The 11 best places to visit in Ecuador

These days, wireless headphones have become a staple item on my packing list (and likely yours, too).

Good news! You don’t need to book an expensive cruise to discover the wonders of the Galápagos - here's how to DIY it. Regis St Louis, who has journeyed extensively across the archipelago for multiple editions of Lonely Planet Ecuador explains how to put together an independent itinerary.

On a recent trip to the Caribbean island of Antigua, Melissa Middlestadt, a writer from the Toronto area, was charged a $12-a-night resort fee by the all-inclusive Jolly Beach. She was told it covered the use of nonmotorized water-sports equipment and Wi-Fi.

JetBlue Airways has launched its Fall Real Sale offering one-way tickets as low as $39.The three-day sale can be booked now through Thursday, October 12 and is valid for Tuesday and Wednesday travel between October 17, 2023, and February 14, 2024.  Notable discounts available this week include Newark (EWR) – Miami (MIA) from $39 and Orlando (MCO) – Washington (DCA) from $39. Other $39 flights include Fort Lauderdale (FLL) – Charleston (CHS), Los Angeles (LAS) – San Francisco (SFO) and Atlanta (ATL) – Fort Lauderdale (FLL).Travelers can also fly between Boston (BOS) and Baltimore/Washington (BWI) for as low as $49; New York (JFK) and Milwaukee (MKE) for just $59 and San Juan (SJU) and Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Caribbean for as little as $89 one-way.Blackout dates include November 21-28, 2023, and December 19, 2023, to January 9, 2024.Contact your travel advisor or visit JetBlue.com to shop the Fall Real Sale.

JetBlue is putting flights on sale in time for fall and winter getaways with travel starting as low as $39.

Northern California is the powerhouse behind the Golden State’s world-renowned wines but that fertile soil also lends itself to something greener. Recreational marijuana is legal throughout California as long as consumption takes place on private property. Smoking, vaping, and edibles aren’t permitted in many hotels in San Francisco but you can bring any dispensary purchases back to a boutique number of downtown SF Airbnb rentals and county hemp farms. Let’s weed out the cannabis-friendly Airbnbs in and around San Francisco for some above-board hashish.

Ecuador has emerged as a popular travel destination in South America, and with good reason.

A burger and fries by the beach in San Diego, California. (Photo Credit: sophia_ross/iStock Editorial/Getty Images Plus)

Visitors to Monterrey, Mexico will soon have more flight options from the United States. Viva Aerobus, an airline based in Monterrey, Mexico, will launch new routes to Austin, Denver, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Orlando. The airline is adding the flights due to ‘growing demand’, and there will be a 23 percent increase in available seats for a total of 13 million seats to Monterrey in 2024, according to its announcement.  The new flight routes include: 

This August, 55,769 tourists arrived in the city by air. During the eight previous months, this figure came to 459,590, some 122,499 visitors more than in the same period the previous year.

The rugged Andes and tracts of impenetrable rainforest present formidable barriers to overland travel in Ecuador.

Ecuador offers some of the most incredible outdoor experiences on earth, from surfing on beautiful beaches to treks through the Amazon jungle. The fourth-smallest country in South America offers experiences to rival anything in Brazil, Argentina or Chile, all packed into a small space that's easy to explore by bus, boat or plane.