Life

By Christy Choi, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — Park Chan-wook understands revenge. The 60-year-old South Korean director, best known for his psychological thrillers, has often imagined how he’d get even, lying awake in bed thinking about those who’ve done him wrong. “Maybe I make the kind of movies that I do so I don’t execute

By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — When asked to recall the first time they met, Japanese chefs Shun Sato and Toru Takano struggle to remember the details. “I was in Australia from 2005 to 2014. So we met sometime in between?” Sato asks his friend. “Maybe in 2009 or 2010?” Takano shrugs

By Lilit Marcus, CNN AlUla, Saudi Arabia (CNN) — To find one of the most iconic attractions in Saudi Arabia, don’t look for the building itself – look for the people with selfie sticks and ring lights. Maraya is the largest mirror-covered building in the world, and at certain times of day the structure seems

By Rob Hodgetts, CNN (CNN) — Travelers are running out of new places to discover, but there could be one treasure hidden in plain sight. Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast stretches for more than a thousand miles, from the northern border with Jordan in the Gulf of Aqaba to Yemen in the far south. Much of that,

By Flo Cornall, CNN (CNN) — Looking at an X-ray film you might spot fractured bones or even floating foreign objects — but hidden within the film itself there is a tiny amount of silver. Now, The Royal Mint, the UK’s oldest company and official maker of British coins, is using that silver to create

CNN By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — China has struck an agreement with Thailand to permanently waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens from March, the latest in a flurry of attempts by Beijing to lure back foreign tourists amid a struggling economy after years of self-imposed Covid isolation. The reciprocal visa-free scheme,

By Nectar Gan, CNN Hong Kong (CNN) — China has struck an agreement with Thailand to permanently waive visa requirements for each other’s citizens from March, the latest in a flurry of attempts by Beijing to lure back foreign tourists amid a struggling economy after years of self-imposed Covid isolation. The reciprocal visa-free scheme, announced

By Irene Nasser, Mayumi Maruyama and Karla Cripps, CNN (CNN) — More than 100 flights to and from Tokyo’s Haneda Airport are expected to be canceled on Wednesday following the fiery runway plane collision the day before, according to two Japanese carriers. The flight cancellations will impact an estimated 20,000 passengers, reports state broadcaster NHK.

Analysis by Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — Watching the footage of the Japan Airlines collision at Tokyo’s Haneda airport, it seems miraculous that anyone has emerged unscathed. Yet while, tragically, five of six crew on the Japan Coast Guard Dash 8 plane it struck during landing on Tuesday have died, all 379 passengers and crew

By Fawnia Soo Hoo, CNN (CNN) — For the past decade, Hollywood A-listers, from actors to directors to studio executives, have sought out photographer Mark Seliger to take their portraits in the elaborate pop-up studio he constructs in the middle of the storied “Vanity Fair” Oscars after-party. Whether resembling a rustic sitting room or a

By Silvia Marchetti, CNN Rome (CNN) — A two-year dig to install a solar power plant near Rome has unearthed an ancient Roman necropolis containing 67 skeletons buried in 57 ornate tombs. Archaeologists were baffled by the find — thought to date between the second and fourth centuries — not least because the skeletons were

By Martha Alexander, CNN (CNN) — The first month of the year is traditionally a time of change and resolution. Gym memberships spike, people seek new jobs in record numbers and abstaining from alcohol and meat becomes a popular pastime. But over the past six years, this period has also been marked by “Januhairy,” an

By Jessie Yeung, CNN (CNN) — Passengers on a United Airlines flight hoping to travel back in time for New Year’s got off to an unfortunate start in 2024. Flight UA200 was originally scheduled to depart Guam at 7:35 a.m. on January 1, 2024, and land in Honolulu, Hawaii at 6:50 p.m. on December 31, 2023

By Marnie Hunter, CNN (CNN) — You wouldn’t be far off if you guessed Italy or France as the country with more of this year’s “World’s 50 Best” restaurants than any other. But no, that distinction goes to Spain, where six restaurants earned honors this summer on the 2023 list. (Italy had five and France

By CNN Travel staff (CNN) — So many places to see in the world. So many people eager to see them. International tourism reached about 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, and the United States issued a record number of passports. And if you visited any popular destination over the summer, you’d probably argue it was

By Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Rome (CNN) — Venice has announced it will limit tourist walking groups to 25 people and ban the use of loudspeakers in its latest effort to combat mass tourism. Groups will also be prohibited from stopping in narrow streets, on bridges or in passageways. The new regulations, which further restrict

CNN By Angus Watson, CNN (CNN) — Dean Jacobowski stands atop the Sydney Opera House as the first glimmer of the day’s summer sun bounces from the famous white sails. It’s early in the morning, three days before New Year’s Eve. The harbor is Jacobowski’s canvas. He plans to paint it with pyrotechnics. “It’s the

By Angus Watson, CNN (CNN) — Dean Jacobowski stands atop the Sydney Opera House as the first glimmer of the day’s summer sun bounces from the famous white sails. It’s early in the morning, three days before New Year’s Eve. The harbor is Jacobowski’s canvas. He plans to paint it with pyrotechnics. “It’s the most

By Niamh Kennedy, CNN London (CNN) — Flooded railway tunnels forced the cancelation of all services on Saturday linking Britain to Europe, operator Eurostar said. Travelers hoping to journey from London to Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam for New Year were dealt a blow after Eurostar announced in a social media post the cancellation of services

By Jacqui Palumbo, CNN (CNN) — Since crowds first began gathering in Times Square to commemorate New Year’s Eve over a century ago, it has been a ritual to flock to midtown’s brightly lit chaos to ring in new beginnings. At 11:59 p.m. a dazzling ball descends down a pole, while attendees — and millions

By Camilla Rzayeva, CNN Nakhchivan (CNN) — Nakhchivan, a landlocked exclave about 260 miles west of Azerbaijan’s capital Baku, has a long list of historical attractions that include towers, castles, tombs and even wish-making caves. However, the centerpiece is the salt mine of Duzdag, or “Salt Mountain,” which functions as the largest medical tourism facility

By Lilit Marcus, CNN (CNN) — It’s the final week of 2023, and here’s the travel news: An island resort is eradicating mosquitoes, a bridge in Vietnam was designed for aesthetics instead of transportation, and people around the world are about to enjoy New Year’s traditions. New Year’s travel resolutions As we look ahead to

By Forrest Brown, CNN (CNN) — Are you ready to go big, bright and bold the last night of the year? If so, these destinations around the world have a well-deserved reputation for throwing a great New Year’s Eve shindig. Music, nightlife, parties and New Year’s food traditions are definitely a part of it – but

By CNN Travel staff (CNN) — So many places to see in the world. So many people eager to see them. International tourism reached about 90% of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, and the United States issued a record number of passports. And if you visited any popular destination over the summer, you’d probably argue it

By Andy Rose, CNN (CNN) — Spirit Airlines says the person who escorted a child onto the wrong flight last week is no longer working for the company. The 6-year-old was supposed to fly from Philadelphia to visit his grandmother in Fort Myers, Florida, but ended up on a flight to Orlando instead. “To better

By Sandra Song, CNN (CNN) — The sun is setting on the Badlands as Amy Fleischer-Madden squints through her camera’s viewfinder, searching amidst the red rock and prairie grass for a figure wearing head-to-toe black. The year is 1999, and the young photographer has been touring with Saves the Day, four baby-faced kids from Princeton,

By Blane Bachelor, CNN (CNN) — Following several years of pandemic-induced downturn, the travel sector is not only back, it’s positively booming. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, the industry is expected to bring in some $9.5 trillion in 2023 — which accounts for 95% of its pre-pandemic levels. Nowhere is this surge more

By Suyin Haynes, CNN (CNN) — In a 1908 article, British artist, illustrator and costume designer Pamela Colman Smith shared how she thought paintings should be viewed. “Learn from everything, see everything, and above all feel everything! Find eyes within, look for the door into the unknown country.” Smith could well have been describing how to use

By Lilit Marcus, CNN (CNN) — Editor’s Note: This CNN Travel series is, or was, sponsored by the country it highlights. CNN retains full editorial control over subject matter, reporting and frequency of the articles and videos within the sponsorship, in compliance with our policy. Saudi Arabia has set an ambitious goal for itself: 150 million tourist

