Day: July 26, 2024

Let’s do a little Rome roaming with one of the most dynamic actor-comedians on Earth, shall we? 

Tony Hale, loved for playing Buster Bluth in Arrested Development, Gary Walsh in Veep and appearing in everything from “The Angry Birds Movie” to “Toy Story 4” headed to Europe for his latest smash “The Decameron.”

Premiering on Netflix on Thursday, the super-dark and timely comedy set in 1348, showcasing how a group of nobles ride out the Black Death pandemic in an Italian grand villa — which resulte in Hale spending six months in Italy, with Rome as his home base.

“Gearing up for Italy, I watched way too many YouTube videos on Rome and the ancient Roman empire,” he told Travel + Leisure in a recent interview. “Then I found myself in places like the Roman Forum and Colosseum and it was just mind-blowing and really hard to put into words. In the Colosseum, I would just find myself staring at a random stone and thinking about the history of that stone.”

Another touristy moment included when Hale visited the Vatican and made a new friend.

“I went to see it and I couldn’t find anybody to go with me,” he recalled. “So, it was just me on this tour and everybody was in a family, plus our tour guide. Everyone was like, okay, now we’re going to take pictures with the families in front of the Vatican. And so, I just took a picture with the tour guide.” 

A self-described “nut for tours,” a memorable guided experience was a Vespa Sidecar Tour he did with his wife and daughter for her 17th birthday. Of that experience, he joked, “we looked like something right out of ‘Despicable Me.'”

Off the beaten path and a place Hale discovered during the end of his time in Rome, was the Sant’Egidio convent church.

“It was this this faith community that’s committed to kindness, prayer and serving the poor,” he said. “It was such a sacred little space in the middle of the Trastevere area of Rome. When I go back, I want to spend more time there.”

And, of course, there was all the glorious food. His top morsels and spots include Neve di Latte for a scoop of black cherry with white chocolate ice cream, Pianostrada for Italian-meets-Mediterranean fare and Fraschetteria for an intimate Italian spread.

Beyond his Italy travels, Hale enjoys skiing and “the kind of travel with family and friends that involves sitting around a fire pit and having a glass of wine… I live for that stuff.”

On the flipside of happy times, there are some things he doesn’t like when adventuring, namely anything involving heights.

“I have a buddy Gabriel that loves to do that type of skiing where they take you in a helicopter and drop you on top of a mountain,” he mentioned. “He also likes to skydive and being able to enjoy that type of stuff… it’s a part of the brain I don’t have. I also zip lined once with my daughter and was like, ‘nothing about this is natural.’ But, of course, I put a smile on my face.”

As for one his favorite work-travel destinations, Hale likes Vancouver. As part of his work on The Mysterious Benedict Society, the first season was shot in the city during Covid. However, amid the widespread closures, he took to hiking surrounding confines with Capilano Suspension Bridge Park — with a narrow suspension bridge over Capilano River — being a top memory.

On camera, another top memory that just has be asked about is the epic Beyoncé Verizon commercial during this year’s Super Bowl. Serving as Beyoncé’s sidekick as she announced her country album and dropped two new songs — earning Hale some major bonus points with his daughter alongside all the travel memories they’ve had together.

“My daughter had just seen Beyoncé in concert with a friend and [with my non-disclosure agreement] I could not tell her that I did this commercial,” he recalled. “Ever since then, I love her Cowboy Carter album… and it was cool to be a part of something that is really a part of our culture now. And, I got some cool dad points and also a little bit of a ticked off kid that she didn’t know.”

JetBlue is on the move with new flight routes, while saying goodbye to others. Ahead of the winter travel season, the airline will add a variety of new routes to popular destinations such as Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and Phoenix.

“These moves underscore JetBlue’s commitment to refining its network while leveraging its award-winning experience,” the airline shared in a release announcing the news. 

In the New York area, the airline will begin new service from Long Island’s MacArthur Airport (ISP), with a new daily flight to Orlando, and also service to Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and West Palm Beach (VPS) four times a week. 

From Boston Logan Airport, the airline will increase flights with a second daily route to Phoenix, which will also feature Mint, a business class-level service with a flat-bed seat.

From Manchester, New Hampshire, JetBlue will expand in Florida to Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, and Orlando in January 2025. The Orlando route will operate daily, while the Fort Lauderdale and Fort Myers route will operate three days a week.  The airline will also begin a new Portland, Maine (PWM) to Orlando (MCO) route in October, that will operate three times a week as a winter seasonal service.

“We are incredibly proud of our strong roots in Boston and New England, a place that has always embraced our vision for low fares and superior travel experiences,” JetBlue’s President Marty St. George shared in the release. 

With the new routes, JetBlue will be pulling back to end routes and exit seven different markets including: Burbank, CA (BUR); Charlotte, NC (CLT); Minneapolis, MN (MSP); Palm Springs, CA (PSP); San Antonio, TX (SAT); Tallahassee, FL (TLH) and Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (PTP).

“JetBlue is constantly evaluating our routes to best serve our customers, return our airline to profitability, and find ways to improve our reliability,” JetBlue shared in a statement to Travel + Leisure. “These decisions are never easy; however, these markets have recently fallen short of our expectations.”

