The complicated truth about San Francisco

In an era where international travel is rapidly bouncing back, United Airlines is making bold strides. Their aim isn't merely to transport passengers from one corner of the globe to another; it's to ensure that those hours in transit are restful. With the most ambitious overhaul of the United Polaris business class since 2016, the airline is laser-focused on a singular mission: granting passengers the best sleep in the sky.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, October 4. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

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: 

In earlier eras, notables such as Theodore Roosevelt, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Thoreau, Emerson, Sinclair Lewis held court on the grounds of Troutbeck, a private estate since the 1700s in the eastern stretch of the Hudson Valley. These days, since reopening as a resort in 2017, the property is still a cultural gathering place on its 250 acre, Lower Berkshires spread but now the guests are mostly serenity seeking New Yorkers up from the city a two hour drive or train ride away. (Out of staters also fly into Stewart International Airport an hour away). And there are new additions and others in the works to attract them all.

Picture it: You battled your way through summer holiday traffic going to the airport, and waited in what felt like the world’s longest security line, only to have your flight diverted two hours in, resulting in your flight reaching its destination three hours later than planned?

Many of South America’s greatest hits can be found in Ecuador, from Andean peaks and the Amazon to tropical beaches, Inca ruins and the wonders of the Galápagos Islands. Pretty impressive for a country that's a fraction of the size of its neighbors!

With a bit of planning, visiting the USA can be fun and done on a tight budget.

As a traveler who prefers the off-season for its more affordable prices and fewer visitors, I try not to fly in July and August, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. I wait until fall when rates for flights and hotels normally plunge and crowds shrink.

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.

Massive Montana comprises the Last Best Place in the American West, encompassing a wild terrain of Rocky Mountain adventures and bucket-list places to visit. Amid the mountains, national forests and wild rivers teeming with trout, several historical and current railroad depots punctuate the state, now grown into Montana’s best cities, showcasing its independent yet inviting culture.  

Fall is almost here, and that means people begin to plan their holiday travel. But, what if you didn’t have to spend a penny on your next trip? It turns out that there are plenty of ways to travel for free beyond earning and redeeming miles and points. These five fall travel contests and sweepstakes could have you celebrating iconic experiences all around the country.