Travel

There are a ton of reasons you might need a backpack. Whether you’re a student, an athlete, a teacher or a parent shopping for your child, it’s important to look for a few important features to find the best backpack for your particular needs. Things like durable zippers that won’t get stuck and pockets for everyday essentials like water bottles and laptop sleeves provide the ultimate convenience. To find the best backpacks, I spoke with multiple experts, including a chiropractor and an accessories design professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology, for their guidance. There are a few important characteristics to keep in mind when looking for a good backpack. Here’s what our experts recommend keeping in mind: Size: The size of your backpack is important, not just because it needs t...

Los Angeles took a huge step toward linking airplanes to trains on Friday, as the nation's fifth busiest hub joined the modern travel world and offered car-loving Southern Californians an off-ramp from traffic-clogged freeways.The first trains from LAX/Metro Transit Center rolled out during the early evening rush, connecting travelers to the K or C rail lines, which can then whisk them north in the direction of central Los Angeles, south toward beach cities or east along Interstate 105.The breakthrough is an absolute necessity for organizers of the 2028 Olympics if they're going to fulfill their vow of making it a "no car Games." "This is a big day for L.A.," County Supervisor Janice Hahn said in a statement shortly after a ceremonial ride at the new station.Hahn, the MTA chair, used go...

A plane carrying 242 people crashed near a major international airport in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff Thursday, killing all but one passenger, who was seen walking away from the crash with bruises on his arms.The survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, is “doing well” but “psychologically disturbed” by the event, according to the medical director of the Civil Hospital, where he is being treated.Ramesh told The Hindustan Times that “it all happened so quickly.”“Thirty seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,” he said.Ramesh spoke to his father just before takeoff and then again after the plane crashed, his family told NBC News’ European partner, Sky News.Indian Prime Minister Modi with Vishwash ...

How much will it cost to visit a museum, zoo or aquarium this summer? The answer, increasingly, is: It depends.John Linehan can rattle off almost two dozen factors that Zoo New England’s dynamic pricing contractor, Digonex, uses to recommend what to charge guests.“It’s complicated,” said Linehan, president and CEO of the operator of the two zoos in eastern Massachusetts.Before adopting dynamic pricing, the organization was changing prices seasonally and increasing entry rates little by little. “As we watched that pattern, we were afraid some families were going to get priced out,” he said of the earlier approach. “I’m a father of four and I know what it is like.”Now, Zoo New England’s system provides cheaper rates for tickets purchased far in advance. That, coupled with the zoo’s partic...

A Chicago-area mansion once owned by all-time NBA great Michael Jordan is now listed on Airbnb, offering high-end travelers the chance to vacation like a six-time champion. Champions Point is a seven-bedroom, 17.5-bath estate on 7.39 acres that can accommodate 12 guests, according to the Airbnb listing and property owner John Cooper. The home, in Highland Park, Illinois, has a stunning price tag and requires a minimum seven-night stay. For example, a weeklong respite over Labor Day weekend, checking in on Aug. 29 and out on Sept. 5, would cost $120,920.The mansion's grand entry.Champions Point LLCThe mansion features a movie theater, commercial gym, cigar lounge, wine cellar, pool tables, bars, salon, saltwater aquariums and — of course — a full-size basketball court. “This estate was b...

Travel woes are likely for Fourth of July revelers with planned trips starting Thursday due to stormy weather. Thirty-nine million people from Philadelphia to Maine in the Northeast corridor are at risk of extreme weather as severe storms are forecast today.The storms could see 60 mph wind gusts and hail up to one inch in diameter. The turbulent weather is forecast to develop after lunchtime on Thursday and last through the evening, potentially lingering overnight.The National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center said there’s a slight risk level of severe thunderstorms over parts of the Northern Plains, Northeast and mid-Atlantic on Thursday. New York City will see scattered storms from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET, Philadelphia from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Boston from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.In Ne...

Indeed, Tourism Economics found travel spending by U.S. residents abroad rose 8.6% in the first four months of the year from the same period a year earlier. “This indicates continued U.S. outbound demand,” the firm said.While the economy and household finances always influence travel demand, “today those factors are looking to have more of a negative impact than positive one,” said Nicki Zink, deputy head of industry analysis at the market research firm Morning Consult.In the group’s recent survey, 31% of consumers said both the state of the U.S. economy and personal financial pressures are reducing their interest in leisure travel in the next three months, “higher than any other factor we survey about,” said Zink.For its own part, the tourism market research firm Future Partners found ...

It’s now OK to keep your shoes on at the airport.The Transportation Safety Administration will allow passengers at airports across the country to keep their footwear on as they go through security checkpoints, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters Tuesday.The new policy is nationwide and takes effect immediately, said Noem, whose department oversees the TSA.While the rule may not apply to passengers who need additional layers of screening, Noem said, it will be the norm for most people going forward. "With this no-shoes policy, we anticipate that Americans and travelers and those coming into our country will be very excited they will no longer have to remove their shoes," she said.Noem attributed the change to a review of the agency's security and screening protocols t...

A Delta jet experienced engine problems on what was supposed to be a trans-Atlantic flight and landed on an island in the middle of the ocean, leading to a more than 31-hour delay, officials said Thursday.Flight 127 left Madrid on Sunday, bound for New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, when it had "to divert to Lajes, Azores (TER) after indication of a mechanical issue with an engine," according to an airline statement.A satellite image of the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean. Planet Observer / Getty ImagesThe Airbus A330 had 282 customers and 13 crew members on board, Delta said.The passengers and crew "deplaned via stairs at TER" and "were accommodated overnight in area hotels and provided meals," the airline added.They were taken off the island in Po...

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced on Thursday that the TSA will open security lanes dedicated to families and military service members.“Families on the Fly" will create dedicated security lines for families with small children and give families a $15 discount for TSA pre-check enrollment, Noem said at a press conference at Nashville International Airport. The new policy has already begun a pilot program at an airport in Orlando, Florida, home to Disney World, Noem added.“This means that when families come into our airports and enter our TSA security checkpoints, they will have dedicated lanes specific for families,” Noem said. “They’ll be expanded areas that will give them the benefit of recognizing that they have children with them, and will help make sure that we ha...