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The demand for travel is best exemplified by the popularity of taking a cruise right now.

Oh, what a night!

Have you heard the news? Paris is positively teeming with bedbugs. Yep, this autumn, the blood-sucking insects have been crawling all over the French capital, taking a bite out of citizens and travelers alike. In addition to being spotted on beds in hotels and private residences—precisely where you would expect the little critters to be hanging out—there have been bedbug sightings on buses & trains, in airports and even at movie theaters. (Hey, I know Barbenheimer was a big deal, but this is ridiculous.)    How did we find out about this infestation? It's 2023, how else? Videos of supposed bedbug sightings were shared via wobbly social media posts, gaining traction with shocked viewers and amateur exterminators alike. Predictably, the bedbug content set the algorithm alight, going viral and spawning memes and many a reaction video from influencers who wanted to talk about bedbugs, you know, "because a lot of you are asking".  Then, the story swept into traditional media. What followed was a slew of news stories about the "invasion", the panic surrounding it and how it all comes a mere 10 months before millions of people from all over the world are set to descend on the City of Light for the Summer Olympics. People wondered why this was happening now. Was it because of the Rugby World Cup? Paris Fashion Week? Or were bedbugs simply just getting out there and traveling again post-Covid? The fervor reached such a level that, back in early October, it was reported by Reuters that Emmanuel Gregoire, Paris's deputy mayor, said in a letter to Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne that "The state urgently needs to put an action plan in place against this scourge as France is preparing to welcome the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2024,". 

Anyone who has been reading destination news this year will remember the massive amounts of travelers flocking to popular destinations across the globe as travelers feel more confident in visiting to their favorite bucket-list places than they have for years. 

A few bad apples can unfortunately ruin things for all of us.

At home, I lead a fairly down-to-earth lifestyle. Like most people, my days are typically grounded, filled with the normal routine of taking care of commitments and ticking to-do lists. But get me on a trip, and it's a whole different story. Without fail, when I'm in a new city, I get as high as I possibly can .... so I can take in the sweet views.The very first thing I did on my first day in Stockholm last month was to take a stroll on the Monteliusvägen walking path, where I was greeted with unbelievable views of the Swedish capital's Old Town and surrounding waterscape. It made things official: I was in Stockholm. 

This past weekend, we ventured out on our first flight as a family of four. It was my daughter’s fourth or fifth (is that bad I lost count already?) but it was my infant son’s first flight.

Vacationing with one of the major cruise lines means meeting passengers from all ages groups and walks of life, and this often includes friends groups, work groups and family members who opt to plan a reunion at sea. I was reminded of this recently as I boarded the new MSC Seascape out of Miami, Florida. Several groups wore matching shirts with their family name and reunion details emblazoned on the front, not only for fun but also to help them easily locate each other at the port.

I’m sure I have told this story before.

Planes, trains, and automobiles…

I get it. A picture or a video from vacation is like validation. It proves that you are there and creates a lasting memory.

After a summer filled with headlines about iconic European sights buckling under the pressure of overtourism and moronic tourists running amok on the continent, it’s now more obvious than ever that you need to arrive in Europe with a game plan to avoid some of the most crowded situations. 

Jeff Weinstein is a medical operations associate manager at Global Rescue, with 18 years of combined experience in emergency and disaster response, critical care paramedicine, and emergency management. With specialty training in austere medicine and mountain rescue from The School of Medicine at UNM and is a Certified Wilderness Paramedic (WP-C) from the International Board of Specialty Certifications (IBSC).

The airport lounge life is a taste of luxury every traveler needs to experience at least once.

Journaling is known to reduce stress, enhance a sense of clarity and personal growth and is a great way to catalog your thoughts, moods and memories in a system that you can review again and again throughout your lifetime. 

I’ve been a fan of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Prima Class ships ever since I laid eyes on Norwegian Prima at the Fincantieri’s Marghera. Italy, shipyard where it was built. My admiration for the ship was bolstered when I sailed on its maiden voyage out Iceland.

There are rules and regulations set by the Department of Transportation over this sort of thing.