Smarter, cheaper, happier travel
This week on 'Try This,' host Cristina Quinn sits down with Washington Post travel reporter Natalie Compton, who shares her best tips for navigating it all without losing your patience (or your luggage).
Natalie breaks down exactly when and how to book flights for the best deals and why compression bags and eye masks might be your secret weapons.
Plus, smart advice about visas, passport renewals, travel safety and how to get through customs quickly — no Global Entry required.
Whether you're planning an international getaway or a local beach vacation, this episode will help you travel better, spend smarter and stay cool (literally and figuratively) this summer.
Subscribe to The Washington Post or connect your subscription in Apple Podcasts.
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Travel + Leisure
13 minutes ago
- Travel + Leisure
The Most Comfortable, Editor-approved Headphones for Travel
A comfortable pair of headphones can make any long-haul flight, gym workout, or train trip even better. The wrong pair? You're in for poor battery life, tinny sound, and maybe the worst part: ear aches and weird pressure points. To help avoid this, our team tested 55 pairs of headphones over the past six months to find the most comfortable pairs of over-ear headphones and earbuds, evaluating our picks based on ease of setup, ease of use, comfort, sound quality, performance, and value. We wore these during work commutes, in distracting office settings, on long walks, and during sweaty workouts. As someone who can't function in loud places without some sort of noise dampening, I've also tested a variety of headphones both on this list (like the Ozlo Sleepbuds, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones, and both Anker pairs) and some that didn't make the cut (my favorite bone-conducting pair is the Raycon's Open Earbuds). I have different headphones for the gym, my runs, bike rides, plane rides, and remote work calls, and all have a time and place in my gym bag or carry-on. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones took the top spot this year thanks to their cushioned ear pads, deceptively lightweight build, and world-class noise cancelling. Read on for the rest of our top picks. Credit: Amazon $449 at Amazon $450 at Target $449 at Walmart Landing in our top slot for the second year in a row are the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. They have an intuitive design, just enough features to be convenient without confusing, and up to 24 hours of battery life. Similar to the classic QuietComfort, the Ultras are lightweight for their size, and don't constrict our ears. We don't feel aches and pressure points after wearing them on long-haul flights, and the Bose app is fairly intuitive with plenty of customizable settings. The setup process is quick and painless, and the 'touch bar' is a unique feature that can either adjust the volume or be set for customized shortcuts via the app. The plush leather ear cups fit nicely around our ears, and the sound quality—from noise cancelling to voice calls—was clear and crisp. As expected, we did get a little hot wearing these during the muggy summer days, but that's to be expected for a large set like this. Yes, you'll pay more for the Ultras than the standard, but if you're looking for a pair of do-it-all headphones that combine excellent comfort, long battery life, and premium sound quality, they're worth it. The Details: 8.96 ounces | Up to 24 hours of battery | Up to 30 feet Bluetooth range | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Amazon $249 $230 at Amazon $250 at Target View on Walmart Apple's AirPods have come a long way since their initial release, and the Pro 2 model brings it up another notch with effective noise cancelling and better in-ear comfort. The hear-through mode acts similar to bone-conducting headphones in that it separates your music from the noises around you. The earbuds respond well when we turn our heads to hear from different directions. The buttons are simple and intuitive, with one discreet button on either bud. The right button turns on noise cancellation and the left is for hear-through. 'This is new to me from their previous models, and I love it.' says T+L editor Taylor Fox. We were able to take phone calls on busy commutes and on loud streets, and they stayed in place well during test workouts, bouncy runs, and jumping jacks. These are a top choice for Mac users, as they connect to the Apple ecosystem and pair easily with our iPhone, though getting them to connect to our laptops was a little trickier. Lastly, these are some of the most compact earbuds on our list, weighing less than a quarter-ounce and perfect for stashing in the pocket of a personal item. The Details: 0.19 ounces | Up to 6 hours of battery | Up to 30 feet Bluetooth range | Earbuds | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure These premium headphones have been on our heads daily since we got them, from taking calls while running errands to riding the train and after eight-hour workdays. They set up like magic (hold your phone near the headphones and the app automatically downloads) and after a quick features tutorial, we were all set. They have an automatic on-off feature which helps conserve battery life, and each sound feature was as impressive as the last. The glass ear cup base operates all of the commands with swiping (which works with either hand), and they have a unique dial on both ear cups that operates sound volume and the level of noise cancellation. 