More than 25 million Americans have a severe fear of flying, or aerophobia, the Cleveland Clinic estimates. Aerophobia can cause extreme anxiety before and during a flight as the amygdala, the brain’s emotional center, goes into overdrive over perceived dangers. Yet flying is one of the safest forms of transportation. …
Read More »Caves, Waterfalls and Loretta Lynn’s Ranch: Three Day Trips From Nashville
Little more than a decade ago, Nashville, a.k.a. Music City, wasn’t so much a tourist town as it was a destination for musicians — a place where performers like Taylor Swift could still play the Bluebird Cafe without creating a scene. These days, visitors come in droves. And with more …
Read More »Learning a Language, and a Few Life Lessons, in France
When I booked a one-on-one intensive language program in France, I envisioned a dreamy getaway, where I could practice French while getting to know Provence through the eyes of a local. But as soon as I arrived, I had immediate doubts. Days earlier, my long-term relationship had collapsed. As my …
Read More »Aubrey Plaza’s Wilmington
Wilmington, Del., is often in the news as the hometown of President Biden and as a hub for corporate litigation, but it’s hardly on tourists’ radar. It has no theme park, no professional sports teams, no famous regional cuisine that demands a pilgrimage. But if Wilmington occupies a kind of …
Read More »Tourism Has Rebounded Worldwide. But Not in Hong Kong.
Airline ticket giveaways, elaborate drone and pyrotechnic shows, and invitations to thousands of influencers to visit and “tell a good story.” These are among the wide-ranging ways Hong Kong has tried to revive its international tourism industry, a crucial economic driver battered by years of pandemic restrictions and political upheaval. …
Read More »Help! My Flight to Tokyo Was Canceled, and All I Got Was a Lousy Mileage Refund
Dear Tripped Up, For a trip in June 2023, I booked a first-class ticket on Japan Airlines from New York to Tokyo (and continuing on to Osaka) using 100,000 miles I had accumulated on Alaska Airlines, one of JAL’s partners. The flight from New York to Tokyo was canceled a …
Read More »The Wilderness Hidden in the Heart of Toronto
Dangling my feet over the bank of a fast-running creek, I watched the sunlight filter through a leafy canopy above me. Here, in the middle of a city of three million people, I felt utterly alone, and though I was loath to admit it, a little disoriented. But that was …
Read More »5 Irresistible Fall Train Trips
The air is crisp, and the leaves are bursting into vivid hues. Maybe you’re planning a road trip to admire the beauty. But getting your fill of fall foliage from behind the wheel can turn into an awkward juggle between admiring the vistas and navigating traffic. If you hop on …
Read More »To Really See Peru, Hop on (and Off) the Bus
I was in a dune buggy perched atop a sandy ridge near the small oasis town of Huacachina, Peru, looking down a nearly 60-foot drop. As the driver gunned the engine, I began to question my decision to sign up for this tour. Down we went. I closed my eyes …
Read More »What Travelers Need to Know About Hard-Hit North Carolina
Over the past decade, tourism has boomed in and around Asheville, N.C., with visitors drawn to the temperate climate, green mountains and beautiful waterfalls of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The number of second homes in the area has multiplied, as have the number of short-term home rentals. The region was …
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