From Las Vegas to Tokyo, a record 72 million Americans are predicted to hit the road and skies for the Fourth of July
The auto club forecasts nearly 62 million people will drive over the Fourth of July weekend, representing an increase of 1.3 million from last year. Air travel is expected to rise more than 1% over last year's record numbers.
"The top 10 heaviest travel days in TSA history have all happened within the past year, and we expect to see more heavy volumes this summer," said Kristie Jordan Smith, a Transportation Security Administration official at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
How technology at airports is reducing wait times
The Independence Day travel period is expected to be the summer's busiest travel stretch.
Airport officials are implementing new technology to reduce wait times. At DFW, customs officials report wait times are down 25% thanks to enhanced passenger processing technology that uses facial recognition, now operational at nine airports nationwide.
CBP will soon test a program allowing customs to review X-ray images of checked bags from London flights, eliminating the need for connecting passengers to clear security twice in Dallas.
"This program streamlines and improves the travel experience for our customers, saving them time and reducing the complexity of clearing security while continuing to maintain the highest security standards," said Jim Moses, Senior Vice President DFW Hub Operations at American Airlines. DFW is the airline's largest hub.
AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz said travel demand reflects both practical and emotional factors.
"We're seeing travel in record numbers because travel isn't just an economic and practical decision, it's also an emotional decision," Diaz said. "People don't have to spend a lot of money when they go on these trips, but people want to get away and not be home."
According to Priceline, top summer destinations include Las Vegas, Orlando, Tokyo and London.
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Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Non-Americans Are Sharing The Things That Shocked Them The Most When They Visited, And Some Of These Are So Random
One of the best things about travel is that it opens your eyes to how people from different parts of the world live. On the flip side, if you have ever wondered about what non-Americans thought of American culture and its unique quirks, it gets covered in r/AskReddit when someone asked, "Non-Americans of Reddit, what's something that absolutely shocked you when you first visited the US?" The reverse culture shock was real. Here's what people had to say: 1."One British boyfriend of mine was flabbergasted at the size of my parents' bathroom sink." —YourMothersButtox 2."As someone who grew up in the UK and moved to the US, the distance between places was the biggest thing to get my head around." —Dazzling-Antelope912 "Agreed. Where I grew up, if you didn't have your own car, you might very well die of exposure trying to trek your way to the grocery store." —reliablepayperhead 3."The cars, which looked normal on TV, were twice as big as normal cars back home." Photosvit / Getty Images, Falun / Getty Images —bartvanh Related: 4."The accommodations provided for physically disabled people in public transit and public places. I felt genuinely happy that there is a country that takes its protections seriously. You would not want to catch yourself in a disabled state in my country." —NigraDolens "The ADA — Americans with Disabilities Act — is an amazing piece of legislation." —Massive-Lime7193 5."The listed price in stores not being what you pay. So, coupled with my unfamiliarity with US coinage, I bought everything with notes and ended up weighed down with pocketfuls of loose change at the end of each day." —akiralx26 6."All the ingredients in medications on TV, and advertising medication on TV." —TripMundane969 "I live in Australia, and it was shocking to see medicine being in advertisements." —moonchild365 "We saw an ad for Nexium that was then followed by an ad for a class action against Nexium. 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Condé Nast Traveler
37 minutes ago
- Condé Nast Traveler
A Gilded Age Guide to New York and Newport
Watching this season of The Gilded Age and want to live for a moment within that show's world? It's not difficult to understand your desire. During the late-19th-century period depicted, New York City and Newport alike were grand, blank canvases upon which the wealthy were able to erect massive and splendiferous testaments to their liquidity. It wasn't all roses, by any means—the wives approached the Newport summer season with more rigor than their husbands had for business dealings, and divorcées like poor Aurora Fane were socially destitute despite no wrongdoing on their part. (Which is why it's more fun to visit today.) Below, we've rounded up the best hotels in both New York City and Newport to get your Bertha Russell on and steep in the period's left-behind grandeur, plus some