The airline says customers will be be able to rebook to a different flight option, or receive a refund if a alternative flight is not available.

Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best winners highlight the top hotels, restaurants, experiences, and destinations its users loved most over the last year. As the brand explained on its website, “fewer than 1 percent of Tripadvisor’s 8 million listings are awarded Best of the Best, signifying the highest level of excellence in travel.” And if you happen to be a discerning outdoor adventure lover, Tripadvisor has a new “Best of the Best” spot for you to check out. 

After looking at all the reviews, Tripadvisor named Kathmandu the Best of the Best for its nature destinations category. 

“Nepal’s capital is surrounded by a valley full of historic sites, ancient temples, shrines, and fascinating villages,” it wrote in its release. “Mingle with locals and animals amid Durbar Square’s monuments, or join mountain trekkers in the bustling Thamel District. Explore shops for exquisite work by local artisans — carpets and paper prints are specialties.”

And, when you’re ready to unwind after a day of sightseeing, you can do so at Fusion Bar at Dwarika’s Hotel, a spot beloved by Travel + Leisure A-List travel advisor Niall Causer, from Audley Travel.

“There are so many great bars across the Indian subcontinent. For me and many of my clients, Fusion Bar at Dwarika’s Hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal, is one of my all-time favorites,” Causer previously shared with T+L. “This former cottage of the hotel’s curator has been converted into a wonderful place to relax that serves world-class cocktails, local beers, and Nepali snacks such as momos, or meat dumplings. A superb place to unwind on a hot day by the pool, [relax] after a long flight, or share travel tales after an exciting journey through the Himalayas.”

As for where else made top-billing on Tripadvisor’s 2024 list, Halong Bay in Vietnam came in second, with Tripadvisor noting that travelers love its “limestone islands, rock formations, and caves.” It was followed by Hurghada, located on Egypt’s Red Sea Coast in third, the entire nation of Mauritius in fourth, and the island of Lombok in Indonesia rounding out the top five.

See all the nature-loving spots for a little more travel inspiration at tripadvisor.com.

A hotel rarely renders me speechless, but I was amazed when I arrived at Aman Tokyo this May.

Stepping into the 33rd-floor lobby, I first noticed the soaring white washi paper ceiling, the crown of the towering space’s superb modern Japanese design. Rather than standing at a desk to check in, I was immediately sat in a comfortable chair in the lobby and given a refreshing towel and a cup of tea to enjoy as I completed the process. It’s clear from that moment that every aspect of the stay is carefully crafted in a way that can only be described as perfect hospitality. And even without the impeccable design by Kerry Hill Architects and better-than-five-star service, the views alone would be a reason to stay at Aman Tokyo. From the lobby (and later, I discovered, from my room), you can gaze out over the endless Tokyo skyline, all the way to Mount Fuji. 

Since it first opened in December 2014, Aman Tokyo has gained a reputation as one of the Japanese capital’s most luxurious and exclusive hotels — and it’s become a Travel + Leisure reader favorite, ranked among our top hotels in Tokyo in the World’s Best Awards. Perched on the top floors of the Otemachi Tower in Tokyo’s Otemachi business district, the hotel is best for adult leisure and business travelers. Tucked between skyscrapers, Aman Tokyo was the brand’s first urban hotel, but the property has the distinctive Aman resort feel thanks to ryokan-style rooms, a serene spa, and a sky-high pool that overlooks the cityscape.  

Here, our review of Aman Tokyo. 

The Rooms

Eighty-four guest accommodations range from the Garden View, Deluxe, and Tokyo suites to the signature Aman, Grand, City, and Panorama suites. I stayed in an 829-square-foot Tokyo Suite, with wood, washi paper, and stone anchoring the peaceful space with a modern Japanese aesthetic. The entire room — from the desk to the king-sized bed to the sunken living area — was positioned for optimal views of floor-to-ceiling windows looking out on the city and beyond. I could have sat in the window seat, pressed against the glass, for hours, watching the lights twinkle as the sun set across the skyscrapers, the Imperial Palace Gardens, and Mount Fuji. Every room promises incredible city views, but I highly recommend first-timers book a room with a Mount Fuji view — it was magical to wake up to the sight of the iconic volcano each morning. 

Behind a sliding door, the large bathroom has two sinks, a toilet with a state-of-the-art bidet, a traditional furo tub (with handy instructions for using it!), and all the amenities you could need, including a mini Marvis toothpaste. Even the in-room minibar was a work of art, with perfectly wrapped Shiranui orange juice (perhaps the best orange juice I have ever tasted) among the curated beverage selections. 

Food and Drink

Aman Tokyo’s five food and beverage outlets provide diverse dining experiences. Starting at the bottom, La Pâtisserie by Aman Tokyo is located on the B2 floor of the Otemachi Tower, offering a gorgeous display of French pastries. (I had the mille feuille, packaged with the utmost care so it wouldn’t tip en route to my room.) Outside in the Otemachi Forest, The Café by Aman offers lunch and dinner in a beautiful, glass-walled space looking out on the lush greenery. 

