This is how you visit Bangkok on a budget

With the recent Boeing safety scare on every traveler’s mind, choosing an airline can feel daunting. WalletHub, a financial and consumer website, recently released its study of the best airlines for the coming year, including the safest option for fliers.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) led 64 Thai tourism entrepreneurs and associations to showcase Thailand’s tourism attractions, products and services at the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024 currently taking place in Dubai. Running until Thursday at Dubai World Trade Centre, the ATM 2024 is claimed by the organiser to be world’s third largest tourism promotion event this year.

Settling yourself for a week or a weekend on a car-free island can come with unexpected benefits: the joy of getting around via bicycle, the conversations that happen while walking from one place to another, the hilarity of golfcart transportation.  But while we all love a good road trip, sometimes the car is just a means to getting from point a to point b. On these islands, even the getting around is part of the fun. Not to mention its stress-free and incredibly freeing for everyone coming along on the trip. 

It’s almost summertime, and those family vacations aren’t going to plan themselves. If you are hoping to earn points and miles for upcoming trips to sunnier (or cooler) climes, there are some travel promotions that can double or triple those loyalty program earnings. And for the jetsetters who want to redeem those hard-earned points and miles, now is the time to start looking to find the best deal.

Many American tourism marketers are well-paid. Visit California CEO Caroline Beteta recently collected more than $1.5 million in compensation. Brand USA CEO Chris Thompson recently took home over $700,000.

Peering up at the snow-laced peaks hemming in the mountain town of Crested Butte, Colorado, it's hard to believe more than 1,400 people once crowded into this long narrow valley 8,885 feet up in the Colorado Rockies in the mid-1800s, weathering the winter in tents and shanties.

The conditions are just about perfect for this weekend’s Eta Aquarid meteor shower peak, a spectacle known to produce up to 50 shooting stars per hour — but you’ll have to wake up early. The meteor shower peaks Sunday and Monday night, and is best visible between 3 a.m. local time and dawn, according to Space.com. Unlike last year, when the bright moon washed out the Eta Aquarids, this year’s peak coincides with a 10 percent illuminated waning crescent moon. That means optimal dark skies and even better shooting star odds.

More than 15 million visitors are expected to travel to Paris during the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will take place from July 26 to August 11. But as the world's attention turns to the City of Light, even non-Olympic related trips to France may feel the ripple effects of the games over the next few months.

Launched in London more than 20 years ago, the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards has become one of the most important ratings in the rarefied world of top tier fine dining (though not without some criticism and controversy). But regardless what people think of the process behind selection, there’s no doubt that some of the big winners over the years have in fact been some of the world’s very best, places like Spain’s El Bulli, England’s The Fate Duck, Italy’s Osteria Francescana, Denmark’s Noma and in the U.S. notables have included Napa Valley’s French Laundry and New York City’s Eleven Madison Park.

A record 4.7 billion people are expected to travel by air this summer and several factors may converge to create chaos at the country’s airports. A recent report from global travel technology company Amadeus found that “flight disruption remains above historical norms,” and the situation isn’t going to get better any time soon. According to the report, the global airline industry is still struggling with the rapid increase in demand for air travel.

On the shores of the blustery North Atlantic, Nova Scotia is one of Canada’s trio of Maritime Provinces. But you don’t (necessarily) need a boat to get around.

Generations of backpackers will tell you that Thailand has long been a great destination for travelers on a shoestring. And it’s particularly easy to visit the northern city of Chiang Mai on a budget, even with its swanky luxury scene and five-star hotels.