Fall is almost here for folks in the northern hemisphere, which means the summer crowds are pretty much gone from many of the world’s – and North America’s – top destinations. Shoulder season is an ideal time to visit Europe, with the usual hordes having departed cities like Rome and Barcelona but with warm weather still lingering. Not to mention warm Mediterranean water. It’s also a great time to visit Northern California, which often sees it warmest temperature of the year in September and (usually) very little fog. And a fabulous time to visit Hawaii for deals and for Australia Read more
Switzerland
As a travel writer lucky enough to roam around the world and lucky enough (and then some) to stay in some of the most amazing hotels, I can’t complain for a moment. But after visiting with the owner of The Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento, Italy, I have to say I’m a little wistful that I haven’t had a chance to try this sumptuous property. A new hotel with all the bells and whistles is great, but the places that speak to me most are the ones with great history, amazing settings, and a true sense of place. As Read more
There’s no denying it: this summer is absolutely sizzling. If the only things getting you through the season are chafe sticks and ice in every liquid (even soup), it might be time for a coolcation – or a trip to somewhere temperate. The folks at KAYAK have rounded up our cheapest flights to chiller-than-average cities. So you can dial the temperature down from a boil to a simmer. 1. San Francisco, California ($539) Highest average temperature: 18°C 2. Seattle, Washington ($539) Highest average temperature: 23°C 3. Reykjavík, Iceland ($860) Highest average temperature: 11°C 4. Lima, Peru ($925) Highest average temperature: 18°C 5. Dublin, Ireland ($965) Highest average temperature: 18°C 6. Edinburgh, Scotland ($1089) Read more
Thinking of a trip to Europe this fall? Try flying into Oslo, Edinburgh or maybe Madrid if you want to save money. With help from Expedia, Travel + Leisure magazine has issued a list of 11 European airports and computed the cost of an airline ticket today, compared with during the peak summer months. Here’s what they found, with the percentage decline in ticket prices from summer to today in parentheses. Oslo (-40%). Stockholm (-35%) Hamburg (-35%) Ibiza (-35%) Copenhagen (-30%) Madrid (-30%) Dublin (-25%) Brussels (-25%) Geneva (-25%) Edinburgh (-25%) Florence (-20%) That’s a fun list. Not to rain Read more
Canada isn’t the happiest place on earth, but it’s top of the heap in North America. A World Happiness Report rankings, based largely on life evaluations from the Gallup World Poll, finds that Canada is #15 in the world on the happiness scale. That’s one spot ahead of the United States, and two ahead of the United Kingdom. On the other hand, Canada was tenth in 2020 and ninth in the world in 2019, so perhaps we’re slipping. For the fifth year in a row, Finland came in as the world’s happiest country, based on such factors as healthy life Read more
