Compass

Our trip to Aruba took us beyond Palm Beach to Natural Pool, Baby Beach, Arikok National Park and the streets of San Nicolas. Along the way, we uncovered an island shaped by Indigenous history, aloe, oil, migration and World War II.

With visitor numbers continuing to rise, Bergen, Norway, continues efforts to spread tourism across seasons and neighborhoods while protecting its heritage, environment, and residents’ quality of life.

New Windsor, Maryland, may not be a trendy tourist destination. But that’s the entire point for travelers like me who seek solace and quiet connection.

The 24th annual Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival returns to Oak Bluffs August 7–15, 2026, with an exclusive look at Children of Blood and Bone, major documentaries, independent films, cultural conversations and additional surprises still to be announced.

If walls could talk, some very famous voices would be echoing throughout the Newberry Opera House, where legendary entertainers like Tex Ritter, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Wynonna Judd, and Jefferson Airplane performed.

From the outside, the idea of journeying thousands of miles to stand before a solitary sandstone monolith seems puzzling. Yet for those drawn to places imbued with history, belief and meaning, Uluru, once known as Ayers Rock, is far more than just a rock. It is a living cultural landscape.

Barberville Pioneer Settlement feels like stepping straight into Florida’s frontier days. On my most recent visit, Associate Director Gudrun Benson walked me through the village’s history.

Beverly Hills needs no introduction. The small but swanky city in the greater Los Angeles area boasts one of the country’s most recognizable zip codes, with equally identifiable landmarks in Rodeo Drive and the Hollywood Sign — often visible from the 90210’s sleekest, chicest rooftop bars. 

Australian blind traveler and accessibility advocate Dale Reardon shares the realities of traveling with a guide dog, encountering inaccessible technology and navigating an industry that does not always understand the diverse needs of travelers with disabilities.

Stepping foot onto Horn Island, we pulled the pirogue onto the sand and squinted into the horizon. Behind us gently rocked THE LILY FAITH, our transportation from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, now anchored in deeper water.

By the time the morning fog begins lifting over Port Frederick, the outline of a massive cruise ship is already visible beyond the trees. It moves slowly through the gray water, dwarfing the fishing boats and wooden houses along the shoreline of Hoonah, a small Alaska Native community on Chichagof Island with fewer than 900 residents.

In Abiansemal, a rural district north of Denpasar and west of Ubud in Bali, the Ayung River cuts through rocky gorges, winding past rice fields and jungle. Down by the river, a spread of bamboo pavilions rises in a hug of palm trees and thick bushes, their wide thatched roofs fanning out like giant conical hats. From above, the complex gives off the vibe of an eco-retreat in the middle of the jungle. But beneath the thatched roofs are open-air classrooms, designed to nurture young minds through an unconventional curriculum that could reimagine education as we know it.