Country tips

It's been more than a month of labor strikes at hotels in some of the top destinations in the U.S., and a resolution doesn't appear to be in sight.

Whenever you're dreaming of cosmopolitan cities, glistening lakes, and verdant mountain vales—that's the best time to visit Switzerland. If the mood strikes you to dip into Lake Geneva in the summertime, or cozy up in the winter for a dinner of raclette-covered everything, you need to go to Switzerland as soon as you can. As for the actual logistics of how to time your visit to this landlocked European country of centuries-old culture and commerce, it all depends on what you want to get out of your trip.

If you're active on Instagram, you've likely seen surreal-looking photos capturing the swirling electric blues of the Maldives and its famous overwater villas. You might know someone who's ventured there on their honeymoon. But what may not be as crystal clear as those Maldivian waters is exactly where the Maldives are located.

Oct 16, 2024 • 8 min read

A presidential campaign. A hurricane. A cult-favorite cabbage slaw.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this story may contain names and depictions of Indigenous individuals who have since passed.

The European Union will delay the introduction of a new digital system aimed at replacing passport stamps.

Oct 15, 2024 • 9 min read

Oct 14, 2024 • 5 min read

At 19, I fell in love with a long-haired musician wearing a white linen shirt dotted with wooden buttons. He caught my eye while strumming an acoustic guitar and singing his heart out at an open-mic-night dive bar in Montana.

Whether you're a fan of the traditional, handheld soft taco or enjoy modernist interpretations with different types of meats, veggies, and sauces, there's a taqueria in every US state to suit your tastes.

Colombia has blossomed into a popular tourist destination — in 2023, the South American country welcomed 5.9 million international visitors, a 24.3% increase from the year prior.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Christian Salafia, a former US Navy engineering laboratory technician and cyber and information security consultant who moved from Florida to South Africa in 2021.

I traveled to Sweden's Dalarna and returned home with a horse. It stands about five inches tall, with a pleasing curve of the muzzle and dainty fetlocks, though an unkind person might say it looks bovine from a certain angle. I whittled it while sitting on a log beneath tall spruces, warmed by the fire that Alfred Blomberg, a local farmer, had assembled in moments. As we flicked curls of pine across the floor with our blades, he told me the sort of things you tell a person while sitting around a fire. How the lake behind us freezes so solid in winter a horse could gallop across it; how, in summer, he takes his cows to mountain pasture to give them a holiday; and how he was a slingshot champion in his youth, carving his own catapult and traveling all around Sweden. It was a scene that could have taken place at any time in the past century.

Oct 10, 2024 • 5 min read

In spring 2025, Freshta Ibrahimi aims to make history—by becoming the first Afghan woman to summit the highest peak in the world. Yet while climbing Mount Everest is a bucket list achievement for any serious mountaineer, for 32-year-old Ibrahimi, who already has a decade of climbing experience under her belt (having recently conquered Nepal’s Lobuche East), Everest represents more than just a physical challenge. She wants to wave a flag of hope for women living under an oppressive Taliban regime—and forge a path for them to one day follow suit.

Earlier this summer, Marriott teased the launch of a new affordable hotel brand in the U.S. and Canada called Project Mid-T.

Oct 8, 2024 • 6 min read

Kenya has long been one of Africa's most popular destinations. There's something here for every type of traveler: Wildlife fanatics flock to Masai Mara for once-in-a-lifetime safaris, beach lovers island-hop through the turquoise waters of the Lamu Archipelago, and cosmopolitans appreciate Nairobi's growing culinary and art scene.

Oct 7, 2024 • 10 min read

Oct 7, 2024 • 14 min read