of the places you'd do well to visit during your sojourn to go even deeper. New York City Where to stay Lotte New York Palace The Lotte New York Palace made its mark on impressionable viewers when it served as a frequent hangout for the entitled characters of Gossip Girl on TV, but its history catering to New York's elite stretches back to 1882, when six neoclassical style townhouses were first erected with a courtyard that faced out to Madison Avenue. These historic buildings were annexed to a 55-story hotel tower in 1974 by hotelier Harry Helmsley, and the property has been pampering guests ever since. Today's incarnation of the hotel features gorgeous, luxury guest rooms with up close and personal views of St. Patrick's Cathedral, along with a separate hotel-within-a-hotel called The Towers, which offers more space, better views, and personal butlers. The hotel also has two restaurants and four bars, including one named Trouble's Trust (after Leona Helmsley, AKA the Queen of Mean's dog). —Juliana Shallcross Book Now Powered By: Expedia Book Now Powered By: The Fifth Avenue Hotel Modern master Martin Brudnizki's Fifth Avenue riot of colors, patterns, and curiosities is perhaps his most impeccably orchestrated yet. The vaulted lobby is dressed up in ornate wall panels; corridors are bedecked in vivid wallpapers; rooms are filled with painted screens and pagoda-style lamps that are an ode to the travels of hotel owner Alex Ohebshalom. A go-for-broke assemblage of art, from old-world oils to modern photography, greets you around every corner. It's the bold palette Brudnizki is known for, a dreamlike pastiche that would have been chaos in the hands of a less practiced hand. 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Fifth Avenue is long, and walking up and down its Central Park stretch isn't easy. But the greatest concentration of its Gilded Age pleasures is uptown, in a walkable stretch of the 80s and 90s. There's the Metropolitan Museum of Art, of course, on the east side of Central Park between 79th and 84th Street, which was founded in 1870 by the Union League Club. It's a major landmark of the period, but lacks the intimacy of a mansion setting—the massive building in which it's set was built to be a museum, and has been expanded many times. And so, while you're up there, be sure to also swing around the corner to Neue Galerie on East 86th, where 19th-century German and Austrian art hang in the 1914-constructed mansion of industrialist William Starr Miller, designed by Carrère & Hastings (of New York Public Library fame). There's also the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum within the former residence of industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and the recently-renovated-and-restored-and-reopened Frick Collection in the former mansion of financier Henry Clay Frick. Downtown (relatively), in Murray Hill, you'll also find the Morgan Library & Museum housed in the library of J.P. Morgan (who features in The Gilded Age) himself. A few of these spots, and many more, are featured on walking tours like this one for those who prefer a more organized itinerary. Newport Where to stay The Chanler at Cliff Walk Imagine this: you've sat in traffic all the way from Boston or New York City, and as you turn into the Chanler's impressive gates, you're immediately transported to the Gilded Age. You can finally exhale. An unbeatable location abutting Newport's famed Cliff Walk, an award-winning fine-dining restaurant, and plenty of moments for quiet privacy in the thick of the action—the Chanler offers an alchemy that's tough to beat, even by Newport standards. This isn't a hotel for the one-and-done tourist looking to tick Newport off their list—it's a luxurious, one-of-a-kind opportunity for even the most seasoned Newport connoisseurs to engage with this storied destination. It's one of the most strategically located hotels in Newport, striking that perfect balance between not too close yet not too far from anything and everything. Here, you're a few steps from the Cliff Walk's northern terminus, a few further steps down to Easton's Beach, and about one mile from the hustle and bustle of downtown. The walk to central Newport's bars, restaurants, and attractions is pleasant enough, but the Chanler also offers a chauffeured Cadillac to bring you to and fro if you so choose. 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If you can only hit one, hit the Breakers, which was the summer cottage of the Vanderbilt family (for whom the Russells stand in on the show). It's a shockingly large summer home that has to be seen to be believed. But there are quite a few other homes worth seeing around Newport. Operated by Newport Mansions and the Preservation Society of Newport County, and therefore under the same umbrella as the Breakers, are places like Marble House (also a bygone Vanderbilt deed) and Rosecliff, the Versailles-inflected summer home of silver heiress Theresa Fair. You can book your Breakers ticket, or your Breakers-plus-one mansion ticket, via GetYourGuide.