'These are some of the most intuitive headphones that I own,' says T+L editor Morgan Ashley Parker. 'Other pairs I feel like I'm tapping and toggling and swiping and simply hoping for the best (or accidentally doing the wrong thing) but that hasn't happened once with these.' Parker was also impressed with the comfort of these headphones, fitting well over her ears without pressing into her lobes or piercings. They stayed secure even when moving and bending over, and the actual music quality felt like 'being in a recording studio.' A splurge? Yes. But if you have the funds and want just one incredibly high quality, comfortable pair of headphones, we think these are worth it. The Details: 13.2 ounces | Up to 32 hours of battery | Up to 40 feet Bluetooth range | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Bowers & Wilkins $389 at Amazon View on Target View on Walmart It's easy to forget where you are while wearing this luxurious set from Bowers & Wilkins—the noise cancellation is just that good. Phone calls came in clear, the layers of music were clearly audible, and ambient noise from traffic and public transport disappeared. 'I kept cycling through the different noise-canceling modes while listening to music and the difference was astounding. It was like I was transporting between a quiet room and a crowded train with the press of a button,' says T+L's senior testing editor Jackie Cucco, who was shocked to hear how loud the people around her were after turning off the noise cancellation. The combination of comfort and security is also a dream, with a just-right fit that feels secure around the heads and ears without too much pressure. We watched movies, listened to podcasts, all types of music, and took calls in these headphones and never noticed staticky, distorted, or poorly mixed sounds. The battery life is also impressive, hitting the mark on the claimed 30 hours of listening time and saving the hassle of dead headphones during the noisiest part of our commute. The Details: 10.8 ounces | Up to 30 hours of battery | Up to 33 feet Bluetooth range | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Beats $249 at Amazon $200 $180 at Walmart View on Seamless to set up and packed with features, these workout-friendly headphones combine over-ear and earbud designs with a curved ear band that tucked behind our ears and secured the headphones in place. We loved the on-device controls that eliminated the need to keep taking our phone out, and we could play, pause, and adjust the volume right from the in-ear units. Like similarly high-end headphones, these have a power-charge setting where you can get up to 90 minutes of playback with just a few minutes in the charging case and up to 10 hours per charge, with 45 hours stored in the case. Aside from the sweat -and-water resistance, the biggest argument for tossing these headphones in your gym bag is their built-in heart rate monitoring. Just connect the headphones to your fitness app, and the internal tech uses LED optical sensors that pulse over 100 times per second to measure your blood flow. Finally, the sound quality was crisp and clear from the gym and back during noisy commutes. 'The quality is great, no matter the content I listen to,' said T+L writer Rosie Marder. 'It's clear and powerful with no distortions.' Our main issue was with the combination design: the wrap-around kept the headphones secure, but we did feel some discomfort during longer wears from the added pressure points. The Details: .28 ounces | Up to 45 hours of battery | Up to 33 feet Bluetooth range | Around-ear | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure The Bang & Olufsen Beoplay EX earbuds are both comfortable and portable, making them an easy choice for tucking into a jacket pocket or in the outside of our gym bags. The audio is also clear and immersive, whether watching movies or listening to multilayered songs in any genre. The podcast conversations were easy to hear, and we didn't have issues with having to turn the audio up or down depending on what was happening in the episode. 'These are great for listening to music or watching movies with intricate sound design,' noted T+L senior editor Lydia Price. The headphones come with four different silicone ear tips, which made it easy to get a secure fit for workouts. They're also waterproof, which eliminated the stress of avoiding a rainy run or damaging them during a sweaty workout. We had no sore spots or pressure points from the in-ear portions, and phone audio was very clear regardless of how the microphones were positioned. These don't have the best battery life out of the headphones we tested, so they're best for shorter wear and wouldn't be our first choice for a full workday or long-haul flight. The Details: 0.21 ounces | Up to 8 hours of battery | Up to 33 feet Bluetooth range | Earbuds | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Google $229 $193 at Amazon View on Walmart View on We've used both generations of the Pixel Buds Pro, and the 2 is a noticeable upgrade from the original model. The touch/gesture options to control the headphones mirror the controls for the Pixel Buds 1, but the new version responds faster and more reliably. We also love that the 2 allows auto-pause when one earbud is removed, which was technically a feature on the 1 but suffered delays and glitches. We appreciated the moderate amount of features and menus (via the