Booking tips

Whether it’s a multigenerational family vacation or a long-planned friends getaway, there’s an inherent coziness about sharing an accommodation with loved ones—versus being scattered between individual hotel rooms—that often makes short-term rental homes the go-to for group travel.

When you close your eyes and think of Belize, visions of a dreamy, tropical vacation likely dance through your mind. Think: sugary shores, brilliantly blue water, bright green palms and thick, verdant jungles. Maybe throw in a luxury villa or a palapa-topped bungalow, for good measure. What you're not likely thinking of is an all-inclusive resort.

Tom Calahan started blogging about luxury travel in 2106 after starting a successful software company. After his blog became a cult hit, he and his wife Lucie went on to found Dorsia Travel

Floridians and those visiting the state now have a competitive alternative to road and air travel.

I grew up vacationing in a beach town called Nags Head on the Outer Banks, the string of barrier islands off the coast of North Carolina. My parents did, too — they were high school sweethearts — and their stories about hitchhiking to Nags Head as teenagers in the 1960s and seeing bands like the Drifters perform at the local dance hall were the stuff of legend in my mind. As a kid in the ’80s, I loved climbing the massive sand dunes at nearby Jockey’s Ridge State Park and fishing at Cape Hatteras. So I was excited to learn that this month, Steidl will publish a book of images the photographer Joel Sternfeld took in Nags Head in the summer of 1975. Sternfeld’s weatherworn cottages and roadside snack bars bring back memories real and imagined, and I’ll enjoy reliving them with my mom. The book is currently available for preorder, so, in the meantime, I’m eyeing some other ’70s-inspired gifts for Mother’s Day. Vacation’s Orange Gelée sunscreen is reminiscent of the vintage tanning staple Bain de Soleil, and this portable wine chiller designed in 1978 by Richard Carlson is easy to find on eBay. It fits two bottles of wine. Alternatively, Cann Social Tonic’s zero-proof Roadie pouches, infused with 2 milligrams of THC, travel easily to the beach. And for a nostalgic summer pants set, turn to the Rockaway Beach-based Zingara Vintage. The designer Erin Silvers custom makes her ZingaraTerry loungewear from vintage YSL towels produced in the 1960s and ’70s.

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us and terms apply to offers listed (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate credit cards to write unbiased product reviews.

Airbnb is taking dream vacations to a new level with this week's launch of its newest category.

Reliable information regarding hotel accessibility can be murky at best, and the broader hotel industry often comes up short in making this travel experience as easy as possible. Hyatt leaders are showing the company is taking this seriously in a new initiative highlighting the needs of neurodivergent travelers and what needs to be done to improve the travel experience from booking to checking out.

Since its release in 2016, the Chase Sapphire Reserve® has been a major player in the world of travel rewards credit cards. When the card launched, it offered new cardholders a welcome bonus of 100,000 points, an offer never seen again.

I cycled into birdsong, into colour, the light glimmering against the white of the low stone walls. There was a spaciousness as I cycled, a lateral stretching of soundscape, big skies, birds fluting. I didn’t meet anyone else on the narrow lanes and had a sense of being completely alone on an island of 2,000 people. Is there anything happier than being on a bicycle early in the morning, heading to the sea?

Airbnb's latest update is here. It will have guests staying in awe-inspiring Airbnbs and make it easier than ever to plan a trip with friends.

Airbnb is taking themed accommodations to the next level with its new Icons category, featuring a collection of stays that offer an immersive experience centered around music, film, television, art, sports and more.

The sleek mansion in the hills overlooking Las Vegas could have been featured on MTV’s “Cribs.” But the highlight of Aubrey Garza’s weekend stay there wasn’t the palatial rooms or the marble fireplace. It was meeting her Airbnb host: Christina Aguilera.

Did you just remember you need to book a hotel for the Paris Olympics? If so, now might be a good time to settle your lodging.

In April 2020, United MileagePlus removed its partner award chart. Partner awards continued pricing at the lowest Saver level from the last-published award charts for a while. But over time, United Airlines has slowly raised its unpublished partner award rates. Last month, United devalued first-class partner redemptions, increasing award prices up to 100%. Now, the loyalty program has struck again with another devaluation.

Virgin Voyages is finally bringing its adults-only cruises to the New York and Los Angeles markets.

Starting today, Global Travel Advisor Day, Expedia Group is holding 16 events for travel advisors in May for members of Expedia's Travel Agent Affiliate Program.

If you’ve never cruised before, embarking a modern vessel for the first time can be truly overwhelming. You don’t know what you don’t know, but by not doing certain things within the first hours, you risk spoiling your dream vacation.

American Airlines has delayed the rollout of a controversial new system for awarding AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points.

Travel advisors report that the luxury travel market is booming. Among the top travel trends for these high-end clients are those that focus on spending time with loved ones, including Family travel (immediate family), Celebration travel, and Multigenerational travel, according to the 2024 Virtuoso Luxe Report. Active/adventure trips are also among the top trends reported in the study. In addition, travel advisors are booking more off-season trips and are seeing requests for cultural immersion. The desire for personalized amenities and services is also important to upscale travelers, say advisors.

A flat tire. A medical situation. A tour that runs overtime. Any of these delays could prevent a shore excursion operator from returning guests on time to a port of call and risk the ship departing without them.