Where to eat in Belem, Brazil's gateway to the Amazon

Carefree days lounging on the sand are a hallmark of an idyllic vacation for many travelers. But beaches themselves are a commodity, vulnerable to retreat that’s exacerbated by climate change. In fact, nearly half of the Earth’s sandy beaches could be extinct by 2100, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change.

This coming August, all eyes will turn to the beaches and stadiums of Rio de Janeiro, where the 2016 Summer Olympics will be in full swing. The Games are expected to bring athletes and tourists from across the globe to Brazil, and now for Americans, a huge hurdle has been removed. In a move to stimulate the Brazilian economy, the Brazilian government announced that it will waive visa requirements for citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan.

If you’re reading this post while waiting for your departure from Seattle, chances are it loaded quickly. That’s because Seattle-Tacoma International has the fastest airport Wi-Fi in the country, according to a new study by Speedtest.

The folks at Travelex, the foreign-exchange giant, recently published a list of the destinations where £500 (currently, $674 USD) would last the longest. Although the list targeted British travelers, the figures should work out about the same for travelers from North America, with roughly $700 in mind.

Comfortable and trendy shoes are a must-have in today’s footwear industry, but what if you could wear a shoe that was as stylish as it was revolutionary?

Wondering what the best airlines are according to the average flyer? TripAdvisor (SmarterTravel’s parent company) gives a good idea in its Travelers’ Choice best airline rankings each year based on real travelers’ reviews. And the results are different than most trade studies that list the “best airlines.”

If you want to stay at the best hotel in the United States, head to the French Quarter Inn in Charleston, South Carolina. And if you’re looking for the best bargain hotel stay in the world, it’s in a small town in northern Spain. That’s according to TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards, which just shared the best hotel ratings for multiple categories heading into 2019.

Amazon is helping us celebrate World Book Day (Thursday, April 23) in quarantine with nine free Kindle downloads. Take a look at the free books you can download … we’re especially excited because many of the downloads are travel related.

Ah, college spring break. The noblest rite of passage for our nation’s future leaders. With March around the corner, college students across the country are preparing for a week of fun and relaxation (much of which their parents will hopefully never hear about). From traditional party destinations to destinations you may not think of as typical spring break locals, here are the best spring break destinations.

Like a sprawling carpet of moss, the Amazon Rainforest stretches from the Atlantic Ocean to the foothills of the Andes, creating a lush basin that still remains partially unexplored to this day. Cut by thin ropes of water flowing from the Amazon River, the forest stretches over land in Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana.

The turquoise waters and paradise beaches of Brazil’s Região dos Lagos have earned this watery region the nickname Caribe Brasileiro, the Caribbean of Brazil. The area lies on a lake- and lagoon-filled coastal outcropping in Rio de Janeiro state, just a couple hours’ drive north of the city of Rio. While it’s best known for the glitzy beach resort of Búzios, the less-traveled town of Cabo Frio is less than an hour south of Búzios and offers a lot to those fortunate enough to visit. Locals cherish Cabo Frio for the high quality of life, the ease of getting into nature, and the fact that you can have gorgeous places to yourself.

Exploring the Amazon, the planet’s largest tropical rainforest and freshwater system, is a dream for many, but the costs of joining an organized tour expedition can be prohibitively expensive. Luckily, shelling out thousands of dollars for a spoon-fed expedition is not the only option. In fact, a week of the most thrilling and authentic mode of Amazonian travel — cargo-passenger boats — will probably cost you less than a fancy weekend in Rio de Janeiro.