Leisure tips

Spirit Airlines is expanding its presence in South Carolina, adding flights from Charleston to Boston and New York City this spring.

Luxury cruise line Seabourn wants to help travelers escape the cold in style — and for less — with a big winter sale that has up to 25 percent off fares.

Roots tendril out of the grassy banks, piercing the surface of the water, while giant dragonflies skim the heads of water buffaloes cooling off in the 46C heat. Nearby, African sacred ibises stand regally in the shallows and vocal laughingthrushes nestle between the seven-foot reeds. My eyes are locked on the watery scenes — I’m hoping to spot a crocodile nostril or a slinking scale, at least. 

American Airlines sparked controversy this week when the carrier swapped its high-end brand amenity kit for a boxed kit.

Amtrak is helping travelers criss-cross the country for less by offering $50 off the purchase of a USA Rail Pass.

Months after Marriott International's and MGM Resorts' partnership was initially announced over the summer, the two powerhouse brands have revealed more details regarding their collaboration and what it will mean for it's members.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will keep the beleaguered Boeing 737-9 Max planes grounded until it approves the aircraft manufacturer’s inspection and maintenance process.

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a much-anticipated merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines, but experts say that’s good news for travelers.

The Blue Lagoon has once again re-opened to visitors in south Iceland following the volcano eruption that caused weeks of closures.

MSC Cruises is expanding its presence in the United States, planning to bring one of its newest ships to its homeport in Texas next year.

United Airlines has found loose bolts in its own Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft just days after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded the planes following a mid-air blowout on Alaska Airlines.

It’s a common dilemma most travelers face when booking a dream vacation: how many days are you going stay in one place? It's a choice that can be the difference of having perfectly enjoyed the time in a city, and being somewhere just a little too long. This week, the dilemma spilled over into an online discourse on Reddit where hundreds of travelers weighed in on which cities require the most amount of days to visit, and which can be skipped over. One of the top cities that travelers felt needed extra time is Tokyo. The city has a population of 14 million across 847 sq. miles, while for comparison, New York City is only 468 sq miles. “Definitely Tokyo, if we're counting the Tokyo Metropolis. Just the city proper requires 10-14 days to explore its variety and sprawl,” one traveler wrote in support of the Japanese city in the tread.

TAP Air Portugal is celebrating the new year with a new flight sale offering trips to Europe and beyond starting as low as $379 round-trip.

It’s going to be a great year for airfare with domestic prices predicted to start even cheaper than 2023 and remain low for the next six months.

If you’re seeking a special place for a vacation, honeymoon or business conference, you may just want to consider Maui in 2024. Always a spectacular destination, there is a reason for the saying “Maui No Ka Oi,” which means “Maui is the best.”

JetBlue is welcoming 2024 with a winter sale that has one-way flights to Europe starting at just $299 and flights across the United States starting at under $40. 

It just got easier to visit Greece from the United States. Norse Atlantic Airways, a low-cost airline based in Oslo, Norway, announced a new route between New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) and Athens International Airport in Greece on Wednesday. The flight will operate five times per week from May 30, 2024 through Oct. 26, 2024, the airline shared withTravel + Leisure. The new flight has a duration of 9 hours and 35 minutes. Currently, the airline operates service between New York and Athens with a stopover in London’s Gatwick airport for a total duration of 18 hours.  “This launch underscores our commitment to meeting the evolving travel needs of our passengers," Norse Atlantic Airways’ CEO and Founder Bjorn Tore Larsen said in a statement shared with T+L. «We believe this route will not only cater to the demand for travel to Greece but will also create opportunities for cultural exchange and business collaborations between these two vibrant destinations,” 

Sunseeker joins Allegiant’s vast portfolio of ancillary products including rental cars, professional sports packages and more. The airline has been selling hotel rooms to customers on behalf of third parties for more than 18 years.

If traveling more and paying less for flights is on your New Year’s resolution list — you’re in luck.  A new analysis from discount flight booking site Going.com, shared withTravel + Leisure, revealed that airfare has dipped below pre-pandemic prices and also dropped 24 percent from the May 2022 peak of airfares. The company provided evidence of the  international fares dropping such as flights to Paris for $387 and to New Zealand for $686 round-trip.  “2023 has been a return to normalcy when it comes to flight prices, while 2024 is expected to just be normal. The peak of flight prices in May of 2022 have disappeared,” Going.com’s Katy Nastro shared in a statement to T+L.“Looking forward, we don't anticipate any major swings in demand outside of typical peak seasons like the summer or the winter holidays like we saw in the last 18 months where post-pandemic pent up travel demand drove prices upwards.” Naylor analyzed the average price of airfare and tracked a downward trend for 13 of the last 18 months, and that prices are currently down 12 percent from the same time last year.  Economists cite less people traveling for leisure, and a lack of business travel as reasons for the lower airfares.  “It’s a combination of less business travel, as we haven’t seen the rebound to pre-pandemic levels, lower fuel prices, and more capacity as more planes have come online,” KPMG’s Chief Economist Diane Swonk told T+L in an interview.   Southwest Airlines recently described the current level of business travelers flying as “below historical levels” during their October 2023 earnings call.  In addition to airfares trending down, car rental prices dropped 10.1 percent over the last year, according to the recent Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Price Index Report.  

Low-cost Icelandic airline Play is going all out for the end of the year by offering a whopping 50 percent off its already low airfare to Europe.

In a surprise move, the Norwegian Competition Authority has approved the acquisition of Norway’s regional carrier Widerøe by Norwegian for 1.1 billion kroner ($107 million).