Booking tips

With Mother’s Day quickly approaching, it's high time to start shopping for the moms, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and mother-in-laws in our lives again. Whether you're celebrating with a large family brunch or taking your mom out for a spa day, a well-thought-out gift is always appreciated. For those who can’t be with their mothers this year but still want to send something to make her smile—we’ve got you covered. Below, we've rounded up dozens of thoughtful Mother’s Day gift ideas for all kinds of moms, from the ones who taught you to love the great outdoors to the ones who appreciate a trip to a winery, and the ones whose ideal vacation is sitting in a beach chair with a good book in hand.

Riding one of the longest flights in the world is already an undertaking—then I had to do it with my talkative son in tow. Even though flying with a toddler can be tough, I was determined to introduce him to the paternal side of my family who I hadn’t seen for over 20 years. So we embarked on an 18-hour journey from London to Bali. Here is what I learned about flying with a toddler after the trip—and what I wish I had known before.

Finding a great bookstore while traveling can be just as satisfying as spending the day at a beloved museum or sacred monument—and that’s certainly the case in Istanbul. The city is packed with hidden second-hand bookstores and flea market-style book alleys. The thing is—the majority of these places sell books written in Turkish, which, while beautiful to look at, mightn’t be the most practical if you’re looking for something to bring back to your hotel and read (unless of course, you speak Turkish).

Toronto-based Hostaway, which sells property-management software, announced it will offer business loans to its customers. Hostaway didn’t share details about how the financial arrangement works but said that the industry standard is to take a commission of the loans. 

Whether you celebrate Earth Day, National Park Week or World Environment Day, you can’t escape the many ways these celebrations strive to bring more attention to the damage the industrial world can wreak on our planet. But after the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic brought the travel industry almost to a standstill, American travelers rushed back to their airports as soon as they could.

On Oct. 3, 2022, I reserved a seat in a Megabus coach for the busy Sunday after Thanksgiving to return to Boston after visiting family in Philadelphia. With a $3.99 booking fee, the total came to $53.98. On Oct. 26, I received an email from Megabus canceling the trip “due to a schedule alteration,” and promising a refund. But I only received $49.99. I wrote every few months demanding my $3.99 back, receiving no response until nearly a year later, when an agent named Danielle wrote back to explain that the service fee was nonrefundable. I understand why a company would keep a fee if I had canceled or rebooked, but this was their decision. Can you help?

Forget high-rise hotels and all-inclusive beachfront resorts — the world's most popular hotel companies see a future in luxury tents.

One of the most opulent ways to fly in the sky is back — think a three-room suite in first class and a bar and lounging area on a double-decker jet.

Strolling hand-in-hand through the Public Garden, sharing a candle-lit dinner at an Italian restaurant in the North End, gazing at historic houses on cobblestone streets in Beacon Hill — all of these Boston activities ring with a romantic undertone when you’re with your loved one. And when there is an amorous air, the right hotel is an excellent addition.

Just when folks may have been wondering if Hyatt and its popular World of Hyatt loyalty program were losing some luster, the hotel giant's Mr & Mrs Smith acquisition rollout shows this is no hotel loyalty underdog.

British Airways is offering a generous limited-time status match offer for U.S.-based members of its loyalty program, British Airways Executive Club.

Sorry, United Airlines MileagePlus members — the airline is apparently rolling out another major mileage devaluation. As first reported on FlyerTalk, United is raising redemption prices on first-class travel with partners such as All Nippon Airways and Lufthansa.

Southwest Airlines is rolling out a new option for redeeming your Southwest Rapid Rewards points.

On an otherwise unremarkable Saturday in Tucson last month, I visited the intersection of the Harlem Renaissance and romance lit with Netflix darling Tia Williams, brushed up on global security threats with MSNBC contributors Barbara McQuade and Frank Figliuzzi, got an easy Roman-Jewish cake recipe from cookbook wunderkind Leah Koenig, and caught a dramatic reading by National Humanities Medal winner Abraham Verghese. All before lunch. And tens of thousands of people around me were doing much the same thing: making the rounds at the famed Tucson Festival of Books, where I’d decided to spend a few hours on a trip to see my parents. As I began to realize the more people I met in line, many had come to town just for this.

Collar stays. They might be a staple in a gentleman’s wardrobe but they’re not usually found in the amenity offerings in the bathroom of a hotel. They are here, though, in The Fifth Avenue Hotel which opened in October in NoMad in New York. And it makes sense: the original 19th century mansion, remodeled as a Renaissance palazzo in 1907, was formerly the site of Gilded Age society events and it’s easy to imagine a guest of the first owner, renowned hostess Charlotte Goodridge, having his valet install them before heading off to the opera. Starting this month, the hotel can once again resemble a private home, an extremely lavish one, by introducing Your Mansion at The Fifth Avenue Hotel, a three-night takeover of this historic part.

The most-anticipated new hotel in the ski industry this year — at least among those who like to travel using their points and miles — has to be the Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah. The Deer Valley area will be the epicenter of a major expansion, not only in terms of lodging options but also skiing options. It's doubling its skiable terrain, possibly as early as 2025, which makes this hotel opening even more exciting.

For well over a year, my organization, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), has tried to thwart American Airlines’ abusive attempt to force AA fliers and travel agencies to use its underdeveloped technology, the New Distribution Capability (NDC) booking platform.

Wandering hand-in-hand through the medieval streets of Bologna, my boyfriend and I were in awe of the sweeping porticoes and distinctive rust-red brickwork of the city. It was our first holiday together. We’d wanted to find somewhere beyond the obvious that would marry our respective interests in architecture and history. Bologna was the perfect fit.

Sitting comfortably along the banks of the Arno River, Florence has been welcoming tourists since the early days of international tourism, building a global reputation that is hard to match.

Hilton wants to know: Why stay in a conventional hotel room when you can pay more than $600 a night to sleep in a trailer?

Lyme Regis’s charms have always been resolutely genteel and old-fashioned, from its sedate regency seafront to its fondness for fossil shops and all things antique and literary.