Travel

Taking a trip through the American South can be an education both in history and great literature.

If we didn’t know better, we would have sworn we were basking in the sun on the coast of California.

The party started an hour before the M/S Gabriella ferry slipped out of Stockholm harbor for its overnight voyage to Helsinki. At the outdoor bar on Deck 9, passengers had gathered for the 4 p.m. sailing. Talking excitedly over drinks, they reveled in the Nordic summer weather – bright sun, cool breeze, electric blue sky with cotton-ball clouds – while a DJ mixed bass-heavy Eurodance and vintage disco. Kids on holiday with their families dashed about.

As the world's great cities and sights grow ever more popular, it's important to bear in mind: You're not touring a theme park but visiting someone's home.

The day I packed my entire life into my car and drove from Boise to Spokane, I spent the seven-hour drive wiping so many tears from my eyes I could barely see the road.

When Lucas McIntyre moved to Spokane from Memphis, Tennessee, in 1998, he had never seen a mountain. At least, not one bigger than his apartment building.

With its historic church steeples and the arched Blue Bridge stretching across the north branch of the Potomac River, the city of Cumberland in western Maryland offers a picturesque view of small-town Appalachia to anyone passing by along Interstate 68.

Dan and Carol Taylor parked their camper van in a Green Bluff empty parking area, after visiting the store at Walters' Fruit Ranch to buy treats ahead of a one-night stay. The orchard is among more than 5,500 sites for Harvest Host, a RV membership company that coordinates brief stops at a network of farms, wineries, breweries or small businesses. Electric, water, and sewer hookups typically aren't available, but the benefit is a free night's stay. Most RVers buy products or donate at sites.

Every July, tens of thousands of visitors descend on Colombia’s Pacific Coast, crowding the frenzied passenger docks in the seaport of Buenaventura as they wait for speedboats that will whisk them to the small communities lining remote Málaga Bay. They’ve come to see the humpback whales.

For some travelers, returning home is a relief. For others, it's just an opportunity to begin preparing for the next trek abroad.

“Hey mate!” a cyclist called to us in an Australian accent as he pedaled by on the rocky dirt road that serves as the main street of the village of Theth deep in Albania’s Dinaric Alps. Along with my friend and travel companion, Dave, I had not seen another bikepacker in four days.

We’ve spent this summer settling into our new routine in our cool new digs in an old building in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood.

From Victoria to Nanaimo to Tofino, with a stop at Butchart Gardens, Canada's Vancouver Island makes for the perfect British Columbia holiday.

At 6 million acres, New York’s Adirondack Park is the size of Vermont, and larger than all of New Jersey. A unique mix of state and private property that encompasses mountains, wilderness areas and lakes, the park draws more than 12 million visitors annually who want to hike, paddle, explore and more.

In an era when tourism seems to be spoiling so many overdeveloped places, the Oregon Coast still boasts a few spots worth visiting.

Hiking and kayaking in the daytime? Fun and invigorating. But under a full moon, those activities can be transcendent. Gazing at blue skies is pleasant – but rather ordinary. Looking up at the night sky, on the other hand, feels as though deep mysteries may be revealed.

We were camping with family on the shoulder of Mount Rainier National Park recently when the meandering conversation turned to national parks.

Travel+Leisure magazine’s 50 Best Places to Travel is always a fun read, but this year’s category breakdown makes it even more wanderlust inducing. There’s a section of “Where to Go 2024” rankings for travelers looking for cultural immersion, food and drink (Sonoma County gets a shout-out), big city thrills and more.

Yeah, GPS can be helpful, even in international settings. But maybe it's a good idea to have a Plan B in mind ... maybe a paper map?