Travel in 2023: 12 Months That ‘Took Chaos to a New Level’

Some airlines have begun issuing waivers in anticipation of what is expected to be a major snowstorm in the Northeast United States this weekend.

The new year brings travel predictions that cover everything from where we’ll be vacationing in 2024 to how we’ll be getting there, plus the new hotels that are worth getting excited about. But what about the travel trends that are falling out of fashion?

A new pre-security sensory room at a New Jersey airport is aiming to make it easier for neurodiverse travelers, providing them with a space to wait for their flight as well as an easier way to get through security screening.

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.”

The principals of the innovative London and New York-based travel company Black Tomato made their name by assembling detail-oriented and sometimes very out of the way travel plans for exceedingly curious, adventurous clients. Having surveyed the market to ascertain what their clients are interested in now and the changes they see in the travel landscape, they’ve come up with the ways they see that travel happening in the next year and in what parts of the world those ambitious travelers could be.

Junkanoo, a polychromatic burst of music, dance, storytelling, and parades practiced in the Bahamas, was recently inscribed on the 2023 UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It’s the first intangible—a practice, skill, tradition, or craft—in the island nation recognized by the international cultural organization.

New Year’s Eve can be an expensive affair if you plan on traveling—even, as it turns out, if you plan on doing a staycation stateside. In a recent study conducted by TravelMag.com, New Orleans was found to be the priciest city in the world to book a hotel room on New Year’s Eve.

New Orleans is the most expensive destination in the world for hotel stays over this year’s New Year’s Eve period, a new survey has revealed. he survey by TravelMag.com compared accommodation rates across 60 major global cities. For each destination, the price for the most affordable available double room for a 3-night stay from December 30 to January 2 was recorded. Only hotels with a central location and rated three stars or more were considered.

More than ever, I've been skipping the airport lounge and heading straight to the gate.

Another year has come and gone, and boy was this was a busy one for airline network planners across the country and around the world.

I used to really like air travel—largely because of a Disney movie from the late seventies called The Rescuers. The leads are mice: a chic one, voiced by Eva Gabor; and a frumpy one, voiced by Bob Newhart. They’re on assignment to save an orphan girl who was abducted for the purpose of retrieving a diamond from the Louisiana bayou—but first they have to get there from New York City, which involves riding in a sardine tin strapped to an albatross. When the bird wings off the roof of a skyscraper at sunset, poor Bob is practically peeing himself. But not Eva. “Oooo! I just luv takeoffs!” she says. “It’s just like being on a rollerscoater.”

Southeast Mexico is brimming with archeological sites, biodiversity, and Pueblos Mágicos known for their rich cultural heritage. Many visitors barely make a dent in the region’s offerings, though, by flying to Cancún and heading straight for the beach, perhaps booking an excursion or two to Chichen Itza or Tulum, but generally not venturing further.