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Travel + Leisure
37 minutes ago
- Travel + Leisure
I'm a Travel Expert and a Mom, and This Unexpected 2-Country Itinerary Is Perfect for Families
Travel is a transformative experience, especially for children and teens. But planning trips for the whole family isn't always easy. As a parent and travel advisor, I've seen firsthand how travel pushes young minds to become more curious, adaptable, and tolerant, all while presenting the opportunity to disconnect from an increasingly digital world. Norway and Sweden might not seem like the most obvious family destinations, but these Nordic countries are quietly gaining traction for multi-generational travelers. Their proximity to each other makes for the perfect two-nation vacation that combines stunning scenery, rich culture, and a sense of laidback luxury. Here's how to craft the perfect itinerary for your family. 29/2 Aurland, a boutique hotel near Njardarheimer. MONTAG/29/2 Aurland Hotel Our journey begins on Norway's dramatic west coast, where reenactors in the Viking village of Njardarheimr offers an engaging glimpse into local heritage. There, try archery and axe-throwing, taste Viking recipes, or learn traditional handicrafts. For an exhilarating ascent, the next stop is Loen, just a few hours north of Njardarheimr. Take the Loen Skylift, which soars 3300 feet above the fjord to the top of Mount Hoven. Just a short walk away, a summer-only zipline offers an adrenaline rush, propelling visitors over the upper fjord with incredible panoramic views toward the famous Gjølmunne Bridge. The exceptional 29/2 Aurland is just a short drive from Njardarheimer and has incredible views of the fjords. This boutique hotel, complete with a smokehouse and garden, is the perfect base from which to cycle through the mountains and valleys, visit family-run farms, and take to the water in a traditional Oselver rowboat. The Union Øye opened in 1891 and has hosted a number of historic celebrities from German emperor Wilhelm II to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the writer behind Sherlock Holmes. Tucked away in a secluded fjord hamlet, the location is perfect for adventurers seeking to e-bike or kayak, and the whole family can embrace local traditions with an exhilarating cold water plunge in the fjords before warming up in the floating sauna. Treehotel's with its unique UFO-shaped room. Peter Lundstrom/Treehotel The second part of this trip begins in idyllic Vaxholm, known as the capital of the Stockholm archipelago. There, you'll find pastel wooden houses, hiking trails, a 16th-century fortress-turned-museum, and serene waters perfect for kayaking. Travel companies like Jacada Travel offer local experiences, like learning to make traditional cinnamon buns with local bakers, to take your experience one step further. Next, head up north to the Swedish Lapland, where the magical winter landscape is perfect for family activities like dog sledding and snowmobiling. Travelers can also go hiking or mountain biking, or take photography workshops to capture the Lapland's natural beauty. Visits to the indigenous Sámi people in towns like Jokkmokk offer rich cultural experiences. Learn about Sámi history and traditions, shop local artisan crafts, and follow herders to meet reindeer. Ett Hem's a hotel in Stockholm's Östermalm district. Nestled in Stockholm's upscale Östermalm district, Ett Hem is a stylish red brick townhouse with a home-away-from-home feel. The hotel offers a haven of laid-back elegance with a distinct sense of lived-in luxury and warmth. The Treehotel is a unique treehouse stay in the arctic north of Sweden. With eight incredible rooms situated above ground, ranging from a UFO to a bird's nest, it's sure to spark joy and wonder in the whole family. Plus, the location is perfect for seeing the northern lights between September and April. Kate Herz is a member of Travel + Leisure's A-List and specializes in Norway and Sweden trips. You can create a tailor-made itinerary with Herz by contacting her at [email protected] .
