Planetware

"Cross-check," "tray tables up," and "secure your own mask before assisting others" are just a few common phrases frequent fliers have heard from flight crews countless times. If you've interacted with flight attendants enough, you may have even picked up some of the specific lingo they use during a flight.

If someone said they were planning a trip to New York City's largest park, you might assume they're talking about Central Park. After all, it's a world-famous icon and one of NYC's top 12 places to check out for first-time visitors. However, for all of Central Park's notoriety, there's actually a different green space that takes the top spot as the city's largest. That would be Pelham Bay Park, which is about 11 miles northeast of Central Park in the Bronx.

If you're at all familiar with California, you probably already know that beaches are kind of a big thing there. The Golden State has an estimated 840 miles of Pacific coastline, with urban beach parks, seaside towns, and protected coastal nature preserves. Further inland, California's public lands and natural wonders offer more opportunities for outdoor camping. Is it any surprise, then, that California's beaches and camping options come together in a few remarkable seaside camping spots?

If you watch car commercials, they're usually a single person in a vehicle, whizzing down an open road, with breathtaking scenery around them. However, the reality of driving in major cities is far different. Instead of beautiful vistas, you'll find traffic, potholes, and people trying to cut you off — and some major cities are worse than others. While you may think the worst city for driving is New York, Boston, Chicago, or Los Angeles, you'd be wrong, according to a 2025 report from WalletHub.

Rick Steves is a trusted name in travel, so when he recommends where to go in Europe, it's a good bet you'll want to visit. However, he admittedly doesn't love a few places, including one in his ancestral country of Norway.

Although California may be known as the home of Hollywood and Disneyland, the fact is that the Golden State is remarkable for its abundance of gorgeous scenery. In addition to being the best state for national park adventures, California also has over 280 state parks, making it one of the most diverse park systems in the country. But even if you've visited many of these spots in the past, there's a new park on the block as of 2024: Dos Rios State Park.

If you're traveling between Los Angeles and Seattle, you have several options. Flying is the quickest option, taking just a few hours and offering scenic, bird's-eye views from 30,000 feet. However, travelers with more time who want to see some of the West Coast's most iconic sights should consider the slow, scenic route between SoCal and the Pacific Northwest aboard the Amtrak Coast Starlight Train.

When looking at California cities to spend your next vacation, it's hard to ignore the state's massive coastline. With places like Santa Barbara, Venice Beach, and San Francisco in the running, there are plenty of world-class locales to explore. But the fact is that the Golden State has more than just crowd-pleasing coastal towns. In fact, if you head farther inland, you'll run into one of the most famous cities in the area: Palm Springs.

Following a brutally hot summer, you might be thinking about an escape to the north to watch the beautiful transition from summer greens to autumnal golds and reds. While New England has a much-deserved reputation for exploring the colors of fall, it's not the only option. In fact, the Adirondack Mountains of New York State have earned the top spot for fall foliage in 2026, according to online travel agency Priceline.

California and Texas are two juggernauts. Both states have the two largest state economies and populations in the country, as well as plenty of beautiful scenery and fun activities. However, when it comes to places to live, a former "small fry" (pun intended) out West came out on top. According to a study by WalletHub, Idaho ranked as the best state to live in across the United States for 2026.