Peace tips

In Georgia, where history is a roll call of conflicts, hello (‘Gamarjoba’) translates as ‘be victorious’. 

Travelers to the northern provinces of Thailand have long been drawn by two things — elephant camps and campy temples. The most famous examples of each are within or near the 13th-century city of Chiang Rai, where the Wat Rong Khun, or White Temple, stands as an artist’s parable of the world’s ills, as depicted in the form of pop culture villains and other icons of kitsch. (If crossing a sea of grasping arms at the entrance doesn’t terrify you, beware the Freddy Krueger-themed hanging planters.) Chiang Rai is also where the Emerald Buddha, a national treasure now housed in Bangkok’s Grand Palace, was reportedly discovered in 1434. According to legend, a bolt of lightning cracked the stupa in which it had been hidden years prior.

If a hotel full of children is not your idea of a vacation, why not try a getaway just for grown-ups? From posh city hotels to tropical resorts, these new and recently expanded adults-only escapes beckon solo travelers, couples and friends with nature hikes, classes like pottery and macramé, spa treatments, tequila tastings and perhaps the greatest luxury of all: peace and quiet.

After a 15-hour flight from Los Angeles to Sydney and four packed days of touring, dining, and dancing into the wee hours at an Aussie wedding, my husband and I picked up a rental car and escaped out of the harborside metropolis for a few nights of peace and quiet. We were en route to the beach town of Byron Bay and hoped that a two-night stop in Hunter Valley, Australia’s oldest wine region, would be a balm for our jet-lagged souls.

When Los Angeles–based designer Clare Vivier began decorating the 19th-century house she'd bought in her husband's hometown of Saint-Calais, in France's Loire Valley, she had a particular aesthetic in mind. “I love color and patterns but wanted something peaceful, so the intention was to create a dialogue between those two things,” she says. She wanted the house to have a blend of contemporary pieces, antiques, and textiles from heritage maisons to create a space that, much like her namesake handbag and fashion label, channeled both California fun and French sophistication. She also knew that she wanted her longtime friend Kate Berry, a designer and creative director, to help her make it happen.

Traveling during hurricane season, which spans from June to November, can be both thrilling and precarious.

When Los Angeles–based designer Clare Vivier began decorating the 19th-century house she'd bought in her husband's hometown of Saint-Calais, in France's Loire Valley, she had a particular aesthetic in mind. “I love color and patterns but wanted something peaceful, so the intention was to create a dialogue between those two things,” she says. She wanted the house to have a blend of contemporary pieces, antiques, and textiles from heritage maisons to create a space that, much like her namesake handbag and fashion label, channeled both California fun and French sophistication. She also knew that she wanted her longtime friend Kate Berry, a designer and creative director, to help her make it happen.

Holding meetings and events at posh hotels isn't a new concept; some of the toniest hotels in the world have served as backdrops to some of the most important gatherings in history. Whether it's for negotiating peace, creating bodies of diplomacy or hosting heads of state — or certain A-list pop music chanteuses — these are some of our favorite hotels in the world with an important claim to history-making meetings.

Jun 22, 2024 • 5 min read

As a long-time resident of London, my soul sometimes craves peaceful isolation, so I was excited to venture out to the Scottish Highlands for a little reprieve from the metropolitan crowds.

Cruise travel is one of the most exciting ways to see the world. It offers a blend of luxury and convenience, allowing curious travelers to visit multiple destinations without the hassle of constant packing and unpacking.

Whether it is romance or peace one seeks, staying at this kind of inn will be life-changing with each visit you make.

Blue Caves Villas is a private, peaceful and romantic villas complex of traditionally designed Zakyntian stone houses, overlooking the sea, perfect for relaxing holidays with various opportunities in terms of privacy, leisure and pleasure.

It was a sunny afternoon in February at the height of the high season on the Caribbean island of Curaçao, but my partner, Aaren, and I were far from lounging on a white-sand beach, snorkeling over a coral reef or strolling among the Easter-egg-colored buildings of Willemstad, Curaçao’s capital and a UNESCO World Heritage site — typical activities for travelers to this former Dutch colony.

No matter how carefully you plan your vacation, bad weather or mechanical delays can throw your trip off track without warning. That's why it's important to consider getting travel insurance to protect your trip.

Uber is offering more peace of mind to riders with an update to its safety features.

Don’t be surprised, upon opening the door to Aladdin’s Times Square Palace Suite at Hilton New York Times Square, to suddenly find yourself humming the show’s hit song, “A Whole New World.” You may be smack in the middle of one of the most bustling streets on the planet but you’ll feel like you’ve entered a peaceful and luxurious oasis far, far away from it all.

Switzerland is one powerful place. While Zurich is arguably where the money of the world is kept, Geneva is where the peace of the world is kept. As the European headquarters of the United Nations, Geneva is home to 175 representations along with 250 international non-governmental organizations, the host city of more than 173,000 diplomats, delegates, and world thinkers every year. That’s nearly more people than the city of Geneva counts as residents.

For generations, visitors to Maine have flocked east to the rocky coastline, with its lobster boats and crashing waves, or west to ski resorts, peaceful lakes and mountains. Few ever set foot in Aroostook County, a remote northern expanse where residents are prone to suspect — not without reason — that no one south of Bangor even knows that they exist.

I’m splashing around in the Atlantic, having fallen off my board for what feels like the thousandth time this morning. The water is beautiful, the sky clear and immense, and the Atlas mountains loom behind me. But despite all this serene beauty, I am boiling with frustration: who knew learning to surf would be this hard? Thankfully, psychologist and psychotherapist Josh Dickson is on hand to help me resolve my conflicting emotions. Having been in a severe midlife depression for seven years, I have decided, in my mid-forties, to join the pioneering surfing and group therapy Resurface retreat that is his brainchild.

A rainy day can ruin a long-planned vacation, but a new company is aiming to provide some peace of mind. WeatherPromise, a tech company that launched February, offers travel protection services and full vacation refunds if it rains for a pre-specified duration of a trip with the help of artificial intelligence. The company will refund everything from hotel reservations, theme park and sports tickets, activities, and other purchases made around a vacation. “I realize how big an investment travel is and the worry that every trip needs to be perfect — that's where WeatherPromise comes in,” WeatherPromise co-Founder Dan Price told Travel + Leisure. “Every WeatherPromise is custom-created and selected for you and your trip...Our AI engine looks at where you are going, when you will be there, and what we expect the weather to be.”  While each WeatherPromise guarantee can differ depending on the trip duration and location, Travel + Leisure spotted packages available for between $262 and $307 to cover a 7-day $5,000 trip, which provides a refund if there are several days of measurable rain.