Month: July 2024

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. 

Related: The Perfect Itinerary for North Carolina’s Inner Banks

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. 

Related: I’ve Lived in North Carolina My Whole Life, and These Are The Most Underrated Destinations in the State

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.”

ORLANDO, Florida — Michael Brown said the data points in a very optimistic direction for the vacation ownership business and his company, Travel + Leisure Co. Owner nights are tracking up 6% year-over-year and there’s an expectation of double-digit growth in tours (sales presentations) for all of 2024, especially for new customers.

The Orlando-based company, which made a high-profile acquisition earlier this year with its $48.4
million purchase of Accor Vacation Club, had a modest earnings beat for the second quarter (according to C. Patrick Scholes of Truist Securities) with a net income of $129 million, net revenue of $985 million and adjusted EBITDA of
$244 million.

Brown told Hotel Investment Today that he was especially excited about higher-than-projected volume per guest (VPG) numbers. “We’re optimistic because our business is running very well and, in most cases, above our expectations,” he said. “We have different data points that show how the consumer is performing and those would say the second half of this year is going to be good.”

We’re optimistic because our business is running very well and, in most cases, above our expectations. We have different data points that show how the consumer is performing and those would say the second half of this year is going to be good.

Michael Brown

Scholes said Travel + Leisure’s earnings were a “respectable and fairly straightforward quarter” but with one big difference. “Unlike the prior quarter, the modest earnings beat resulted in the full-year guide being raised by the amount of the earnings beat, whereas the full-year guide was left unchanged last quarter following a small earnings beat,” he said. “We see the beat
and raise driven by somewhat higher than expected VPGs.”

Brown said the VPG numbers of $3,050 is well above where the number was pre-COVID and where it was expected to settle post-COVID. He also said the company’s financial portfolio (loans for timeshares) has come down a bit, which is weighing down its stock price.

The VPG numbers have grown higher for a few reasons. Brown said the company decided last year to elevate its marketing standard and raise the minimum FICO score to 40 points higher than in 2018-19. That has given Travel + Leisure a customer of a higher
financial quality, which creates other benefits. Brown said people are also staying longer at their resorts because of remote work.

“What you tend to get is a better-performing loan, and that, combined with an economy that still continues to do very well because people aren’t going to give up on vacations as we learned over the last five years,” he said. “What’s really driving that
is the fact that I think the consumer base has been elevated… We’re really seeing a positive move in our demographic as well as our economic status of our consumer.”

Brown said the 22% increase in new customer tours is especially important. “That new owner tour flow is super important to the longevity of the business, and this year, we’re way ahead of where we thought we’d be at the halfway mark of the year.”  

Hotel Investment Today also asked Brown about the integration of Accor Vacation Club, the status of its Sports Illustrated Resort and Margaritaville verticals and overall trends in vacation ownership.

Hotel
Investment Today (HIT): Can you give an update on the integration of your Accor
Vacation Club properties?

Michael Brown: It is going exceptionally smoothly. From the partnership with Accor to the actual restarting of the business, opening sales galleries and speaking to the owners about the new opportunities, this creates the restarting of the top-line revenue
component of the business, which eventually creates profit.

We know the baseline is there. We’ve gone through a full quarter, and we’ve seen a good integration. They’re immaterial to our overall P&L but above where we expected them to be. And now we can start focusing on those growth initiatives of incremental
sales locations and incremental projects that will provide more optionality for owners…

We’ll be thinking about expanding our sales locations this quarter and starting to look at opportunities to add incremental units to Accor Vacation Club. (Brown noted that this would be through organic growth in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.)

HIT:
What’s the latest on Sports Illustrated Resorts?

Brown: We did Tuscaloosa first, and our investment there was very early in the process to secure the land… As a first resort, we’ve spent a lot of time getting the right programming.

Over two-thirds of consumers today are either Gen X, millennials or Gen Z… which greatly dispels the idea that this is a product for your grandfather or grandmother.

Michael Brown

The Michigan project (in Ann Arbor) that was originally scheduled ran into some zoning issues. I’m probably a bit more cautious about talking about development, but I am very confident in saying we have a very robust pipeline at a number of universities.
I would expect multiple announcements as we head into the second half of this year, and we’re really excited about growing the brand in college towns and, candidly, in non-college towns as well.

HIT:
What’s the latest on Margaritaville’s development?

Brown: When I joined the company, we had two resorts. We’re up to, I believe, six at the moment and continue to look at incremental locations that are right for Margaritaville. For me, when I say Margaritaville, I think “toes in the sand and a drink
in your hand” type of places, and when you think about where our development pipeline is going to be… It’s going to be in destinations like that. We’re not by any stretch done with that brand and where we think it can be very.

HIT: What
are the latest trends in vacation ownership?

Brown: Over two-thirds of consumers today are either Gen X, millennials or Gen Z… which greatly dispels the idea that this is a product for your grandfather or grandmother. You just need to look at the average age continuing to move down. The fact
is that the industry is really consolidated around brands, and over 80% of the sales are to branded consumers or by branded hospitality.  

The balance sheet and reputation have completely made a 180-[degree turn] from the time [before the Great Recession] when it was individual developments selling an individual resort that was real estate based without a balance sheet, without a loyalty
program, and without a system to allow consumers to enjoy an entire brand as opposed to a single location. 

