Key Wrecked

The Florida Keys of the 19th century were nothing like they are today. Before tourism dominated Key West, several adventurous professions made it one of Florida’s most booming industrial cities.

Spa Day

There’s no shortage of transcendent spa hotels, but when it comes to spa photography, it can be a struggle to capture the euphoric feeling a spa provides. We spent some time with the woman most responsible for helping spa photos rise to the challenge — plus a look at eight of our most enchanting spa hotels.

Rushing to Ruin

If climate change has taught us anything, it’s that nothing lasts forever. As ice caps melt and coral reefs die, tourists are rushing to see the world’s most precious treasures before they’re gone. Those visits can raise much-needed awareness, but the extra attention isn’t always for the best.

The Hippie Trail

Imagine a teenager deciding to hitchhike their way from London to Kabul. Now imagine thousands of them. What sounds crazy for 2019 was happening with surprising frequency in 1969, on a route known as the Hippie Trail.

March of Progress

Martin Luther King said that “the line of progress is never straight.” When it comes to the history of tourism, the line swerved past 99% of the world’s population before it finally delivered the vacation as we know it today.

Citizen Twain

A Quintessential American Finds Ugliness Abroad

Mark Twain wrote one of the 19th century’s most popular travel books. But the ugly ways in which he described the world say more about him — and perhaps America — than the places he visited.