Upstairs off the lobby, The Lounge by Aman is the hotel’s upscale take on a lobby bar with all-day dining and afternoon tea that highlights seasonal flavors (right now, it’s a peach-themed afternoon tea menu for summer). Avra, an Italian restaurant that highlights seasonal, local produce, is also located off the lobby with window tables that offer incredible Mount Fuji views. This is also where you can enjoy breakfast in the morning (unless you prefer room service). I was delighted to try my first traditional Japanese breakfast, a multi-dish meal resembling a jewel box of savory seafood bites, pickled vegetables, fresh fruit, miso soup, and rice. 

Finally, the hotel’s omakase restaurant, Musashi by Aman, is tucked above the lobby with eight seats surrounding the Hinoki cypress wood counter. Omakase is already an intimate meal style, with the chef determining the menu each day and then preparing each bite right in front of you, but this dinner offered something more — a connection to this place and to the chef that goes beyond the typical dining experience. 

Master Chef Musashi delicately prepares each morsel of the meal with fish selected from the market that morning and rice he cultivates and harvests himself in his hometown in the Yamanashi Prefecture. Chef Musashi even uses his rice to brew the restaurant’s sake, and the Musashi by Aman extra dry sake was the perfect compliment to the outstanding meal. The 21-course parade of seafood was beautifully choreographed, with standout dishes including stewed fatty tuna, grilled miso fish, marbled flounder nigiri, and an uni hand roll.

Guests drinking sake were presented with a box of 20 crystal sake cups in different shapes, patterns, and colors to choose from — a small, but thoughtful detail that elevated the experience even more. 

Activities and Experiences

Aman Tokyo offers a range of activities in the Otemachi neighborhood and beyond, from a behind-the-scenes look at sumo to art gallery tours. I took a traditional rickshaw ride (aboard a plush red velvet and shiny silver chariot) through the neighborhood on a sunny morning, and my guide taught me all about the area, impressively carrying the rickshaw as he jogged. Wellness-seekers will want to check out the hotel’s yoga and Pilates studio, fitness center, and traditional Japanese baths — and all guests should visit the 98-foot heated indoor pool with breathtaking city views. The stone-column-lined pool is lovely during the day, but the poolside beds and calming water are even better at night when you can see the Tokyo Tower lit up amid the other glowing buildings just outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. 

The Spa

With 26,900 square feet spread over two floors, the Aman Spa is the largest, most comprehensive hotel spa in Tokyo. Before the treatment begins, guests can spend an hour enjoying the baths, showers, and steam rooms for a Misogi experience based on a traditional Shinto bathing ritual. Onsen-style baths have skyline views, too, and there’s something oddly serene about watching the fast-paced city from high above in the warm stone pool. Treatments range from holistic, one-day wellness programs to facials, massages, or body treatments that aim to ground, purify, and nourish the body.

I chose the Aman Tokyo Signature Journey, a 150-minute head-to-toe experience starting with a full-body scrub and a 90-minute massage. After the treatment, the discomfort of my 14-hour flight and intense jet lag felt like a distant memory; if only every long-haul flight could be followed by an afternoon at the Aman Spa. 

Location 

Aman Tokyo is located on the top six floors of the Otemachi Tower in Tokyo’s Otemachi business district, about a 10-minute walk from the Imperial Palace and Imperial Palace East Gardens. 

It’s right by Otemachi Station, which is served by five subway lines, and it’s just a short walk to Tokyo Station, which is served by subway and train lines, including some shinkansen or bullet trains. 

Haneda Airport (HND) is about a 40-minute drive from the hotel, and Narita Airport is about an hour away. 

How to Get the Most Value Out of Your Stay 

The starting rate at Aman is $1,260 per night, placing it among the more expensive hotels in Tokyo. Now is a fantastic time for American travelers to visit Japan thanks to favorable dollar-to-yen exchange rates.

A popular international airline just announced a major upgrade for business class passengers.

Turkish Airlines revealed its new Crystal Business Class Suite during the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. 

For the first time, the business class will have an adjustable sliding door which will offer more privacy in the cabin. The seat has a 22” television screen, and 23” of seat width, which make the suite comfortable for sitting or when extended into a bed for sleeping. 

The design of the seats is ergonomic and functional, with extra space for personal belongings and a variety of outlets. As a nod to the local heritage of Turkey, a variety of fabrics and leather were locally sourced. 

“Our new Crystal Business Class suite will add a new chapter for our long-haul luxury travel and will carry the airline into the future with a new level of comfort and privacy across our extensive global network,”  Turkish Airlines Chairman of The Board and Executive Committee Prof. Ahmet Bolat said in a release. “The specially created design will complement our award-winning in-flight dining options for us to keep providing an unparalleled experience above the clouds for our guests.”

The cabin will soon be installed for aircraft that operate transcontinental flights, such as Airbus A350 and Boeing-777. 

The airline also recently announced they will soon provide free, fast wi-fi to all passengers by 2025. Turkish Airlines currently provides free internet to Business Class and other loyalty program members. 

Turkish Airlines operates from a main hub at iGA Istanbul Airport, which was recently ranked as number one airport in the world by Travel + Leisure readers in the World’s Best Awards. Readers commented on the variety of activities, shopping, and restaurants throughout the airport. 

