Travel

I’m not sure if this is welcome news or falls somewhere on the so-creepy scale. Airports are experimenting with using biometric technology to test facial recognition for some international flights. Rather than showing a passport, passengers have their photos taken prior to boarding, which are matched to photos of them already on file.

It seems the social media world never stops evolving, always launching new tricks and features to keep consumers wanting more.

In the security line yet again Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson International, I heard, “Chris!” Without looking, I recognized the voice, replying, “Norman DuPre,” whom I met in first grade at Christ the King.

During a recent Palm Beach getaway we took a fascinating island tour where we heard tales of the rich and dysfunctional while viewing their mega-mansions, dined on superb sushi and took the best food tour I’ve ever been on where I was introduced to the charming custom of fika in Sweden.

“What time does the pool close?” “May I have a cheeseburger please?” These are the types of questions guests at hotels with the new Echos from Alexa for Hospitality can ask.

Before vacay this summer, equip your phone with these three great apps:

Delta serves 660,000 snacks a day on its 6,000 flights. That was one of the fun facts I learned during a talk by Lisa Bauer, VP of Onboard Services, at the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival last week.

Tour guides can be awesome and really enhance your experience. But sometimes I prefer to go at my own pace and stop to take photos whenever I’d like.

Delta has taken the runway to the sky with their new uniforms by Zac Posen. The designer, known for his decadent and inspiring designs, observed airline workers in nearly every position to understand what was needed in all aspects from material to structure.

After my husband gave up his fancy credit cards and we lost lounge privileges at airports, I thought it was okay. Then my daughter gave me Priority Pass for my birthday. As God is my witness, I’ll never go loungeless again.

We clung to the railing, our adrenaline levels rising as we approached the roaring falls during the 20-minute Voyage to the Falls Boat Tour, the powerful mists only partially held off by our ponchos. After visiting the attractions in Canadian Niagara Falls, we headed to Niagara-on the-Lake, a charming 19th-century village on the shores of Lake Ontario.

It’s a game changer for travel around south Florida. Brightline began express train service in January between West Palm Beach and Fort Lauderdale and added service to Miami last week.

It was the most thrilling “lazy” river I’d ever been on. I sometimes struggled to stay in my tube on the waves and rapids at Aquaventure Water Park at Atlantis. Guests of Atlantis pay no admission; others can purchase a day pass for the 141-acre water park, which includes 20 swimming areas, 11 pools and high-speed water slides.

Consistently named one of the South’s best cities, Savannah is our choice for an easy weekend getaway. We love to stroll its historic squares, shop on Broughton Street and explore Forsyth Park.

Scamper Van, the Southeast’s first compact camper van rental company, offers fully loaded camper vans for travel, festivals and exploration. A camping concierge service, it delivers the outdoors to both the casual and novice traveler, packed with everything needed for a road trip.

I was shocked what a difference they made. I put on my noise-cancelling headphones as soon as I got on the plane and had the great sound quality I expected to watch a movie. But the bonus is I also felt less stressed without all that ambient noise from the airplane.

The King of Rock ‘n Roll was born in a two-room shack his daddy built for $180. Vernon couldn’t pay off the loan and they lost the house three years later.

You have a bit of time to save the $9.5 million needed to stay at Aurora Station, the world’s first luxury space hotel, and to choose the other five people for your 12-day journey. Bookings are available for 2022.

We were heading to San Francisco for the weekend with no place to stay. While this does not faze my more carefree husband, I’m not the type to show up somewhere without a room for the night.

Relax in your large leather reclining seat. Use the free Wi-Fi on a tray table, and charge your devices with multiple outlets. Now you can skip the traffic and travel in comfort from Fort Lauderdale to West Palm Beach in just 30 minutes on the new Brightline express trains.

With a desire to escape the harsh Wisconsin winters, every year Frank Lloyd Wright moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where he and his apprentices lived in the home they constructed, Taliesin West.

The inviting decanter of sherry on a table in my room was just one of the many welcoming touches during my stay at Casa de Suenos in St. Augustine. We enjoyed hot buffet breakfasts, evening social hours with appetizers and local wine and beer, nightly desserts and freshly baked cookies during the day.

Whether you’re looking to be in the center of the action in South Beach in Miami, or prefer a quieter stretch of Ocean Drive, there’s a hotel that suits your needs. Here are three I recommend:

I never thought one of the biggest thrills of my life would come from tossing plastic trinkets at eager strangers.

People form long lines every day to buy discount show tickets at the TKTS Discount Booth in New York. I found a better way.

“You may meet the love of your life during a pillow fight in the lobby.” That was on the confirmation email I received from Moxy NYC Times Square. While that didn’t happen during our three-night stay, we did love the convenient location, second floor lounge area and comfortable rooms.

I fell in love with Primland as soon as we drove through the tree-lined entrance of this luxurious 12,000-acre resort in southwest Virginia. We enjoyed fine dining with gorgeous mountain views, explored the wooded acreage during a rollicking RTV tour and relaxed in the soothing waters of the indoor pool.

From a small courtroom in Sumner, Mississippi, where the Emmett Till murder trial was held, to the United States Supreme Court building, the location of the decision in Brown v. Board of Education, the new U.S. Civil Rights Trail covers more than 100 landmarks that played a role in the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

I’m celebrating Mardi Gras this year, but I won’t be lunging for beads anywhere near Bourbon Street. I’ll be in Lake Charles at the second largest celebration in Louisiana at the SWLA Mardi Gras, which runs from February 8-13.

Some survived hurricanes. One suffered damage and is still rebuilding with hopes to open soon. One made headlines in the New York Post because of the naughty behavior of its guests in full view of irate residents nearby.