Stay off the beaten path for summer deals
Many Americans are looking to travel this summer. Most hope to find a good deal. Unfortunately, that’s not how the law of supply and demand usually works. Air travel has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels. Hotels are filling up, and vacation rentals are booming. “Demand across the board for summer 2022 travel is up 20% to 25% relative to 2019,” said Jamie Lane, vice... READ MORE
Volcanic park shows off nature’s power
In the northeast corner of California, the Earth’s innards spurt, spit, squirt, gurgle and boil from seen and unseen orifices. Sulphur Works belches. Steam whirls out of Devil’s Kitchen. And occasionally a volcano erupts (most recently in 1915). This is Lassen Volcanic National Park, where Earth’s ever-changing nature has been on display in this volcanically active region for three ... READ MORE
Don’t get taken doing foreign exchange
With COVID-19 restrictions falling, chances are that many of you are considering a trip to Europe or Asia this summer. That means paying in euros, francs, yen or whatever when you’re at your destination. Unless you’re a currency speculator, you’ll almost always lose something in exchanging your dollars for another currency, but there are ways to keep those losses to no more than... READ MORE
An intergenerational Southwest road trip
“It’s crazy,” my grand-nephew exclaimed as we approached the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I heard Aaron say that often over the next several days as the two of us explored the national parks and monuments of northern Arizona and southern Utah. Aaron, 23, has spent most of his life in Florida, so for him the canyons, cliffs and mountains of the American Southwest were like... READ MORE
How technology is changing travel in 2022
For the athletes at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, travel entailed robots. Everywhere. These machines prepared and served noodles, rice and burgers, and roamed hallways to take the temperatures of passersby. They even passed the Olympic flame underwater. Even if you’re not an Olympian, your travels these days are far more likely to involve technology that you’ve never used... READ MORE
Fun in the sun: South Padre Island, Texas
“Fish. Party. Repeat.” Those words, printed on a sign hanging on the wall of a restaurant in South Padre Island, Texas, refer to two of the most popular pastimes there. SPI, as the locals call it, and Port Isabel, perched at the other end of a causeway that connects the two, have outstanding beaches, a long list of both land and water activities, and intriguing historical tidbits... READ MORE
Philly may bring out your inner wanderer
I learned the art of urban wandering in Philadelphia, the city I grew up in. The French have a word for it: A flâneur is someone who strolls, rambles or saunters almost randomly through city streets, observing people and places, looking for the novel, the interesting and the unexpected. Flâneurs will peek down a street and change course, pulled in by the architecture, the look of... READ MORE
Plan your arrival at destination airports
An old-time major league pitcher once said he worried about only two types of batters — righthanders and lefthanders. Similarly, only two kinds of airports present hostile environments: origin and destination. Origin airports are often the worst, but destination airports present their challenges, as well. Here’s how to avoid some of the worst problems. 1. Schedule. Even before you ... READ MORE
Aruba surprises, far beyond its beaches
If you like to loll on magnificent white-sand beaches, visit the tiny Caribbean island of Aruba. When you’re seeking immersion in a fascinating multi-racial culture, think Aruba. Want to combine flashy casinos and a long-list of activities with an other-worldly moonscape setting? Yes, head to Aruba. With an area no larger than that of Washington, D.C., the island makes up in... READ MORE
Travel in 2022: My fearless forecast
When I look back on 2021 and consider the outlook for this year, my primary focus remains “caution.” You’d think that 2022 must almost certainly be an improvement over last year, but the old aphorism comes to mind — “’Cheer up,’ they said, ‘things could be worse.’ So I cheered up. And, sure enough, things did get worse.” I’m not that pessimistic about 2022 — at ... READ MORE
