MORE STORIES

• 

  Hiking the Amalfi Coast

  A journey by foot high above Italy’s fabled coast

• Travelwise

  New sites help reduce trip planning to surf and click

  When it comes to happiness, social scientists say it’s not glossy, tangible objects that give us lasting joy — it’s experiences, be it wine tasting in Tuscany or snowshoeing in Vermont. A new crop of travel websites is making it easier to book those kinds of experiences — and even give them to someone else. After all, nothing says “I love you” like a gift certificate to swim with sharks.
• 

  5 free things: Salt Lake City

  Save money when you’re off the slopes

  Utah’s internationally-acclaimed ski resorts are the main reason people visit Salt Lake City in the winter, but there are plenty of fun, free and interesting things to do in Salt Lake City while in the area and other times of year. Here’s a sampling:
• 

  India

  Powder, AK-47s and hashish: Skiing in Kashmir

  There are very few ski resorts in the world where you see a soldier in uniform waiting for the gondola with a snowboard in one hand and an AK-47 in the other.

• How to relax

  Get the most out of your time off

  I’m heading into another vacation, and I’m nervous. I don’t want to kill again.

• Gathering 2013

  A celebration with a kiss of the Irish

  Over the centuries, the Irish have dispersed like clovers in the wind, alighting in lands far from their native soil. This year, the Emerald Isle is calling them back to their roots.
• 

  New York

  Coney Island hopes for rebound after Sandy

  Officially, the boardwalk and amusement park have opened, but many businesses remain closed due to damage Superstorm Sandy did last fall.
• 

  Bar scene: Bangkok

  This lively metropolis is a drinker’s oasis

  You could fill weeks traveling in Bangkok, Thailand. Stroll through the flower vendors at Pak Khlong Talat, ogle the golden Buddha at Wat Pho, cruise the Chao Phraya River or go shopping at the infamous Chatuchak weekend market. With all the activities to cram into a few days (because, let’s face it, who has weeks to devote to one city?), you are going to need a drink at day’s end. Sit for sunset along the river and then head into to the belly of the city for cocktails and dinner.
• 

  New Zealand

  The thrilling art of Queenstown

  The jetboat shot through Lake Wakatipu at 55 miles an hour, the pilot stoically hot-dogging around trees and rocks. Every few minutes, he’d rotate an index finger — a signal that we were about to whirl around at whiplash speed. My stomach lurched with every spin as I clutched the safety bar and clenched my teeth.
• 

  Travelwise

  The bright side for Greece: lower prices, fewer tourists

  I keep getting asked if Greece is “safe” for travelers — a question that feels absurd the instant you arrive there. Ask anyone who’s been to Greece recently and you’ll learn that safety concerns have been played up by both Greek and international media outlets.
• 

  Berlin

  Museum exhibit of Jews in Germany raises interest, ire

  “Are there still Jews in Germany?” “Are the Jews a chosen people?”
• 

  New York

  Designer sample sales: the thrill of the hunt

  Ordinarily I’m a cheapskate shopper who frequents Kmart and Old Navy and thinks of Macy’s as a splurge. But recently I decided to explore the secret world of New York sample sales, where leftover designer merchandise is sold at deep discounts.
• 

  Baseball pilgrimages

  Take me out to the ballgame at 30 big-league parks

  If you’re a baseball fan looking to add a new pastime to your vacation itinerary, consider setting a goal to visit all 30 of the sport’s major league stadiums.
• 

  Showtime: Atlanta

  Civil rights exhibit at Emory

  Amid the scores of photographs in an exhibit chronicling the history of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference are two that — at first glance — don’t seem to fit.
• 

  Polar exploration

  Antarctica concerns grow as tourism numbers rise

  Across most of Earth, a tourist attraction that sees 35,000 visitors a year can safely be labeled sleepy. But when it’s Antarctica, every footstep matters.
• 

  Plan in works to fix ‘Electric Kool-Aid Acid’ bus

  The family of writer Ken Kesey is reviving plans to restore his original psychedelic bus in time for the 50th anniversary of its passengers’ LSD-laced trip across America.
• 

  New Orleans

  Congo Square rhythms fest kicks off Saturday

  By New Orleans standards, the Congo Square New World Rhythms Festival is relatively young, reaching its sixth year this month. But the music and culture that the two-day event celebrates made their way to the Gulf South region centuries ago.
• 

  Bed check: Virginia

  An inn to enjoy like the Dickens

  We didn’t intend to drive 60 miles for gruel, but boy, are we glad we did. Our pursuit: destination dining in Paris, Va., pop. 71.

• Travelwise

  Rooming with strangers — a game of trust

  “Do we still have a TV?”
• 

  Luxury travel

  Six gorgeous private island retreats

  Owning a private island is overrated and it’s actually a lot of work — or so we’ve heard from our many island-owning friends. You have to deal with the astronomical taxes, the development, the upkeep — it’s a full-time job (that island owners simply pay other people to do, of course). But visiting a private island? It’s as great as everyone says — and we know from experience. We’ve stayed on some gorgeous private islands in our travels, in equally gorgeous hotels and resorts. Here are six of our favorites:

Previous

Next