The 20 happiest states in the US, ranked

Since last summer, I've spent over one hundred hours crisscrossing the globe on a variety of different international airlines.

Tourists descended on an ancient town in Thailand this week after UNESCO named it a world heritage site, prompting officials to consider banning visitors from climbing the 1,500-year-old ruins.

While the Caribbean is home to its fair share of wildlife-filled islands—Saint Lucia, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico, to name a few—one of the region’s most underrated ecotourism destinations measures in at just a mere thirteen square kilometers in area. Known as Saba, this dazzling Dutch overseas region holds a king-sized level of biodiversity in spite of its small size, packed full of fascinating fish, reptiles, and birds for visitors to marvel at—and when it comes to avian life in particular, the Saba Bird Fest is one of the island’s most unmissable events.

The personal-finance website WalletHub released a 2023 report ranking the happiest states in the US according to 30 metrics across three categories: emotional and physical well-being, work environment, and community and environment.

When I reach Galaha in Sri Lanka’s central highlands, the sun is high in the sky and the streets are clouded with dust. Tuk-tuks rattle around women in red saris flecked with gold, narrowly missing the one-eyed dog sleeping in the road. Amid the honking and coconut selling, I hear a familiar sound — Beethoven’s Für Elise — moving closer, crackling from a tuk-tuk selling fish buns, and bringing with it the smell of freshly baked bread. 

After six years and millions of hours of labor, Delta Air Lines has officially completed the last phase of its $2.3 billion overhaul effort at Los Angeles International Airport.

Traveler satisfaction with North American airports climbed this year despite numerous challenges from an ongoing pilot shortage to record passenger volumes.According to the J.D. Power 2023 North America Airport Satisfaction Study released Wednesday, overall satisfaction improved by 3 points to 780 on a 1,000-point scale. The rise was propelled by improvements in three key areas, including terminal facilities, food and beverage and retail service and baggage claim.The study, currently in its 18th year, examines overall traveler satisfaction with mega (33 million or more passengers a year), large (10 to 32.9 million passengers a year) and medium (4.5 to 9.9 million passengers a year) North American airports across six factors, including terminal facilities; airport arrival/departure; baggage claim; security check; check-in/baggage check; and food, beverage and retail.The big winners among North American airports were Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (800) Tampa International Airport (832) and Indianapolis International Airport (843), which ranked highest among mega, large and medium airports, respectively. 2023 marks the second straight year that Tampa and Indy have won their respective categories.

Are you happy?

One of the fruits of getting on a train is that it makes me want to chat. So instead of gazing at Kent as we proceed to Paris from London, I talk to my neighbour. Martha grew up in San Francisco, studied in Oregon, and puts syrup on everything. When we part ways on the concourse of Gare du Nord – she to lunch with a friend from Wisconsin, me to amble around before continuing towards Turkey – she says the best things about the US are Taylor Swift and meatloaf. It’s good to talk.

Life was simple in 1979 when the first loyalty program of an American airline was launched. How much you flew was the number of “miles” you earned, a currency for a free seat with the airline you were being “loyal” to. 

Come fall, there are many leaf-peeping opportunities in America’s national parks. But the great outdoors extends far beyond official park boundaries.

Whispers of lunar vacations are causing a stir while down-to-earth astrotourism continues to bloom as a carousel of eclipses and supermoons light up the sky. You may not necessarily need to stray too far from home on your hunt for celestial spectacles. Rental cabins with moonroofs put sleeping under the stars on the table for those who prefer an alternative other than a traditional camping setup. These divine Airbnbs with a glass roof in the United States are made for lazy stargazing from bed.