Production struggles at Boeing and Airbus have forced airlines around the world to cut routes and spend more to keep older planes flying, even as travel demand soars.
21.01.2025 - 10:57 / nytimes.com
On a recent trip to Tokyo, I stopped at a suburban McDonald’s and spoke with a few older patrons. I was interested in their memories of the brand’s Japanese debut in 1971. Between sips of coffee, a man in his 70s told us that he remembered it vividly: It was around the time that Yukio Mishima, then the nation’s most celebrated writer and a champion of Japanese imperialism, committed suicide after a failed coup. One era was ending, another was beginning, and the transition was marked by the arrival of an American restaurant radically different from anything they had ever seen.
Like so many of my fellow Westerners, I’ve felt the urge to eat the way locals do while traveling abroad. In a city like Tokyo, there’s an array of sushi bars and noodle shops to choose from, tucked away down the narrowest side streets and waiting for the adventurous traveler. They’re all the rage on Instagram, where those eager to prove they’ve indulged in an authentic eating experience post images of their latest “discoveries.” Yet as fond as I am of the hidden gem, I have another, less conventional way to gather insights into local life: I go to fast-food restaurants.
Sitting on the hard seat of a Burger King, chicken sandwich in hand, I feel welcome but not intrusive, surrounded by locals as they go about their lives no differently than they would have if I hadn’t shown up at all. If I’m feeling really ambitious, I might ask the group at a table next to mine what I should order here the next time and see where the conversation leads. I’m looking for a very specific encounter with normality. I want to see people living as I do, under global capitalism.
I tend to think the search for authenticity in a new country is rooted in a desire for something we find missing at home. To live almost anywhere in the United States is to be surrounded by brand names. The supposedly authentic foreign experience is perhaps a sense of life untainted by the influence of global brands. Traveling abroad, we may find it only natural to dismiss anything else as less than the “real” version of whichever country we’re visiting. Yet brands like KFC or McDonald’s are just as ingrained in the fabric of everyday life in Dublin, Paris or Tokyo as a given pub, bistro or noodle shop.
Tokyo eaters, for example, have been going to KFC and McDonald’s for about as long as Japanese-style sushi bars have existed in the United States. In the 1960s and 1970s, the same years that Thai, Indian and Japanese restaurants began taking off in America, the McDonald’s franchisee in Hong Kong offered an “all-American taste,” while another in Britain promised “the United Tastes of America.”
Since those early international forays, the major brands have largely dropped the
Production struggles at Boeing and Airbus have forced airlines around the world to cut routes and spend more to keep older planes flying, even as travel demand soars.
As a frequent traveler, I cherish my Global Entry status.
The US Travel Association warned that the Trump Administration’s tariffs on Canada could impact Canadian visitation to and spending within the United States, with even a 10 percent reduction in Canadian travel leading to a loss of 14,000 American jobs and $2.1 billion less in spending.
Warm weather destinations like the Caribbean are proving popular, in part because of the freezing winter temperature in parts of the US. (Source: Nicole Edenedo)
Feb 4, 2025 • 5 min read
Feeling overworked, undervalued, and generally a bit frazzled? Then, it's time to start planning a wellness-focused getaway that will totally re-align you. And Book Retreats has just got the place to go. In December, Book Retreats released its Holiday Relaxation Report, which ranked the best relaxation destinations around the world, including a special focus on the top spots for wellness. To determine its rankings, the team created a seed list of 76 places, which it selected based on their «safety, solitude, serenity, nature, and wellness.» The team at Book Retreats then ranked those selections using nine data points, including the percentage of protected area, forest coverage, crowd density, noise and light pollution, peacefulness, and total wellness experiences. Finally, it gave each destination a score of 1 to 100 to reveal the top spots.
One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to try new foods.
When in Morocco, one might visit the El Badi Palace, walk the grounds of the Koutoubia Mosque or enjoy a meal of dates and chebakia at … McDonald’s?
ChatGPT creator OpenAI has evidence that the Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) app DeepSeek used the US-based company’s technology to train its budget model, according to a report in the Financial Times.
Two years ago, I had an incredible time in KLM's business class and was eager to treat myself to another upgraded experience. However,flying business class can be pricey, so I always considered it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Jan 24, 2025 • 9 min read
Ryanair flight 7124 took off as planned from Dublin airport on April 9, 2024, heading to Lanzarote, Spain. But mid-flight, a drunk and unruly passenger disrupted operations, causing the plane to divert to Porto, Portugal instead. After landing, the crew reached their maximum work hours and weren’t allowed to fly again without resting. So the plane, crew, and passengers were forced to overnight in Portugal and depart for Lanzarote the next morning. Ryanair had to shell out more than 15,000 euros on food, accommodation, and other costs associated with crew and airport fees.