During the recent Travel + Leisure World’s Best Summit, the airport’s Deputy CEO and Chief Airport Operations Officer Mehmet Büyükkaytan shared how the airport is innovating with new amenities for passengers, and includes a museum with over 300 pieces from 29 regional museums.

Forget about self-driving cars. What about self-flying airplanes?

Well, on the one hand, that already exists in some capacity. Most commercial aircraft have an autopilot system that can autonomously control certain aspects of flight in the cruise stage. And some even have an autolanding system that, you guessed it, automates certain aspects of landing. But takeoff is entirely human-controlled — for now, anyway.

Aircraft manufacturer Embraer just announced the Embraer Enhanced Takeoff System (E2TS) at the Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K., the first automated takeoff system in the commercial aviation industry. The software, which is designed for its E2 family of aircraft, is scheduled to debut in late 2025.

So how does E2TS work? In a nutshell, it calculates and executes the most precise and efficient rotation — that is, when the plane’s nose lifts off the runway. In doing so, Embraer jets with E2TS will be able to maximize takeoffs by reducing the length of runway traveled during takeoff (which is crucial at airports with short runways) and reducing the workload of the pilot during takeoff.

Pilots, however, will still need to be behind the controls for the entire process, just as they must be with autopilot and autoland. While E2TS will handle rotation, the pilot must initiate the takeoff roll (throttling down the runway), manually correct heading if necessary (keeping the nose of the plane straight on the runway), and keep their hands on the yoke (“steering wheel”) in case they need to override autopilot at any point. 

With the efficiency of E2TS, Embraer jets will actually gain range — they’ll be able to fly up to 575 miles farther, expanding their potential route network. And they’ll also reduce the risk of tail strikes (when an aircraft’s tail hits the runway as the nose lifts up).

For now, E2TS is limited to the E2 family of Embraer jets. Though no U.S. airline currently has E2 planes in its fleet, the aircraft is flown by international airlines like KLM Cityhopper, based in the Netherlands; Azul Brazilian Airlines, based in Brazil; and Porter Airlines, based in Canada.

In an ideal world, you’d be able to fly nonstop just about anywhere. But the reality is you’ll probably have a layover on more than one trip in your life. And in some cases, those layovers might be really long. At that point, you’re at a crossroads. Do you head for the airport lounge for hours upon hours? Do you post up at an airport bar and spend who knows how much cash on mediocre food and drinks? Or do you make a break for it and leave the airport?

Yes, you are usually allowed to leave an airport on a layover — and some airlines even encourage it with stopover programs — but there are a number of caveats to doing so. Here’s everything you need to know about leaving an airport on a layover, from how long you actually need to how to participate in a stopover program.

Can you leave the airport during a layover?

Yes, you can, so long as you follow all the immigration rules of your layover destination. Domestically, American travelers can always leave the airport on their layovers. International travelers, however, will need to either have visa-free entry to the U.S. or a valid visa to enter — and that same rule applies to American travelers with international layovers, too.

Now, when it comes to leaving the airport, there are two types of layovers. First is a standard layover, when you have less than a day on the ground between flights. Second is a stopover program, in which you actually leave the airport for more than a day. Many airlines offer formal stopover programs that may include discounts on hotels and tours.

Take, for instance, the new Icelandic budget airline Play. “Play’s stayover feature enables passengers to stay up to 10 days in Iceland on their way to their final destination, on their returning flight, or both!” Play CEO Einar Örn Ólafsson tells Travel + Leisure. “Adding a stop in Iceland at no additional cost brings travelers two getaways for the price of one flight, so they can check two destinations off of their bucket list.”

Factors to Consider Before Leaving the Airport

If you’re considering leaving the airport during a layover, you’ll want to think about the following factors first.

Layover Duration

In order to leave the airport on a layover, you need time, and plenty of it.  At the bare minimum, you’ll need enough time to go through security and make it to your gate before the boarding door closes. As you probably know, it’s generally suggested that you get to the airport two to three hours before your flight. So if all you want to do is step outside to breathe some fresh air, you’ll need a layover of at least two to three hours. And if you’re traveling internationally, you’ll also have to add time for customs and immigration — potentially both as you arrive to your destination and as you leave it.

If you have any aspirations of going somewhere or doing something outside the airport, you’ll have to factor in transportation time. When you’re estimating how long your plans will take, always give yourself a buffer. If you miss your flight because you’ve left the airport and didn’t budget your time properly, you’re completely out of luck and will likely have to buy a new plane ticket.

Customs and Immigration Requirements

If your layover is in an international destination, you must check the visa requirements in that country before leaving. You may have to go through customs and immigration, even if you only plan on spending 10 minutes outside the airport. You may need to get a visa before leaving the airport, but even if you don’t need a visa, you’ll probably still need a few blank pages in your passport for stamps.

If you do need a visa, make sure you’re getting the right one. Transit visas may be available for layovers — these are usually less expensive than standard tourist visas. “For those who are not eligible for visa on arrival or visa-free travel, they can add a ‘transit visa’ as an extra while completing their stopover booking on Qatar Airways Holidays website,” a Qatar Airways spokesperson tells T+L.