Reuters A stowaway was found alive but in critical condition in the undercarriage bay of an Air Algeria airplane at Paris Orly airport on Thursday morning, December 28, a security source briefed on the matter told Reuters. The person was in a life-threatening condition and was being treated at a nearby hospital, the source said. The plane

By Xiaofei Xu, CNN (CNN) — Aurélien Largeau, chef at the Michelin one-star restaurant La Table d’Aurélien Largeau, left his position on December 21 “following concerning allegations and imagery regarding an incident in the premises of the hotel,” Hyatt Group confirmed to CNN Thursday. Hyatt Group owns Hotel du Palais, located in the southwestern French beach

CNN Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — It’s been a stormy tail end to Christmas for the UK and Ireland, as the countries were hit by Storm Gerrit coming in from the Atlantic on Wednesday, bringing gale force winds and flooding in its wake. It caused havoc for aviation, with flights being canceled across the countries.

Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — It’s been a stormy tail end to Christmas for the UK and Ireland, as the countries were hit by Storm Gerrit coming in from the Atlantic on Wednesday, bringing gale force winds and flooding in its wake. It caused havoc for aviation, with flights being canceled across the countries. Air

By Christian Edwards, CNN (CNN) — Firefighters were called to Blackpool Tower, a historic landmark on the northwest coast of England, only to discover that the reported “blaze” was in fact orange netting blowing in strong winds. Video shared on social media appeared to show flames rippling from the top of the 129-year-old structure, prompting

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — Are you part of a matching pyjama family? The twee tradition of Christmas morning coordination has recently become a kind of visual shorthand, allowing the internet to infer all kinds of notions about the inner workings of a stranger’s clan. “If you come from a matching pjs family I

By Scarlett Conlon, CNN (CNN) — Few could have predicted that one of the most derided sartorial mainstays of the 1980s — a decade that has never quite enjoyed the style resurgence of the eras that bookended it — would be a multibillion-dollar industry in its own right by the end of the 2020s. Yet

By John Walton, CNN (CNN) — Passengers will fly in 2024 with airlines that are putting their post-lockdown plans into place. And that includes shiny new airplanes containing new seat designs arriving at a rapid pace. A scattering of new airports and terminals will change the game in a few key regions, although some routes

Amanda Kludt, Special to CNN (CNN) — New Year’s Day is meant for fresh starts. But maybe even more, it’s meant for food. As the new year arrives around the world, special desserts abound, as do long noodles (representing long life), field peas (representing coins), herring (representing abundance) and pigs (representing good luck). The particulars

By Pete Muntean and Gregory Wallace, CNN (CNN) — What a difference one year can make – as many people who traveled by air during the now-notorious last week of 2022 could tell you. But at the tail end of 2023, you’d mostly hear tales of improvement. As the days between Christmas and New Year’s

By Marianna Cerini, CNN Milan, Italy (CNN) — When Italian designer Giacomo Moor was tasked with creating furniture for a school in a slum of Nairobi, Kenya last fall, he knew instantly what he wanted to make: Pieces that were functional, straightforward and easy to assemble. “‘Simplification’ was the word that immediately came to mind,”

Julia Buckley, CNN (CNN) — For most of us, traveling home for the holidays involves bringing clothes, presents and possibly some food to add to the feast awaiting us. But three US travelers attempted to bring something else cross-country for the season of peace: loaded guns. The three were caught during the busy holiday travel

By Leah Dolan, CNN (CNN) — Which fashion item is as beloved by members of the royal family as it is by JLo? Or as relevant on the runways of 2023 as in the knitting catalogs of 1960? The answer is surprisingly festive. The Fair Isle knit, a two-stranded knitting tradition originating off the coast

By Chris Dong, CNN (CNN) — The streets of Midtown Manhattan are a frenzied maze of hot dog vendors and taxi cabs; high-end boutiques and chintzy gift shops; out-of-towners and locals. Amid the hubbub is a three-story living wall of English ivy, a small slice of urban zen growing on the facade of a building.