unit and the app) that offered plenty of options without feeling overdone, and the noise cancellation was effective during everything from riding the train to staying distraction-free at work. Comfort is also a noticeable upgrade from the previous version. Our ears would start to get a little sore from the size and shape of the earbuds on the older model, but we were able to wear the PB2 for hours without feeling discomfort. These have a slimmer profile that reduces pressure without losing security, and we barely felt like we had anything in, which was especially nice in 'transparency' mode. Overall, the sound is balanced, the battery life is more than adequate, and these might have the best upgrade between versions of anything we've tested. The Details: 0.14 ounces | Up to 30 hours of battery | Up to 33 feet Bluetooth range | Earbuds | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Amazon $450 at Amazon View on Walmart View on These highly cushioned headphones paired easily and were customizable via the JBL app, though we loved how the app wasn't required for pairing. These also come with a nifty transmitter, which allows you to join two headphones for listening to the same source, or to connect to an output source without Bluetooth (think: game system or airplane TV). We didn't find this super intuitive, but 'once you get the hang of it, it's a nifty feature and all the cords that you need to use the transmitter are included,' reported T+L editor Jasmine Grant. Along with high sound quality, these were some of the most comfortable headphones we tested. The ear cups were plush and pillowy, but didn't feel bulky like other highly cushioned models. They slip on and off without pulling, and the headband is springy and generously sized so it didn't squeeze our heads and ears during all-day wear. The noise cancellation mode was more than sufficient for listening to audiobooks and podcasts, and the treble, bass, and even acoustic and lighter music felt full and rich. These give almost a 'surround sound' feel in noise cancellation mode, and we plan to take these on our upcoming flights this season. The Details: 9.8 ounces | Up to 70 hours of battery | Up to 33 feet Bluetooth range | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Amazon $349 at Amazon View on When it comes to noise cancellation, white noise, and comfort, the Ozlo Sleepbuds are my top choice for sleeping headphones. The T+L team tested them as well, and came away impressed with the comfort, sleek design, and fit options. I have smaller ears, and these feel stable when I sleep and are very effective at blocking out noise. The tips are soft and squishy, and I've experienced no discomfort even after wearing them all night. These are a must-have for red-eye flights and noisy campsites, and they blocked out the seven nights of fireworks over the Fourth of July week. The Ozlo app has a lot of white noise options, and unlike other sleep headphones, you can also play your own music through the connectivity to whatever music app you usually listen to. That said, these aren't perfect, and I've had some battery issues with both sets I've tested. My first set wouldn't hold a charge, and though the company replaced them, my second set is quite finicky and only charges with the branded USB-C cable. Additionally, unlike my other headphones, these die when I leave them stashed in a drawer. I've boarded more than one flight only to find them completely dead in the case, and while they charge quickly, it's a frustrating glitch. We also had some issues getting these to connect via the app, and they can take a few tries to register via Bluetooth. The fact that we still love these despite their tech glitches is a testament to how well they perform when they work. Once they're charged, they make a red-eye bearable. The Details: 0.12 ounces | Up to 12 hours of battery | Up to 33 feet Bluetooth range | Earbuds | Noise cancellation Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Amazon $100 $80 at Amazon View on View on Verizon These headphones were among the most comfortable T+L editor Amelia McBride has worn, and she also loved the combination of plush foam and faux leather that never felt compressive or heavy. McBride was especially hyped about where the headband expands, 'where the speakers connect to the headband, rather than at the middle.' This expansion includes a brushed metallic metal core that matches the color of the logo and details on each speaker, which makes them look sleek and stylish when fully expanded. The headphones did slip a little during weight-lifting sessions, but once they were tightened down, they stayed in place well. They felt quite light for the size, though the over-ear portion is a bit bulkier than others we've tested. The sound quality was also impressive, allowing clear layers of music while on busy streets, running errands, or even listening passively to podcasts. That said, we appreciate a good bass and reverb, and the resonance was somewhat lacking in that regard. We played around with the EQ presets for somewhat deeper sound, but overall our complaints are minor for the comfort and features of these relatively affordable headphones. The Details: 10.3 ounces | Up to 60 hours of battery | Up to 33 feet Bluetooth range | On-ear | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Amazon $49 at Amazon View on Walmart View on The Soundcore Space A40 were my only earbuds on a 500-mile Colorado Trail backpacking trip where weight, battery