One of our biggest missions as we look forward is to continue communicating that it’s a branded industry committed to consumer protection. It’s a fundamentally transformed space.

A low-cost airline is on the move with new routes and flight deals.

Avelo Airlines, based in Houston, recently announced a major expansion with its first international destinations of Montego Bay, Jamaica, and Cancun, Mexico.

In celebration of the new routes, the airline is offering “very low, one-way fares” from $52 while availability lasts. The airline also announced an expansion with 16 additional new domestic routes including to Daytona Beach, Orlando-Lakeland, and other markets.

The new international routes will operate from Hartford, Connecticut’s Bradley International Airport (BDL), where Avelo will operate service to Cancun, starting  November 20, and Montego Bay, Jamaica, starting November 16, every Wednesday and Saturday. 

“Avelo’s purpose is to Inspire Travel and the addition of 18 new routes and our first two international destinations will make getting where our Customers want to go easier than ever,” Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy shared in a statement to Travel + Leisure. “Couple this with our industry-leading reliability and it’s no surprise over five million people have chosen to fly Avelo.” 

Tickets for the new routes are available on Avelo’s website. 

Avelo operates some flight routes from smaller, regional airports that are near a major city. For example, instead of operating from Orlando International Airport in Florida, the airline operates from Lakeland, FL, which is one hour southwest of Orlando International Airport, but still provides an accessible option for families looking to visit Orlando’s theme parks such as Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort, or SeaWorld. 

From the airline’s hub in Orlando-Lakeland, FL, the airline will add bi-weekly service to Boston-Manchester, Charlotte-Concord, Philadelphia-Wilmington, and San Juan, Puerto Rico. The airline will also expand routes from its Hartford hub, where Avelo will add bi-weekly service to Charlotte-Concord, Daytona Beach, Houston (Hobby), Orlando-Lakeland, and Wilmington, North Carolina.

For those not familiar, Avelo Airlines is a relatively new low-cost airline that was founded in 2021. The airline operates a fleet of 16 Boeing 737-700 and Boeing 737-800. Avelo frequently touts their on-time performance, and low cancellation rate, which is currently the best in the industry as ranked by the US Department of Transportation, and data firm Anuvu, respectively. 

If you’re looking to reduce stress, you might want to consider taking a camping trip. A survey of campers by Campspot found that 93 percent of campers felt more relaxed after a camping trip versus another kind of vacation.

Campspot has fittingly put together a list of the calmest camping spots in America, weighing factors like campground density (that is, how many campgrounds are in the area, not how crowded they are!), the ratings of campgrounds, the price of campgrounds, campground amenities and proximity to water and dark sky parks. Crunching all that data, the best place for a calming “camp-cation” is Ashland, New Hampshire.

Located about 90 minutes north of Boston, Ashland is the gateway to New Hampshire’s Lake Region, with a small downtown for provisions and 12 campgrounds (available via Campspot) within 25 miles. The immediate area is known for its various hiking trails and the Little Squam Lake and Squam Lake, where you’ll find the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, which offers wildlife cruises on the lake. White Mountain National Forest, home to Mt. Washington, the tallest mountain in the Northeast, is just a 30-minute drive from Ashland, and it’s a perfect spot for stargazing.

Need some more camping inspiration? Check out the top 10 destinations from Campspot’s ranking below.

1. Ashland, New Hampshire
2. Auburn, Maine
3. Grand Rapids, Michigan
4. Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
5. Knoxville, Tennessee
6. Port Aransas, Texas
7. New Braunfels, Texas
8. Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
9. Lake George, New York
10. Navarre, Florida

As part of the research, Campspot also looked into what makes campers feel relaxed. The most important element is fresh air, followed by natural water features and a clear view of the night sky. Interestingly, Campspot reports that “91 percent of campers wanted access to the internet of some kind,” with one in three campers saying “internet access at a campground is a contributing factor to a feeling of relaxation.” 

Well, there’s always airplane mode if you want to pretend to be off the grid!

It’s been whispered about for months, but now it’s official. After more than 50 years, Southwest Airlines is doing away with one of its signature policies — open seating. 

While the airline has not announced when the new assigned seating process will roll out, it confirmed the news in a press release shared on Thursday that in addition to assigning seats, premium seating with extra legroom will be introduced.

Premium seating options are one of the most significant sources of revenue for Southwest’s competitors, and critics of the airline’s financial performance argued it needed to evolve given the softness of domestic air prices. Roughly a third of seats on planes will have the premium, extra-legroom setup, the airline said.

Plus, Southwest noted in the release that “80 percent of Southwest customers, and 86 percent of potential customers, prefer an assigned seat,” admitting that, “when a customer elects to stop flying with Southwest and chooses a competitor, open seating is cited as the number one reason for the change.”

In addition to a shift in its seating policy, it was also announced Thursday that it is introducing red-eye flights for the first time, which will launch in February.

Booking is now available on the following overnight routes: Las Vegas to Baltimore and Orlando, Los Angeles to Baltimore and Nashville, and Phoenix to Baltimore. Southwest mentioned it will be adding more of these routes in the coming year.

The major update comes months the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green confirmed that overnight flights were in the carrier’s future.

“We have the aircraft, it’s a great way to use an asset that you already have and use it more productively which means more hours in the day,” Jordan said in March. “So, we will be doing red-eyes.”