Travel

Editor’s Note — Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening and closing, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay, and other travel developments. (CNN) — Perhaps surprisingly, fewer than 10% of the 6,852 islands making up the Japanese archipelago

(CNN) — It has been a tough few days for some air travelers here at the Christmas rush. As of 5:15 p.m. ET Monday, more than 2,800 flights were canceled as Covid cases surge around the world. Of those, roughly 1,000 were within, into or out of the United States, according to FlightAware. And that’s

The restrictions will lift on December 31 at 12:01 a.m. ET, the officials said. News of the lifted restrictions was first reported by Reuters. President Joe Biden ordered the restrictions in late November on the advice of his public health officials, cutting off most travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and

Editor’s Note — Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening and closing, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay and other travel developments. (CNN) — As Omicron grips the world, the only person enjoying frictionless global travel this Christmas

(CNN) — Ever since the movie “Moana” first hit theaters, 8-year-old Mathias Pascal from Cuxac-d’Aude, France, has dreamed of visiting the land of “Vaiana” — the name for the ebony-haired heroine of the 2016 Disney blockbuster in its French release. “He watched the film ever since he was little, and I’d tell him, sure, one

(CNN) — At least four ocean cruise ships were turned away from ports of call or were prohibited from letting passengers disembark in the Americas this week because of Covid-19 cases aboard. Though other cruises have had cases since US-based ships resumed service this summer with vaccine requirements and other measures meant to minimize outbreaks,

(CNN) — Nothing much lies on Qatar’s border with Saudi Arabia. A few sunbaked outposts and miles and miles of vast, empty desert in all directions. Then, earlier this year, something very different appeared in the middle of this nowhere: A huge, gleaming luxury hotel complex, complete with its own theme park. The Hilton Salwa

(CNN) — On Christmas morning 2011, Linda Wenger boarded a Metro-North train from New York’s Grand Central Station to head upstate to Katonah. She was in her mid-50s and had been divorced for 10 years. Her daughters always spent the holidays with her ex-husband — Wenger is Jewish, so she didn’t have much affiliation with

(CNN) — A Royal Caribbean cruise ship was denied entry into two island nations after 55 fully vaccinated crew members and passengers contracted Covid-19 only days after the ship had set sail from Fort Lauderdale, the Miami Herald reported Wednesday. Odyssey of the Seas was barred from entering Curacao and Aruba, effectively remaining at sea

Editor’s Note — Sign up for Unlocking the World, CNN Travel’s weekly newsletter. Get news about destinations opening and closing, inspiration for future adventures, plus the latest in aviation, food and drink, where to stay, and other travel developments. (CNN) — The notion of what the world would look like if humans were to vanish

Carol Yepes via Getty Images Fun fact: Snow globes count as a liquid. Although the omicron variant of the coronavirus has forced many people to alter their Christmas plans, holiday travel still appears to be in full swing. In the past four days alone, the Transportation Security Administration has screened more than 2 million passengers

(CNN) — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have joined forces in the fight against unruly airplane passengers. The two organizations released a statement declaring that travelers who cause difficulties can lose their TSA PreCheck credentials. “Our partnership aims to promote safe and responsible passenger behavior,” FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said

Editor’s Note — CNN has launched Unlocking the World, a weekly newsletter to guide you through the latest travel developments and more. Sign up here. (CNN) — If you want to enjoy an indoor meal, drinks or entertainment in some of the most popular urban escapes in the United States, you better have proof of

(CNN) — For awhile there, it appeared we might be able to ring in New Year’s Eve in major cities across the world with something resembling the big celebrations of yore. Another Covid surge and the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus has dashed those hopes — at least in some

(CNN) — Amid the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Thailand has announced some changes to its inbound quarantine-free travel status for some visitors. As of midnight on December 22, no new applications for quarantine exemptions under the Thailand Pass scheme will be considered. The government says this is a temporary suspension rather than a

(CNN) — What’s more Christmassy than Christmas? How about spending the festive season in a snowy ski resort decked with holly, festooned with sparkling lights and abuzz with cheer. Most mountain resorts already score highly in the winter wonderland stakes, but some have that extra magic to jingle your yuletide bells. CNN offers 11 of

(CNN) — While many of the world’s most popular tourist destinations are expected to reopen to travelers in 2022, there are still some places that will be off-limits. Some of these iconic spots are undergoing construction or upgrades that will make them even better when they do reopen, while others are doing the tourism equivalent

A giant straw Yule goat in the Swedish town of Gavle, 200 miles northwest of Stockholm, was set ablaze on December 17 for the first time in five years, reviving a long-running tradition of locals illegally attempting to torch it and authorities scrambling to stop them. Police said they had arrested a man in his

(CNN) — Despite stringent measures supposed to keep ocean cruises Covid-free, operator Royal Caribbean says at least 48 people on board one of its ships that docked in Miami at the weekend have tested positive for the virus. The Symphony of the Seas, the world’s biggest cruise ship, was carrying more than 6,000 passengers and

Svaneti, Georgia (CNN) — It’s a dark and eerily quiet dusk in February, precisely 10 weeks before Easter, when clusters of men carrying torches make their way toward a nearby cemetery. They’ll partake in an evening of feasting, teary-eyed toasts to the dead, chorusing sacred chants and circle dancing around a bonfire. One by one,