It’s showtime! We’ve reached that point, my friends, when holiday travel is top of mind – or should be. Some here at Lonely Planet are already booked and ready to go. Some (ahem, me) are not. But the overwhelming feeling this year is that we’re all desperate to get back to normal, to make up for lost time by revisiting and rediscovering our favorite people and places. | Editor-at-Large Sebastian Modak is doing just that. “Very excited to be heading back to the motherland (Colombia) for Christmas and New Year’s Eve this year as it's been a very long time. Not only will it be fun to have the whole family together, but we'll be able to introduce the newest addition (two-year-old nephew) to his roots.” | I only wish I had it together as well as Sebastian, but alas, I am less certain. Maybe Editor Alicia Johnson has the right idea, getting her fun travel on before it all gets too hectic, “I'll be in the Dominican Republic right before I spend Thanksgiving in Indianapolis.” | Whatever you do during the upcoming festive season, the team here at LP will help you manage the chaos and set you on the right path with minimum fuss and a positive attitude. Happy holidays,* everyone! *It’s not yet October. | | | | | You should be booking holiday flights now | Everything you need to know | Generally speaking, you need to be organized months in advance to avoid airfare price surges for travel during the festive season. But if you haven't had the time, here's what you need to know about booking flights for the holidays, including when to bag a bargain and how to ensure a relatively hassle-free trip. | | | Traveling during hurricane season | Useful advice for navigating travel during major storms | Hurricane season will last until November, and more storms are on the way. If you've made plans to travel to Florida or the Caribbean in the coming weeks, here's what you need to know about how Ian may affect your plans. | | | | Dealing with holiday travel hiccups | Christmas and New Year’s 2021 were a total hit. Only eight confirmed cases of COVID in my family alone! Only five trips to the testing center! Only one blizzard to trap me at my mother’s house for three additional days! Only asked myself why I bothered traveling across the country 452 times! Only 753 text messages to friends begging for help! Did I mention I was on crutches and recovering from a foot surgery? So yeah, it was not ideal, but it was the perfect lesson in life and travel. Don’t fight, just flow. The truth is sometimes (and maybe it feels like oftentimes) things don’t work. There’s so much more that you cannot control than you can. Remember Anthony Bourdain’s advice, “Don’t get angry; don't be the person huffing and puffing … It doesn’t help. Like a recidivist convict, you should go limp.” What a simple, perfect mantra for navigating inevitable travel headaches, holiday or otherwise: go limp. And believe it or not, it works. When things go awry, be kind to others and yourself, accept what you cannot change and move forward as best you can, as lovingly as you can. And if you must vent, well, that’s what group texts are for. | | | More travel news you can use | | | | | Where to explore royal history in London | If you’re excited about King Charles II's coronation next year, how about a Windsor-focused tour of the British capital? Here’s a look at the best of Royal London, including Buckingham Palace and the late Queen Elizabeth II's favorite supermarket, Fortnum & Mason. | | | North America’s spectacular winter destinations | Winter is coming – this is a good thing. Taking a snowy hike or relaxing in a hot spring are just a few ways to embrace the chill and indulge in the season’s beauty. Here are some of the places we love the most in winter, when the snow crunches beneath our feet and the night sky comes alive in brilliant colors. | | | | | | Spooky festivals around the world | Before you write off Halloween as nothing but tricks and treats for the kiddie set, why not head to a city that takes its traditions – not to mention its fun – seriously? From a New Orleans moonlit cemetery tour to the flamboyant debauchery of Hong Kong’s hippest party district, these are five of the best Halloween travel destinations. | | | This email was sent to you by: | Lonely Planet Publications Ltd. | 1101 Red Ventures Drive, Fort Mill, SC 29707 | | | |