Carry-on Luggage

Traveling with carry-on bags? You may not want to (or be able to) bring them to certain attractions — rolling suitcases can be a bit of a nuisance. It’s best to look for storage lockers to stash away your carry-on while you have fun on your layover. Sometimes these are available at airport terminals, or you could look for a third-party service in your layover destination. Another idea is to book a rental car for a few hours, so you can store your luggage in the trunk.

Time of Day

If your layover is during normal business hours, it might not be such a bad idea to go enjoy yourself for an afternoon. But if your layover is in the evening or overnight when everything is closed, there might not be much of a reason to leave. Overnight layovers might be long enough to warrant booking a hotel, and there’s nothing better than a hot shower and getting some good sleep after a day of flying.

Tips for Planning Layover Excursions and Activities

If you leave the airport during your layover, it’s a good idea to have a game plan to ensure you make it onto your next flight. Here are a few tips for planning a layover excursion.

Look at a map.

In many destinations, the airport is in the middle of nowhere. Start planning by looking at a map and seeing just how far away the airport is from the city center or the attractions you’re hoping to visit.

Consider your transportation options.

How do you plan to get around? Look into the timing and cost of public transportation, taxis, and ride shares. If each of those is inconvenient, consider booking a rental car.

Check opening hours.

When planning any travel itinerary, you’ll want to check the hours of operation for any attractions or restaurants you plan to visit. Many museums, for instance, are closed on certain weekdays (often Mondays or Tuesdays).

Stopover Programs

Many airlines offer formal stopover programs, where travelers can spend a day or two (or 10) in the layover destination for no additional flight fee. Some programs even provide discounts on hotels and attractions. But even if you don’t choose a formal stopover program, you can always DIY — use an airline’s multi-city function during booking to manually insert a stopover into your itinerary. But again, check immigration policies! To get the creative juices flowing for a future layover, here are three destinations (and their airlines) that have stopover programs.

Iceland: Icelandair and PLAY

Iceland is perfectly situated about halfway between the U.S. and Europe, so it’s a logical stopover spot. Plus, who doesn’t want to go to Iceland?! Both Icelandair and PLAY offer stopover programs; the former allows stays up to seven days, and the latter allows stays up to 10 days. “With the stayover feature, travelers can experience the island’s incredible cuisine, natural wonders, hot springs, and more before continuing on to their final destination or heading home,” says Ólafsson.

Qatar: Qatar Airways

Doha, Qatar, is a major international layover destination, particularly for those traveling to or from Asia or Africa on Qatar Airways, so the airline hosts a stopover program. Travelers can stay up to four days in Qatar, and the airline even offers major hotel discounts. Five-star hotels, for instance, cost as little as $81 per person per night. Plus, if travelers don’t have time for a multi-day stopover, they can also explore Doha on a day tour, too. “Travelers who wish to take a transit tour can obtain a transit visa with assistance from the HIA transfer desks,” says a spokesperson for the airline.

Panama: Copa Airlines

Traveling between North America and South America? Copa Airlines has a stopover program in Panama that can last between 24 hours to six nights. You can choose from discounted tour options booked through the airline, or you can arrange your layover yourself. If you’ve ever wanted to see the Panama Canal, this is a great way to do it.

A travel napping hack viewed by millions on TikTok and Instagram is giving health and safety experts heart palpitations. The airplane hack, which involved lifting your feet from the floor to the seat, strapping them down tight with the seatbelt, and then lowering your head on your knees, is going viral — with many travelers testing the trick aboard an aircraft and posting it online.

One user posted that the hack was “life changing,” but experts warn it is not only likely ineffective, it’s dangerous and potentially bad for your body. 

“It’s not suggested to sit this way because if there is rough air, you can jolt you forward or up and down, and can risk injuries,” says Jasmine Khadija, who has been a mainline flight attendant for two years. “If there’s an emergency evacuation, It’s strongly advised to avoid any trip hazards including belts and straps of any kind around the feet area.” 

Health experts warn that while it may be comfortable for some, your body is not in a great position for rest, and it can even cause problems. 

“This position doesn’t allow your body to relax fully and can cause discomfort due to the awkward curvature of your spine and the strain it puts on your neck,” says Dr. Chelsea Perry, lead clinician and owner of Sleep Solutions. She also emphasizes that this position could cause circulation issues. “While it might work for a quick nap, it’s not ideal for longer periods.”

“Any slight turbulence may cause your head to bump your knees, possibly causing an injury, and the forward head position can lead to neck cramps and headaches,” agrees Cali Bahrenfuss, CCSH, RPSGT, clinical sleep health educator and owner of Delta Sleep Coaching. “Having your head resting on your knees can also create a pinched or disrupted airway, leading to snoring or difficulty breathing properly while sleeping.”

Both sleep experts agree that resting in a normal seated position, with your legs forward (and even a bit elevated if possible), either slightly reclined or with your head to the side, is the best for the body (and for the likelihood of sleep). They both also encourage moving into different positions (particularly, moving your legs) in order to increase circulation and keep your body happy. 

Khadija also notes that this TikTok hack may not even be possible, as flight attendants will often be around and tell you to sit properly. “We’ll ask and advise not to sit that way,” she says.

In other words? Best to leave this one on the apps. 

