For the past two months, many of the world’s most popular destinations have been shuttered to visitors, leaving monuments, museums, shops, restaurants, bars and streets almost empty. As the world reopens and residents step out, they are faced with the reality that life today is different than it was before Covid-19, and will likely remain…
When reservations for this year’s cruise with Garrison Keillor, the former public radio host, went on sale last May, Mr. Keillor’s loyal listeners rushed to claim passage. Cabins sold out in 23 hours. The Veendam, boarding 1,350 passengers, was scheduled to leave for the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on March 18. But a week…
For most of us, it’s natural to look at many pictures at the same time. We do it every day via internet searches and digital pinup boards — even refrigerator doors have become ad hoc photo albums. But viewing fine art pictures in this nonlinear way, with no accompanying text and outside of a museum,…
In summer resort towns across the United States, livelihoods for the year are built in the 15 weeks between Memorial Day and Labor Day. It is during those 15 weeks that tourists from around the country and the world arrive to bask on the beach and gather for festivals and weddings. And it is during…
Airbnb, born in 2008, famously disrupted the hotel industry. It stole market share, put pressure on hotel rates, inspired the creation of affordable brands and saw hotels across the spectrum create restaurants, bars and lobbies that channeled the local vibe. Airbnb’s recent layoff of a quarter of its work force indicates the financial strain the…
A Nine-Bedroom Estate Near the Nicaraguan Coast $650,000 This eco-friendly equestrian estate is set on about nine acres outside the popular coastal town of San Juan del Sur, in southwestern Nicaragua. Built in 2009 using salvaged roof tiles and doors, locally sourced wood and other antique or handcrafted materials, the colonial-style property includes nine total…
Travel and travel planning are being disrupted by the worldwide spread of the coronavirus. This column looks at the companies and organizations that have stood out during this time. Too often in the pandemic, travelers seeking refunds for vacations they’ve been forced to cancel are instead offered credit for a future trip, whether they want…
Travel screeched to a halt because of the coronavirus pandemic, and millions of would-be travelers are demanding refunds for canceled trips and now-unreachable destinations. But even while pressured by that sentiment, some independent businesses, from tour operators to hotel owners, are offering credits. Credits, they feel, are a fair way to roll forward trip prepayments…
The elephants are flying again. On Monday, one of the Walt Disney Company’s 14 closed theme parks, Shanghai Disneyland, reopened to visitors on a limited basis, offering a first peek into the kind of escape Mickey Mouse can offer in the age of face masks, social distancing and disinfectants. “It has been an emotional morning,”…
Beneath the waves, two smoldering coals for eyes watched me with an intense, unyielding stare. Pristine white bodies floated up elegantly from the depths, one after another, surrounding my kayak in the open water. Their ghostly pale faces with wide, Joker-esque smiles pushed closer. A long, powerful sound burst up through the air, like a…