By Veronica Lin, CNN (CNN) — A new selfie hotspot called “Kiss Bridge,” where couples can share a romantic moment against the Vietnamese sunset, was unveiled last week. The result of a collaboration of Italian architect Marco Casamonti and luxury tourism developer Sun Group, the bridge is located in Vietnam’s southern Phu Quoc Island, famous

By Suyin Haynes, CNN (CNN) — After spending several days with the Haenyeo, a group of women on South Korea’s Jeju Island renowned for harvesting seafood from the ocean floor without scuba gear, photographer Peter Ash Lee said one conversation — with one of the youngest of the island’s “freedivers” — stood out from the

By Thomas Page, CNN (CNN) — Sometimes a film location deserves to receive equal billing to its stars. With “Ferrari,” the latest movie by US director Michael Mann, Modena, Italy, makes a strong case for itself. Starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, Mann’s biopic takes on the turbulent life of Enzo Ferrari, founder of the

Reuters (CNN) — Visitors to Kenya from across the world will no longer require a visa from January, President William Ruto said on December 12. Ruto said his government had developed a digital platform to ensure all visitors would receive an electronic travel authorisation in advance, instead of needing to apply for a visa. “It shall no longer be necessary

By Lilit Marcus, CNN (CNN) — This year was all about making up for lost time. Following the pandemic, visitors flooded Europe’s biggest cities and America’s national parks as a form of “revenge travel,” going to – or returning to – some of the destinations that had been inaccessible during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the

CNN By Sarah Dewberry, CNN (CNN) — An unaccompanied 6-year-old child flying on Spirit Airlines to visit his grandmother in Fort Myers, Florida, was instead put on a flight to Orlando. In an emailed statement to CNN, Spirit Airlines apologized to the family, saying on December 21, the child was supposed to fly from Philadelphia

By Tim Curran, CNN (CNN) — When I sent DNA samples to genetic testing services searching for my birth family, I had no idea it would launch me on an adventure across three continents. In 1961, I was adopted at birth in California. Over the years, I’ve searched for my birth family on and off

By Alaa Elassar and Dave Alsup, CNN (CNN) — Blizzard warnings have been issued across the Central Plains, threatening Christmas Day travelers with delays and dangerous road conditions. More than 1.1 million people in parts of Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming were under blizzard warnings on Monday afternoon. “Significant winter storm will ‘let

By Francesca Street, CNN (CNN) — Ruth Underwood woke up with a start, and realized – to her horror – that she’d fallen asleep on a stranger’s shoulder. It was the evening of Christmas Day, 1962. Ruth was traveling via Greyhound bus from her parents’ house in Olympia, Washington to her home in Seattle, Washington.

By Silvia Marchetti, CNN (CNN) — Imagine, if you will, the most glorious festive feast, with an oversize turkey, stuffing two ways, holiday ham, the requisite fixings and at least half a dozen pies and cakes. That may all sound grand — that is, until you consider the extravagant displays of the ancient Roman banquet.

By Sarah Dewberry, CNN (CNN) — An unaccompanied 6-year-old child flying on Spirit Airlines to visit his grandmother in Fort Myers, Florida, was instead put on a flight to Orlando. In an emailed statement to CNN, Spirit Airlines apologized to the family, saying on December 21, the child was supposed to fly from Philadelphia International

WINK, FAMILY PHOTOS, CELL PHONE VIDEO, CNN By Sarah Dewberry, CNN (CNN) — An unaccompanied 6-year-old child flying on Spirit Airlines to visit his grandmother in Fort Myers, Florida, was instead put on a flight to Orlando. In an emailed statement to CNN, Spirit Airlines apologized to the family, saying on December 21, the child

By Claudia Colliva, CNN Paris (CNN) — The spire of Notre Dame, crowned by a brand new golden rooster, regained its place in the Paris skyline last week. As tourists and Parisians gathered outside the UNESCO-listed cathedral to admire the return of one of its most emblematic features — for now, still encased in scaffolding

By Maureen O’Hare, CNN (CNN) — In travel news this week: Holiday journeys get underway despite extreme weather and strike action; a Croatian man has turned his home into a winter theme park; plus what it’s like to live on Christmas Island. Destination inspiration It’s Christmas every day on Christmas Island, the 52-square-mile jungle paradise