There is a certain vagueness about our national awareness of Wilmington, North Carolina. It is a significant American city, a 300-year-old colonial port that played a determining role in American history at more than one juncture, yet a striking number of people have never heard of it. I have been here for 20 years and am used to being met with a kind of blankness when I tell someone from another town where I live. 

Some remember Wilmington from their youth as a pretty beach town with an interesting “old” section down by the river. It was once referred to as “the Port City of Progress and Pleasure” — but many people who live here pay little attention to the port and the constant activity around it. 

Still, even if the city’s identity is fuzzy, there is an undeniable charm that may owe its existence to precisely that quality. Wilmington does not brand itself as aggressively as many other Southern coastal cities. It has chill, as the kids say these days. If you want to get to know it, you have to explore it some. The exploration is worth it. 

As a history obsessive and pale person who generally hides from the sun, my favorite part of Wilmington is not our famous beaches but Downtown, by the river, a small grid of streets lined with late-19th-century commercial buildings, and the blocks that flank it, where the oldest houses are. Only a few pre-Revolutionary structures survived the fires that have sporadically destroyed sections of the city. A couple of grand 18th-century homes overlook the wharves, and one very old brick building, the Mitchell-Anderson House at Orange and Front Streets, supposedly dates back to the 1730s, right around the time Wilmington came into existence. If you walk by there, take a look at the ballast-stone foundation, one of only a few that have lasted. These football-size stones were carried over from England in the holds of ships to weigh them down properly. When a ship arrived in port, its stones were removed so goods could be put into the hulls. The stones were then used to build foundations. 

Many visitors will probably always gravitate toward remnants of the antebellum South, and we certainly have those to offer. Downtown, horse-drawn-carriage tours move sleepily along brick streets; ghost tours are also fun (we seem to specialize in ghost stories, many involving pirates, which is funny, because we didn’t really have many pirates here). I recommend a tour of the Burgwin-Wright House & Gardens, built about 1770. During the Revolutionary War, when the city was occupied by the British, Lord Cornwallis briefly used it as his headquarters. You can also take a nighttime walk through the Latimer House, built during the 1850s, and see what those grand old places looked like when they were lit by gas lamps. 

Finally and most famously, there is the white-columned Bellamy Mansion, at the corner of Fifth and Market, with its intact brick “slave quarters” in the back. Most of the fine craftwork to be seen inside the mansion was executed by enslaved and free Black artisans. Only in 2002 was it discovered that one of them, William B. Gould, who escaped during the Civil War and joined the Union navy (and kept a diary that was later published), had signed his initials behind a piece of decorative plasterwork.

The discovery is, in a sense, a metaphor: in Wilmington, Black history is always peeking out from behind an Old South façade. In recent years, more people have become aware of the city’s complicated and often bloody racial past, and if they know anything about the place, they might be aware that a white-supremacist mob committed a massacre here in 1898. (A book on that subject, David Zucchino’s Wilmington’s Lie, won a Pulitzer Prize a few years ago.) To live here today is to be constantly aware of how the city is coming to grips with that story. 

Related: U.S. Road Trips That Honor and Celebrate Black History

For anyone interested in Wilmington’s African-American history — and not just the violence, but the cultural depth and achievement — there now exists an easy way to interact with it as a tourist: the WilmingtoNColor tour. This was created by my friend Cedric Harrison, a local entrepreneur whose nonprofit Support the Port has been active on the social-justice scene for a decade. A few years ago, he bought a bus (actually a decommissioned Atlanta transit tram) with a plan to use it for guided tours. I remember the day he got it: I went over to help rip out the old seats and install a video screen. 

Today the bus is thoroughly fancied up, and along the sides run the faces of some of the city’s Black heroes, including the newspaper editor Alex Manly, whose pioneering Daily Record was burned on that dark day in 1898; the artist Minnie Evans; and the basketball player Michael Jordan, who went to high school in the city and was back this past spring for the opening of a medical clinic that carries his name. 

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Cedric’s trained guides will take you to see sites that are important to Wilmington’s Black history but might be difficult to identify otherwise, such as the empty lot next to St. Luke’s AME Zion Church, which was the final location of the Daily Record offices, or Williston Middle School, formerly Williston Senior High School, one of the great Black public schools in the South. It produced, among other notables, the Heath brothers, who were pioneers of modern jazz (bassist Percy and saxophonist Jimmy both attended Williston), and Althea Gibson, the first Black Wimbledon tennis champion. “I’ve had people take the tour, and it made them want to go do their own research,” Cedric said, adding that the most common reaction he gets on the bus is “Why isn’t any of this taught in schools?” 

Wilmington’s Cameron Art Museum was built on the site of the so-called Battle of Forks Road, where the city’s Confederate defenders faced off against the United States Colored Troops and lost. A permanent outdoor sculpture, Stephen Cameron’s Boundless, stands within a park on the property. Nine soldiers, representing the Black recruits who fought in the battle, march in rows of three behind a drummer and a flag-bearer. 

