Research tips

Would you book your next vacation through the reservation platform of your bank credit card, such as Chase Travel or Capital One? Would you turn instead to online travel agencies like Expedia and Booking.com? Or would you book directly with airlines and hotels?

This Mother’s Day, why not give the mom who loves traveling something to help prioritize herself while she’s on the road? Research has proven that consistent self-care is linked to improved physical, mental, and emotional health.

Southwest Airlines is considering making major changes to its seating process.

Amid the shifting landscape of post-pandemic life, travel has emerged as a top priority for seasoned travelers, with an increasing number of people placing greater value on travel experiences over material possessions. At least, so says a recent survey conducted among experienced travelers by The Global Rescue Companies, a leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services.

In a mountain town about three hours outside of Mexico City, I sat on the floor of a thatched-roof palapa with blankets wrapped around me as a facilitator (both a researcher and medicine woman) sang soothing chants. A few hours earlier, I had declared my intention for our ayahuasca journey—that I want to live a big, meaningful, impactful life and am willing to release anything that does not serve that vision. By the end of the ceremony, where I took about three cups of the brew during the six hours between sunset and dawn, the message I received was that life is meaningless—that I might as well do whatever I want while I’m here.

I am sitting in a lavish four-poster bed adorned with drapes and sipping on herbal tea. The scent of lavender hangs in the air. I am wearing pajamas—and a VR headset. I breathe deeply, in and out. In front of my eyes, flowers morph from yellow to red before their petals dissolve into clouds. The clouds slowly turn into pillows, which drift through the air before shapeshifting into gently rippling bed sheets. A soothing voice speaks: “You are now entering the hypnogogic state.”

Prepare for the worst, and hope for the best—That’s the motto as the Atlantic hurricane season comes to the Eastern Seaboard in less than two months.

Logan Square

Accurate weather forecasts for Monday’s path of totality weren’t available until a few days ago, but scientists have confirmed that cumulus clouds over land begin to disappear almost instantly when a partial solar eclipse begins.

Walt Disney wasn't shy about sharing even his most ambitious plans. In October 1954, while Disneyland was still under construction, the "Disneyland" television series debuted on ABC. Each episode gave viewers up-to-date progress reports on Walt's groundbreaking theme park in Southern California.

A trip to Albuquerque­ offers a unique chance to care­ for yourself.

Distracted driving fell in four states after they implemented hands-free laws. An analysis of cell phone data from Alabama, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio following legislation to prevent holding a cellphone while driving found that hands-free laws made a positive impact.

In a survey by Skift Research, 43% of U.S. travelers said their dream vacation was as financially challenging to achieve as in 2019.

Want to travel from Rome to Tuscany on a day trip? Lonely Planet writer, Paula Hardy, tells you how to make that happen.

Wellness tourism has seen a 36% annual growth since 2020 and is expected to increase another 13.3% through to 2027, according to research by leading global research and wellness industry nonprofit the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). Lausanne, located on the shores of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva, has long been leading the trend. It is home to the International Olympic Committee and over 25 sporting federations, so visitors can benefit from myriad sporting activities. When paired with its many opportunities for relaxation and recalibration, it’s the ideal destination for tourists looking for a holistic approach to wellness while on their travels.

Drowsiness as a factor in road crash deaths is roughly ten times higher than reported in traditional crash data, according to new estimates. Between 2017 and 2021, nearly 18% of all traffic fatalities involved a drowsy driver, accounting for close to 30,000 lost lives. In 2021 alone, about 6,725 people were killed on U.S. roads by drowsy drivers.

Most Americans recognize the popular and longest running public service announcement, “Only you can prevent wildfires”, Smokey Bear’s signature catchphrase. Today this motto still rings true, 80 years later, as climate change, extreme weather, drought, and the overall health of our forest ecosystems have made disastrous wildfires more widespread.

The inaugural Skift India Summit kicks-off this week in Delhi with the opening reception on March 19 and the main event on March 20.

For over 20 years, Melissa Goldstein worked as a magazine photo editor. While researching imagery, she developed a fascination with Scandinavian ceramics, 17th-century botanical illustrations and Japanese woodblock prints dating back to the 1500s. It wasn’t until she moved to Brooklyn and began rehabilitating the overgrown garden behind her brownstone that she began combining her interests: “[My brand MG by Hand] was the merging of my research, the garden and making things for my family,” Goldstein says of the fine English porcelain ceramics she now sells in select shops and online. In 2008, the artist began hand-making everyday dinnerware in her home studio in Carroll Gardens, decorating the pieces with floral motifs in a cobalt stain. Black irises, poppies and flowering quince from her garden adorned vases, shallow banchan dishes and scalloped serving trays. Her new Poppy and Cherry collections, which were fired in a gas kiln for 12 to 15 hours, channel Dutch Delftware while depicting local flora. “I have a wall that separates my garden from my neighbor’s, and I’ve interwoven quince in it,” Goldstein says. “I’m very into blooming trees.”

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning spring breakers about vacation scams ahead of the hugely popular travel season.

Decades ago, your vacation most likely began with a visit to a travel agent, who relied on a combination of expertise and connections to find the best deals on plane tickets, hotels, tours and more. Since then, the internet has turned most of us into our own travel agents, and artificial intelligence software is making research and self-booking even easier. But for some trips, that special insider knowledge can still make a big difference.