Waters tips

This may just be the fastest sale we've ever seen.

Sydney's sun-blasted image as being laid-back has been well exported, so first-time visitors might be surprised that the coastal city has a lot of rules by which Sydneysiders tend to abide. There are the obvious ones, like no littering or speeding (spoiler: you will get fined), but there are more than a few unwritten rules visitors should be aware of. The city may be famous for its coffee, for example, but you might get a blank stare if you ask for a black filter. Catching your own fish can be controversial. And then come the questions: How far is too far from the beach to wear a Speedo? What is swimming etiquette? Why can’t you get a glass of wine on the sand? To tip or not to tip? Plus, you’ll be surprised to read where open-toe shoes are banned.

Imagine walking down Main Street, USA, at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom only to realize that the cute shoes you’re wearing are starting to give you blisters before you’ve even gotten on the first ride of the day. Finding the right shoes to wear for a full day of walking around the Disney Parks is crucial—blisters and foot pain can quickly cut your day short. With an abundance of different shoe types, brands, and price points to choose from, it can be hard to know what shoes are the best to wear to Disney World, or any theme park, for that matter.

Maybe it's just me, but planning my family's theme park vacations brings me almost as much joy as the vacation itself. I don't go overboard planning out a structured itinerary for every minute of our trip, but choosing which parks we will visit each day and where we will stay adds to the excitement of our theme park visits.

Beneath my fingers, I could feel the female lion’s tracks imprinted in the soil of the South African bush. Louis, our tracker, led my hand to the dirt, carefully tracing my fingers over the paw pads that would eventually guide us towards the Sabie River at the southern boundary of the Sabi Sabi game reserve. My long white cane made tracks alongside the predator’s in the dry October earth. It hadn't rained for days.

Dec 16, 2024 • 11 min read

Dec 14, 2024 • 6 min read

Dec 11, 2024 • 5 min read

I arrived at the airport in Houston, boarded my flight to Munich, whisked across the Atlantic, hopped into my cab bound for Austria, and just like that – though after twelve hours of travel – I was at the gates of Der Stanglwirt. A 400-year-old “biohotel” in the heart of the Austrian Alps – only closing once, for the COVID-19 pandemic, in all its years of operation – Stanglwirt comes with many surprises, not least of which is how easy it is to reach despite existing a continent away. Nearly every major American city has direct routes to Munich courtesy of United Airlines, and after landing, the resort is only an hour-long shuttle ride away, with the ride arranged by the property.

Onboard Obsession is a new series that explores the can't-miss highlights of the best-loved cruises—from the shore excursions to book to the spa treatments too relaxing to pass up.

Nude beaches, or “clothing-optional beaches” as they are fondly called, are shores where the choice to bare it all lies entirely with you—nudity is welcome but never a requirement. Naturist beaches aren’t just about getting rid of tan lines, they are about liberation. Not every sandy shore that invites naturists is “officially” designated as such. In most cases, an official nude beach is one where local governments have legalized public nudity within a specific zone such as in Spain with nudist friendly beaches on the island of Formentera, and in Germany with naturist spots like the English Garden in Munich. Unofficial nude beaches, on the other hand, are typically known through word of mouth or naturist forums. The stories of these beaches trace back to the naturist movements in the early 20th-century. A movement about health, physical fitness, and social equality. The first nudist club in the United States was established in New York City in 1929, and the American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) was established in 1931. The naturist movement quickly spread to other parts of Europe, with the establishment of nudist clubs and resorts throughout the continent. Campsite Koversada, Europe’s first naturist campsite, opened in 1961. Nearly four decades earlier, Britain’s first nudist colony, Sunbeam—fondly called “The Camp”—was established in 1924 by the Moonella Group. In France, the Fédération Française de Naturisme (FFN) was established in 1950, which promoted naturism as a legitimate lifestyle choice. Today, these sand stretches tell tales as diverse as the landscapes they occupy

Once you become a parent, family vacations look a lot different from the years B.K. — before kids.

I start out by washing my face with my line’s cleansers, the clearing oil and cleansing water. Then I use my plumping lotion; it has these gold specks in it and it really does something nice to your skin. I use Clearstem’s Hydraglow stem cell moisturizer before I put on my foundation, and then at night I’ll put on their Clearity serum with vitamin C and mandelic acid as well as their CellRenew serum. The beauty product most nostalgic to me is red lipstick. It’s something I started to wear once I moved to New York, because my mom didn’t let me wear lipstick as a teenager. I’ve been using Anna Sui Cosmetics the longest; we’re going on 25 years of that. We always do a red lipstick, number 400, that I wear. I also like the Nars lip pencil in Dragon Girl that I put underneath my lipstick. And I always wear my Perfect eyeliner. I use this eyeliner brush that’s Thierry Mugler, and it’s thick — it gives me that wide eyeliner look that I like. I wear my signature winged eyeliner everywhere, even when I go to the gym, even when I go to the drugstore. I love going to Bigelow [in the West Village] because they have a bubble bath that I like, Mistral in Lychee Rose Floral. I realize that bubble baths must not be popular now, because it’s really hard to find. But I like those bubbles. I guess from old movies, you always see the glamour pusses in the bathtub with all the bubbles. Garren New York, he’s cut my hair forever and nobody cuts hair like Garren. I get so many comments like, “You have such a great haircut.” I get my hair cut maybe three times a year, but I trim my own bangs in between with whatever scissors I have on hand. I wash my hair with R+C Television shampoo and conditioner or the Primary shampoo and conditioner and masque from their Bleu collection. I always use a Denman brush. Every time I go to London, I buy some from Boots. I also just bought a Dyson flat iron. I guess I copy my mom because she always wore fragrance, Chanel No. 5, and lipstick. I wear fragrance every day. I’ve been wearing our new Electric Whisper. I love the black currant and lychee, which give a slight fruitiness, but then the pink pepper patchouli and vetiver add a spiciness. And of course the hint of rose. Again to the gym, to the drugstore … it’s just natural for me to wear it all the time like my mom. The other thing I always wear is nail polish. My favorite color is Seafoam Green. I hate chipped nails, so I usually do my own, twice a week.

Dec 4, 2024 • 6 min read

Dec 2, 2024 • 7 min read

Dec 1, 2024 • 15 min read

Nov 28, 2024 • 6 min read

Dec 2, 2024 • 8 min read

Nov 30, 2024 • 7 min read

There's no denying how extreme weather affects travel. Travelers see delayed and canceled flights due to winter storms, hurricanes, wildfires and even turbulence.

Sponsored by