Most people who visit Wilmington come not for history, of course, but for the natural beauty. Our beaches are superb, especially given that all of them are public. The Cape Fear peninsula juts out a bit into the Atlantic, so the water there is at its clearest and cleanest. The sand is pale and fine. There are waves, though not the kind of waves that grind your face into the coral — surfing tournaments take place here, believe it or not. Wrightsville Beach is the main one: four miles long, with plenty of smooth sand for spreading out your towels, and almost never horrifically crowded, even in peak season. But be sure to check out at least one other stretch of strand, maybe Carolina Beach, which on some nights feels like a time capsule from the 1950s, with rows of small beach shacks and even an amusement park that runs through Labor Day. If you make it to Carolina Beach, find Britt’s Donut Shop, an institution, along the boardwalk, and get a coffee and a bag of fresh glazed doughnuts. They sell nothing else. Later take a walk on the wooden dock, which seems to extend fantastically far out over the ocean.

The countryside around Wilmington can also yield surprises. It’s not the traditional postcard kind of nature, with hikes and waterfalls. This country is flat. The soil is sandy and poor, easily exhausted. But the landscape has its own weird treasures. 

I took a kayak trip with Deb Maurer of the Nature Conservancy to see one of the oldest trees in North Carolina: a bald cypress in a swamp on the Black River. We had to paddle carefully, because all around us were cypress knees, the strange aboveground, or in this case above-water, roots that bald cypress trees put out, a familiar Wilmington sight. My friend the artist and naturalist George Sanford McGee, who came with us, spotted a gorgeous brown water snake napping on one knee. Little yellow prothonotary warblers flitted through the canopy. Deb said they don’t know exactly how old the tree is, but cores that have been taken suggest an age of at least 2,700 years. When we paddled up to it, it was totally enormous and unlike any tree I’ve seen. The outside bark looked like seal skin, slick and taut around the trunk.

Perhaps Wilmington’s greatest boast is its Venus flytraps. This part of the coast is the only place on earth where those famous carnivorous plants grow wild. When friends pass through, the first place I typically take them is one of the Venus flytrap preserves. Nobody’s mind is ever not blown. There has been a lot of interesting science done on flytraps. They can count, it turns out, and possess a kind of memory or sense of time. When a flytrap feels a tickle on one of its sensitive trigger hairs, known as trichomes, it waits to see how quickly the next couple of tickles happen — and snaps closed only if they occur within a certain time span. In this way, it can tell the difference between an insect and a raindrop, so it doesn’t go snapping its lobes at every wind, wasting its energy for zero nutrition. My favorite place to commune with the flytraps (and a couple of other species of pitcher plant) is at the Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden at Piney Ridge Nature Preserve, where a little stone path winds through the moist habitat. There is hardly ever anyone else there.

Wilmington does not show up on many people’s culinary maps of the most exciting places to eat in America, but that may be about to change. When I moved here in 2004, there were very few places to take visiting friends who were into food. The exception has always been barbecue. This part of eastern North Carolina has its own sub-regional style. The sauce is not thick, red, and spicy, like you find farther west. Here it is tangy and vinegar-based. The hush puppies are not round but shaped like chubby fingers. Most unusual of all, when you order a barbecue sandwich, it is typically served with a scoop of coleslaw directly on top of the meat. That may sound disgusting, but somehow, it bangs. Just make sure to eat quickly, because the bun gets soggy very fast. 

My favorite barbecue joint in town, a place that could have bottled and sold its own authenticity in a pinch, was Parchie’s, which was just down the street from my house. It closed a few years ago, one of many pandemic casualties. These days your best bet, and the old standby, is Jackson’s Big Oak Barbecue (there is actually a giant oak tree in the back — we are a people of subtle naming). 

We also have two fantastic soul-food places that have managed to stay open. There’s Nippy’s Soul Food, on 17th Street, where, as the sign says, they’re taking you back to mama’s kitchen, provided your mama knew how to make sumptuous chitterlings, neck bones, and oxtails. And there is Truck’s Chicken ‘n Fish, downtown on Red Cross, where you can sit at the counter and get your sweet tea on, then feast on fried catfish, which is the best I’ve ever tasted, full stop. 

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If you had told me when I moved to Wilmington that there would someday be too many good and interesting higher-end dining establishments to name, I’d have asked you to sit and tell me about your apparent drinking problem. Not so, anymore. I have encountered people in the past four or five years who claim that the food scene is one of the reasons they moved here. Caprice Bistro is the anchor and the mainstay, a French restaurant owned and run by a real Frenchman and his Belgian wife, Thierry and Patricia Moity. They serve classic dishes like lamb cassoulet and beef bourguignon. I’ve eaten at Caprice maybe a hundred times and have never had a bad meal. The cocktails and wine list are similar to the food: solid, unpretentious, tasty. If you’re leaning swankier, think about Manna, still one of the best restaurants in Wilmington after going on 15 years of existence. The proprietor, Billy Mellon, is cut from the old cloth. A former military man, he circulates through the room in a suit with slicked-back hair. One block south is Manna’s competitor, PinPoint Restaurant. The fried chicken is memorable, in a region where it’s hard to stand out for your fried chicken.

The most exciting new spot, which opened in 2021, is Seabird. Head chef Dean Neff was a finalist for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Chef this year. On the short list of the best and most interesting seafood I’ve eaten in my life are three Seabird meals. The fish is so fresh you taste the seawater. 

