The Most Anticipated New Hotels And Coolest Restaurants Of 2024

When I first started cruising in 2003, my family insisted on booking a balcony stateroom or a suite.

This is an as-told-to story based on a conversation with David Purcell, 78, a retired attorney. It has been edited for length and clarity. Purcell was among the dozens of people who signed up for a three-year cruise with Life at Sea — an around-the-world journey that was canceled two weeks before its departure. He and 77 other would-be passengers who have not received refunds are asking the US Attorney in Southern Florida to open a criminal fraud investigation into Miray Cruises, the parent company of Life at Sea.

If you’re an American traveler, you’ve likely done this sort of calendar math, spotting where all the paid holidays fall this year and figuring out how to combine them with your own limited paid time off (PTO). 

The passport you hold is a powerful tool when it comes to effortlessly visiting countries around the world.And some passports provide far more access than others, according to the Henley Passport Index.The just-released 2024 index shows that for the first time in 19 years of producing the ranking, six countries are tied for the top spot of having the most powerful passports.The countries leading the ranking are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain—meaning citizens from all of these countries are able to visit 194 destinations around the world either visa-free or by obtaining a visa-on-arrival.The Henley Passport Index is the only ranking of its kind and is developed based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index compares 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.While Japan and Singapore have made it into the number one slot for the past five years running, according to CNN, the European countries that are now also ranked number one on the list is a new development.

The tree-ringed lagoon glowed a color you usually see only in the mouthwash aisle, and under the surface of its glassy water, fallen branches looked like open hands ready to make a catch. The boulders at the bottom were either a few feet down or impossibly deep — the clarity of the water made it impossible to tell.

When you think of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, you probably think of its giant amusement park-like cruise ships with 10-story-tall slides, go-kart tracks, and many families.

Six countries now have the world's most powerful passport, according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index — but the US isn't one of them.

Four European countries now have the world’s most powerful passports.

The world's most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed — with the biggest shake-up in rankings we've seen in several years, including a never-before-seen six nations in first place.

Over the last five years, the world has changed a lot. A global pandemic ground much of the global population to a halt with travel the most restricted it's ever been in my lifetime – and most likely yours too. Russia’s war on Ukraine and now Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza are causing shockwaves around the world, reshaping the statuses of countries and the rights of their citizens.

Travel is always top of mind in the New Year. Brimming with possibility as 2024 is, it's easy to drift off into daydreams about the adventures to come. Whether you’ve already planned this year's big trip a year in advance and have nothing left to do but twiddle your thumbs, or your next vacation is but a twinkle in your eye, travel is always on our minds.

“Have a safe flight” may be more of a customary farewell than a genuine concern for the safety of modern air travel, but we've all had those mid-air onsets of hyperawareness that flying in a metal tube through the sky at 500 miles per hour is certainly no small feat (some of us more than most). While there are many details to worry about when planning a trip, one thing no traveler wants to be concerned with is whether the plane they’re flying on is safe.