From the top deck of Riviera Rose, sipping a glass of chilled white port, I watched the sun spill across the Douro River’s terraced vineyards, turning Portugal’s famed river of gold to molten silver. It was a scene worthy of a postcard — and exactly the kind of moment river cruising delivers so well. If…

As we reported exclusively last week, the legendary Park Hyatt Tokyo is reopening this coming December after a major overhaul. The hotel made famous in the movie “Lost in Translation” closed in May 2024, and its reopening has been eagerly anticipated. We learned the hotel will reopen Dec. 9, and reservations opened Wednesday. In great…

I rarely redeem Choice Privileges points for stays within the U.S., as I’ve found I can get better value when redeeming for stays overseas. While I usually redeem Choice points for stays in major Japanese cities like Tokyo and Osaka, I’ve also gotten good value within Europe. When searching for the best hotels to book…

Rewards credit cards are a great way to earn valuable reward currency for expenses you already make regularly. Plus, they make travel more comfortable thanks to transferable points and miles. In fact, transferable credit card points transformed the way I travel because this currency is so much more valuable than points earned directly through an…

It’s fairly common these days for an American to also hold citizenship with another country — and the second country’s passport, too. I was born in the U.S. and am an American citizen. However, because my parents were dual citizens at the time of my birth, they also passed Italian citizenship on to me. It’s…

The Citi Strata Premier® Card (see rates and fees) is Citi’s mid-tier travel card. The Strata Premier earns bonus points on everyday spending categories and unlocks full-value access to transfer partners. But with so many other good options, is the Strata Premier worth the $95 annual fee? Below, we break down the important aspects of…

LATAM has unveiled a big new order for Embraer jets that could support new U.S. flights for the South American airline. The Santiago, Chile-based carrier will take up to 74 E195-E2 jets from Embraer beginning in the second half of 2026, LATAM said Monday. The planes that seat around 132 passengers in a single-class layout…

Over the last handful of years, major hotel companies have been launching new brands left and right in attempts to expand offerings for travelers. Earlier this year, we learned about Series by Marriott, described as a way to “bring strong, regionally relevant brands and hotels into the Marriott portfolio,” according to Marriott’s development website. It’s…

In 2016, I earned 49,640 redeemable American Airlines AAdvantage miles and 23,820 elite qualifying miles on a single $804 round-trip mileage run to Johannesburg. This mileage run was key to earning top-tier AAdvantage Executive Platinum status that year — but taking this same mileage run in 2025 would be much less lucrative, since I’d earn…

Southwest Airlines was my preferred airline for most of my adult life. The fares were low, bags flew free and the open seating policy meant my family could easily find seats together. About a year ago, Southwest announced the first of many operational changes. The first blow was the end of open seating, which the…