By Heather Chen and Yoonjung Seo, CNN Seoul, South Korea (CNN) — A barren tank with concrete walls and artificial rocks, housed on the lower floors of a South Korean mega mall, has been home to a female beluga whale for close to a decade. The whale was believed to be around two years old

By AJ Willingham, CNN (CNN) — Amazon’s “recommended” algorithm is a powerful and mysterious force. One moment, it’s showing you Korean face moisturizers and affordable home office decor, and the next, it coughs up a handsome gay merman Christmas tree ornament with a “Black Lives Matter” sign, and your life is changed forever. A single

By Forrest Brown, CNN (CNN) — It’s enough to give anyone already on edge about how to handle possible flight delays and cancellations yet another reason to pop an antacid or two: the prospect of delayed, lost or damaged baggage. The concern is valid, especially during rough winter weather and situations such as the grounding

By Amy Cassidy and Marnie Hunter, CNN (CNN) — A Norwegian cruise ship in the North Sea was disabled Thursday after it lost power. Denmark’s maritime authorities told CNN on Friday that the ship, MS Maud, lost its ability to navigate after strong winds smashed glass windows, allowing water to get in and causing a

By Marnie Hunter, CNN (CNN) — After a rainy cruise to the Bahamas, some Carnival Sunshine passengers returned to port in Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday to a very unpleasant surprise: flooded cars. “It was left up to us to find out that our cars wouldn’t start and were totally destroyed,” said passenger Stephanie Royal,

By Francesca Street, CNN (CNN) — When Cathy Poyser heard the announcement that her flight was delayed, her heart sank. It was Christmas Eve, 1975. LAX Airport. Cathy, who’d moved to Los Angeles earlier that year, was desperate to get back to her hometown of Yakima, Washington. Cathy had left Washington for California filled with

By Jack Guy and Christy Choi, CNN London (CNN) — Two men were arrested in London this weekend, suspected of stealing a new Banksy art installation on the very same day that it was unveiled. The work, featuring three drones overlaid on a traffic sign in Peckham, South London, had been confirmed as a new

By Victoria Woodcock, CNN London, UK (CNN) — In central London, moments away from the crush of Christmas shoppers on a busy street, a portal to a mystical forest has appeared. It takes you into Pace Gallery and upon stepping inside, visitors are greeted by the sound of birdsong, and surrounded by a series of

By Oscar Holland, CNN (CNN) — Advances in laser scanning have transformed how museums research and conserve paintings by mapping the textures, colors and dimensions of their surfaces in minute detail. Now, an innovative Austrian printmaking company is using the technology — and the rich data it produces — to offer art enthusiasts the chance

By Farida Zeynalova, CNN (CNN) — For some, home is where the heart is. In Azerbaijan, however, the saying goes, “xalçam harada, yurdum orada,” meaning “wherever my carpet is, that’s where I live.” Azerbaijan’s love affair with carpets is an inextricable one — a much-revered art form that’s been woven into its cultural DNA since

By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN New York (CNN) — It’s the peak of holiday travel season. You paid $189 for a yearly Clear membership to breeze through airport security and cut to the front of the TSA line. But the flyers who paid a fraction of the price for a TSA PreCheck membership ($78 for five

By Marianna Cerini, CNN (CNN) — Move over twinkling fir trees and wreaths, eggnog, stockings and the office secret Santa — there’s a new kid in town. Over the last decade the ugly Christmas sweater has firmly embedded itself in yuletide culture. You know the one. It’s a wooly pullover, usually in different shades of

By Lilit Marcus, CNN (CNN) — Singapore’s Changi is often lauded as the world’s best airport – and it’s also one of the busiest. Travel intelligence company OAG has released its annual listing of the world’s busiest international flight routes, and three of the top 10 involve going to Singapore: connecting with Bangkok (in eighth

By Maggie Hiufu Wong, CNN (CNN) — Nestled between the towering Japanese Alps and the meandering coastline of the Sea of Japan lies one of the country’s best-kept secrets: Hokuriku. Consisting of four prefectures – Toyama, Niigata, Ishikawa and Fukui – this region on Japan’s main Honshu island was a major hub during the Edo