted the line to invest heavily in the Gulf Coast region.
Air France is bringing back a popular link to Europe from Orlando International Airport (MCO) next summer.
The Atlantic hurricane season is coming to an end, but experts predict there could be as many as three more named storms before it’s over.
The holiday season is nearly upon us, which means it's time to book those flights to see your parents, in-laws, siblings, family, friends, or even that solo getaway you so desperately need at the end of the year. But before you do, make sure to consider all your flight options because some airports are simply better than others for holiday travelers. To help you find the right ones, MarketWatch conducted a survey of 3,000 Americans to learn more about their holiday travel habits. The team found that 61 percent of respondents plan to travel this holiday season, 36 percent intend to fly for the holidays, and they expect to pay an average of $1,869 on holiday air travel.
According to the popular Benjamin Franklin quote, "... nothing is certain except death and taxes." If Disney World had been around in the late 1700s, Franklin might have known there was one more certainty in life — ever-rising Disney World ticket prices.
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If you're looking for a true breath of fresh air in the most literal sense, the pros at QR Code Generator have a new study you're going to want to see. In September, the team unveiled the findings of its newest study, which showed which U.S. and European destinations have the lowest pollution rates, offering the cleanest air possible for travelers and locals alike.
“As far back as I can remember, I knew I was different,” says Alexander Smalls. Growing up in a Gullah Geechee household in Spartanburg, North Carolina, the chef says he recognized the implication of those differences—in appearance, history, and cuisine. “I discovered early that my friends did not eat any of the foods that I ate. My foods were more akin to West Africa, you know, and very much pronounced in that way,” he says. It wan't until he moved to New York as an adult, that he assimilated the value of that diasporic connective tissue. “Food was a big part of cultural expression and identity of the African diaspora,” he says.
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While passport application and renewal delays are over and traveling internationally is—for the most part—easier than ever, did you know it’s totally possible to hop on a plane to a white-sand beach or streets that feel just like Spain with just your driver's license in hand? The best places to travel without a passport are within reach. You just need to know where to look. And one of the best options American travelers have at hand are the US territories.