life, and weatherproofing were critical. These worked so well and were so convenient, I couldn't believe they didn't cost more. These buds were also a favorite among T+L editors thanks to their combination of value, extended battery life, and resonant sound quality that belied their small size and reasonable price. They were easy to wear for hours at a time, and didn't budge during sweaty hikes or inclement weather. I wore them in downpours on the Colorado Trail, and the T+L team even tested them in the shower with no adverse effects. I was able to wipe them off and tucked them back in the case to charge after wearing them in the rain. They provide up to 50 hours of listening on a fully charged case, and 10 hours at a time, which was more than enough for a day of hiking. The Details: 0.63 ounces | Up to 10 hours of battery | Up to 33 feet Bluetooth range | Earbuds | Noise cancellation | Built-in microphone Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Amazon $20 $16 at Amazon View on These bright, fun headphones have been perfect for road trips, audiobooks, and kid's music, with a simple AUX cord plug-in that works with any device with a headphone jack port. The cord comes with a safety-minded noise limiter, and we were able to toggle between 85 and 95 decibels for max volume. These were comfortable for our pint-size tester to wear for several hours at a time, with nicely cushioned ear cups and a simple design that didn't feel too high tech or intimidating. The materials are lightweight but still durable, and even though these took a few falls during the test period, they suffered no dings or damage. They also come in a variety of fun colors that even the adults were jealous of. Even though the price is quite reasonable, there were no wiring glitches and the sound was clear through both ears. The Details: 6.7 ounces | Wired connectivity | On-ear | Volume Limited Hearing Protection Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure Credit: Travel + Leisure
Yahoo
36 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Underrated vacation destination? This SWFL city gets the nod from Southern Living
Note to self: send thank you cards to the editors at Southern Living. Maybe include crate of mangos and a box of Norman Love chocolates. Why the generosity? Southern Living has picked Fort Myers and the surrounding area as one of its "underrated vacation destinations" for 2025. And even better, the article recognized the fact that after a tumultuous couple of years dealing with hurricanes, including historic Hurricane Ian in September 2022, Fort Myers has recaptured its appeal as a place to visit. "After sustaining heavy damage from Hurricane Ian in 2022, Fort Myers, and its surrounding communities, have recovered nicely and are more than ready to welcome visitors to experience the magic of the City of Palms," Southern Living said. Now that is some good news! Southern Living calls Fort Myers "a gateway" to Southwest Florida. The story states: Fort Myers's downtown has plenty to see, do, and eat—and did we mention it's also situated on the beautiful Caloosahatchee River? Seeking a beach vacation where you can enjoy some R&R in the company of sand, sun, and surf? Fort Myers Beach has all you need. And if you want to venture down a road slightly less traveled, nearby Sanibel Island and Captiva Island offer even more room to roam. Southern Living went on to list, in detail, 20 best things to do in Fort Myers, including: This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Southern Living's list of Florida's best underrate vacation places
Yahoo
42 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Body of passenger who died on flight from Istanbul to San Francisco goes missing
A passenger who died on a Turkish Airlines flight en route from Istanbul to San Francisco was offloaded during an emergency stop in Chicago, but their body is now reportedly unaccounted for, SFGATE reports. Turkish Airlines Flight 79 departed Istanbul on July 13, and while flying over Greenland, a passenger suffered a severe medical emergency. Although the crew initially planned to divert to Iceland, the passenger's condition worsened, and they died before the plane diverted to Chicago. 'Consequently, the decision was made to continue toward North America rather than divert outside US airspace,' Aviation A2Z told SFGATE. 'Upon entering the airspace over the United States, the crew opted to land at Chicago O'Hare, a major international hub capable of handling emergency landings with adequate medical support and facilities.' Although the passenger's body should fall under the jurisdiction of the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office, a spokesperson told SFGATE there is no record of the deceased or any matching case. Today, its unclear where the remains are. The Turkish Airlines station manager in San Francisco confirmed that remaining passengers were rerouted to their destination, but the whereabouts of the deceased passenger's remains are unknown. The airline has neither confirmed the passenger's identity nor disclosed the cause of death, beyond noting it stemmed from a medical emergency. The Independent has contacted representatives for Turkish Airlines, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office for comment. A 2021 study found that the mortality rate on a plane is about .21 per million passengers, according to The most common causes of death include pulmonary embolisms, cardiac arrests and respiratory issues.
