Whether you’re traveling around Nepal by air, public bus or private car, you can be sure of a ride that’s incredibly scenic.
09.05.2024 - 23:05 / lonelyplanet.com
On 6 February 2023, Türkiye suffered one of the most devastating events in its post-war history: a pair of 7.8- and 7.5-magnitude earthquakes that ravaged the country’s southeastern region, killing more than 50,000 people in 11 provinces. With over 160,000 buildings severely damaged or destroyed, 100,000 people injured and 3 million displaced, the disaster’s effects were felt across the nation and reverberate to this day.
More than a year later, some affected cities, most notably the historic center of Antakya in Hatay province, remain too badly damaged to host travelers. But other parts of this ancient and enthralling region are as rewarding to visit as they always were – and need the economic boost of tourism more than ever.
“It’s always difficult for all the people who rely on tourism, from drivers to hotel owners to guides, when something like this happens, because it can take years before travelers go back,” says Berry Vos from Mithra Travel, an Antalya-based tour agency that operates trips all around Türkiye.
“But the eastern part of Türkiye is very big, it’s not just Hatay and Kahramanmaraş,” Vos adds, referring to two of the provinces most severely affected by the earthquake. “Most of these beautiful places are open and ready for visitors.”
Some of the region’s highest-profile attractions escaped unscathed from the earthquake, including Göbeklitepe, the Neolithic worship site that has upended the world’s understanding of how human culture developed since its rediscovery in 1994. In nearby Şanlıurfa, the top-notch Archaeological Museum, the Haleplibahçe Mosaic Museum and the colorful bazaar are all back in business.
Though earthquakes centuries ago partially toppled the giant statues atop Nemrut Dağı, the remote monuments sustained no further damage in 2023 and are open to visit.
Home to some of the finest Roman-era mosaics in Türkiye, the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep reopened soon after the earthquake when it was assessed to be undamaged. The city’s rich culinary culture offers another good reason to visit – and to support the many local restaurants that stepped up after the disaster to offer free food to neighbors in need, despite the hit to their own bottom line.
In Diyarbakır, the impressive Seljuk-era Ulu Cami (Great Mosque) which sheltered displaced people after the earthquake is now welcoming worshippers and visitors as usual. Museums, mosques and historic sites in the city of Adana are open as well.
The picturesque, labyrinthine old town of Mardin and the monasteries and Roman ruins in its surrounding area were outside the main zone damaged by the quake.
The city of Antakya and the rest of Hatay province, along with Kahramanmaraş and Adıyaman provinces, suffered some of the worst damage in
Whether you’re traveling around Nepal by air, public bus or private car, you can be sure of a ride that’s incredibly scenic.
As I boarded the Caledonian Sleeper with my family at Edinburgh Waverly on a cool Scottish summer night, it was difficult not to get caught up in the romantic quality of this eight-hour journey to London. The train's midnight teal exterior reflected the hue of the sky, and coupled with the vintage-y copperplate gothic font emblazoned on it, the scene felt spliced from the celluloid of a Wes Anderson film. That a kindly bellhop from The Balmoral, our hotel adjacent to the station, loaded our valises off a trolley cart did little to rein in these trappings.
Where can you fly in the U.S. with a mobile ID stored on your phone? For tens of millions of eligible Americans, the answer is: Dozens of destinations, and the list is growing. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is currently accepting digital driver’s licenses at 27 airports across the country (including one in Puerto Rico).
The magic of Italy is in the almost accidental way that experiences find you, especially if you pay a little bit of attention and are willing to draw outside of the lines. You might wander down an alley on a whim, order a dish you’ve never heard of based on a knowing wink from a waiter, or witness a slice of daily life that seems like a perfectly choreographed scene from a film.
Exodus Adventure Travels reports double digit growth in North America.
When the subject of Türkiye's culinary richness comes to the fore, the variety of cheese (peynir) in the country is surprisingly not mentioned much. However, as an indispensable part of breakfast tables, a key ingredient of pastries such as börek and pide, and the surprise ingredient of some desserts, cheese is a prominent feature of the country's deep-rooted culinary wealth. In this article, you will learn about – and crave – some of the nearly 200 types of Turkish cheeses, region by region.
A transatlantic United Airlines plane headed to the United States was diverted over the weekend after a laptop got stuck on board.
The first time Johnny Ward went to Chiang Mai, Thailand, he was 22.
Qatar Airways has a membership program exclusively for students. Dubbed Student Club, the program offers students many benefits, ranging from special fares to excess baggage allowance, greater ticket flexibility, complimentary high-speed inflight Wi-Fi, free elite status as a graduation gift and more.
Richard Branson has added a new safari experience to his Virgin Limited Edition portfolio—the award-winning Finch Hattons Luxury Safari Camp in Kenya. Located in Africa's only Shetani lava flow, Finch Hattons features 17 tented suites and offers stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro. The camp joins other African destinations in Virgin Limited Edition's collection, including Mahali Mzuri (also in Kenya), South Africa’s Ulusaba Private Game Reserve and Mont Rochelle hotel and vineyard, and Kasbah Tamadot in Morocco.
Memorial Day is a chance to honor U.S. military personnel and to celebrate the distinct history and landscapes that make this country so unique. The three-day weekend has become the unofficial kick-off to summer and one of the year's busiest travel weekends. More than 42 million Americans traveled over the weekend last year, and airlines and experts expect a similar number this year.
Chase cardholders can book Southwest Airlines flights through the Chase Travel portal, and that’s a rarity for leisure travelers.