The Ultimate Product Placement: Thailand on ‘The White Lotus’
“Unforgettable experiences are in the making,” teases an Instagram post from Feb. 13 liked by more than 80,000 people. The photo offers a glimpse of an empty white-sand beach, azure waters, and the barely visible roofs of buildings immersed in a lush landscape of trees. “We are eager to welcome new guests to our resort […]
Finding Great Coffee in Ho Chi Minh City
Other than Brazil, no nation produces more coffee than Vietnam. Introduced by French colonists in the 19th century, the country’s coffee crop is now a $3 billion business and accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global market, making Vietnam the java giant of Southeast Asia. Quality, however, has only recently begun to catch up […]
Scammed Out of $3,100 on a Booking.com Rental: Tripped Up
Once you wrote to the scammers, they had your email address and used it — sending you an email dressed up to look like an official Booking.com message and from an @confirmations-booking.com address, which might seem like a legitimate address, though the company says all its emails end in @booking.com. Reading copies of the emails […]
Tips for Renting a Car Abroad
“Throw the keys through the kiosk’s open window. We’ll get the car when we open later”: Those slightly unorthodox drop-off instructions I once received from a Hertz manager in Croatia illustrate some of the differences U.S. travelers might encounter when renting a car abroad. It pays to familiarize yourself with the local policies and protocols […]
How Flight Attendants Fought Back Against Sexism in the Airline Industry
In 1958, when Mary Pat Laffey Inman became a stewardess — as they were then called — for Northwest Airlines, she was 20 years old and the clock was already ticking. At 32, she would be forced to retire. That is, if she didn’t marry, get pregnant or even gain too much weight before that: […]
Facial Recognition in Airports: Biometrics Technology Is Expanding
On a recent Thursday morning in Queens, travelers streamed through the exterior doors of La Guardia Airport’s Terminal C. Some were bleary-eyed — most hefted briefcases — as they checked bags and made their way to the security screening lines. It was business as usual, until some approached a line that was almost empty. One […]
For Expert Skiers, a Snowy Paradise in Michigan
But what a day this cruelty brought. Feathery flakes had fallen the last 16 hours, luring every powderhound in a 100-mile radius. Given how remote this place is, that means maybe 300 skiers and snowboarders. The forest echoed with the hoots and hollers of my people as they bounced through some of the best snow […]
Officials Investigate How a Woman Flew to Los Angeles Without a Ticket
An investigation is underway into how a woman boarded an American Airlines flight at Nashville International Airport and flew to Los Angeles without showing a ticket last week, officials said on Friday. Law enforcement met Flight 1393 upon its arrival at Los Angeles International Airport on Feb. 7, American Airlines said in a statement. The […]
At New York’s Warren Street Hotel, Where Pattern Meets Pattern
Despite being one of the most coveted residential neighborhoods in Manhattan, TriBeCa has long had a dearth of beautiful places to stay. That changed this month when the London-based Firmdale Hotels opened its third New York property, the 57-room Warren Street Hotel. However, unlike the red brick structures that surround it, this building is painted […]
A New Baltimore Chocolate Shop With a Signature Drink
I shower and wash my face with La Roche-Posay Toleriane Dermo Milky Cleanser. I like to use body washes that I bring back from my travels to remind me of those trips: I have this Kokum Almond Cleansing Shower Oil that I got on a trip to India that smells so good. Because I dye […]