Once I went oyster harvesting with one of Dean’s providers, a sustainable shellfisher named Äna Shellem. We rode on a little skiff to a wild oyster bed on Masonboro Island and ate oysters right there on the little spit of muddy sand. They were wonderful right out of the shell, and Neff mainly lets their natural savor shine through, though the little mignonettes and preparations he serves them with are superb. It’s his stews that I love most, though: rich broths full of different sea life — including plants, seaweeds, and algae. Shellem brings him dead man’s fingers, a type of seaweed that he uses in salads. It’s all sinfully good, and for dessert there’s sometimes a house-made mint chocolate chip ice cream that, according to my younger daughter, has redefined ice cream.

One of the true hidden treasures along this stretch of North Carolina coast is Bald Head Island, which is not in Wilmington proper but about 40 miles south. Catch the ferry at Southport, a little seaside town that is itself worth an afternoon of antiques shopping and ice cream. Bald Head is partly a nature preserve — turtles nest there — and its most untouched sections give you a chance to see what this part of the Southern coast looked like when only Native Americans lived here. Gnarly oaks groan in the ocean breezes. A tall, powerful lighthouse, Old Baldy, celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2017. You can climb to the top and survey the whole island. There are plenty of houses and condos, but no cars. Everyone gets around on golf carts and bikes, a rule that does much to preserve the atmosphere of seclusion. A great place to stay is the Inn at Bald Head Island, owned by a groovy New Jersey couple, Dann and Gail Jackson. A few passable restaurants and a grocery store mean you can stay as long as you like. If you’re spending a week in Wilmington, the island makes for a perfect vacation-within-a-vacation.

Wilmington! What a weird, beautiful little city. I recommend you get here before we figure out what we are. The population is about 120,000 these days — still small enough for residents to feel each time the influx pulses: when the students come back to college at University of North Carolina Wilmington, or the tourists arrive for the summer. I came here once for six months, to get some writing done. That was 20 years ago. You might not stay that long. In fact, it would be better if you didn’t. We have a housing crisis: new people are having a hard time finding a place to live. To visit, though? Heaven. 

Where to Stay

Blockade Runner Beach Resort

While there have been hotels on this spot on Wrightsville Beach since the 1860s, the 150-room Brutalist building that houses the Blockade Runner has been a local icon since its debut in 1964. The property has access to both the Atlantic Ocean (for surfing) and the more sedate Wrightsville Sound (for fishing and kayaking). New owners have initiated a welcome renovation.

Dreamers by DW

This handsome Queen Anne–style house in a residential part of Downtown has been converted into five bright and airy guest rooms and suites, available on an Airbnb-style rental model. The contemporary interiors are decorated with blond wood and pops of pastel color.

The Hive

Fifteen individually designed suites, all with fully equipped kitchenettes, in a converted indus trial building only two blocks from the riverfront.

The Inn at Bald Head Island

This 10-suite bed and breakfast, just across the harbor from the island’s ferry landing, is rich with Southern coastal charm. Sit out on the long terrace and enjoy the ocean breezes.

Where to Eat

Britt’s Donut Shop

This Carolina Beach institution has been making doughnuts since 1939. And they make only one type— original glazed.

Caprice Bistro

Timeless French dishes — such as duck confit and steak frites — prepared simply and elegantly.

Jackson’s Big Oak Barbecue

All the classics, including barbecued pork, fried chicken, and banana pudding.

Manna

Thoughtful revamps of American standards, as well an excellent craft-cocktail menu.

Nippy’s Soul Food

At this family-owned restaurant, customers can “pay it forward”: buy a meal in advance for someone who might not be able to afford one.

PinPoint Restaurant

Chef Cameron Garvey presents a rotating menu of elevated American classics, such as a fried chicken with General Tso sauce.

Seabird

Spectacular, inventively prepared seafood is the star of chef Dean Neff’s menu — try the swordfish schnitzel or the crispy smoked catfish.

Truck’s Chicken ‘n Fish

A great soul-food place, with a legendary mac and cheese.

What to Do

Bellamy Mansion Museum

The self-guided tour of this ornate mid-19th-century home of a physician’s family includes the quarters of his enslaved workers. 

Burgwin-Wright House & Gardens

The city’s only colonial-era building open to the public is surrounded by extensive grounds that reflect 18th-century garden style, with terraces, an orchard, and a kitchen garden. 

Cameron Art Museum

This eclectic institution has a collection that ranges from Mary Cassatt to Robert Rauschenberg — as well as a study center for the work of visionary artist Minnie Evans.

Latimer House Museum

Once the home of a prosperous Wilmington family, this 1852 residence is a window into the
city’s Victorian past. 

Stanley Rehder Carnivorous Plant Garden

Named after a local horticulturalist, this compact plot showcases Venus flytraps, sundews, and pitcher plants. 

WilmingtoNColor

Cedric Harrison’s 70-minute bus tour of the city focuses on the history of its African-American population, from the 1898 massacre by white supremacists to the achievements of artists and athletes.

A version of this story first appeared in the August 2024 issue of Travel + Leisure under the headline “Time and Tide.”