News travels: Your need-to-know before you go
Your inside track on everything travel, from urban swimming and “sportscations” to America's newest national park
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City dippers hit urban rivers
As Paris cleans up the Seine ahead of a certain world athletics event this summer, it aims to open swim zones for locals from 2025. That’s not the only city for river swimmers: Plans for a floating pool in New York’s East River are being tested; if all goes well the +POOL could open next year. Chicago‘s river will open for swimming for the first time in more than 100 years during a September charity event, while Boston’s Charles River opens to swimmers during July’s City Splash fundraiser. And in Portland, Oregon, locals cool off in the Willamette River.
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America’s newest national park
They range from canyons to volcanoes, deserts to fjords. But America’s newest national park, designated in March, was chosen for its history. Amache, near Granada, Colorado, was used to unjustly detain Japanese Americans during World War II. See barracks, mess halls and a guard tower, and its cemetery—a poignant place to reflect and recommit to the pursuit of freedom and justice. Explore National Park Service sites (including the Colorado National Monument, pictured) for free on Juneteenth (June 19) and August 4 (Great American Outdoors Day).
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03
Ready for an easier take-off?
A number of innovative airside updates will make it simpler to fly this summer. At Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport, self-screening lanes tipped as the “checkpoints of the future” allow those with TSA PreCheck to whiz through. Over at Washington, D.C.’s Dulles International Airport, the first Global Entry Enrollment on Departure service is being trialed, giving on-the-go access to pre-flight interviews that complete membership to the coveted program. Meanwhile, in Congress, proposed new regulations aim to make flying more accessible for wheelchair-users: Watch this space.
01
Sportscations are scoring big
2024 is a summer for sports, and if you’re traveling to an event, you’re not alone: Sports tourism is expected to grow 17.5% through 2030. Paris isn’t the only city in the spotlight: Soccer fans can see Liga MX matches in the U.S. and Canada from July 26, and Copa América games in Atlanta, Miami, Houston and other cities between June 20 and July 14. Meanwhile, Germany hosts the Euros from June 14. Cyclists should add Italy to their itinerary for the Tour de France, this year setting off from Florence (yes, you read that right) on June 29. And if you loved new tennis film Challengers, spin a vacation around the U.S. Open in Queens—booking opens on June 3.
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Italy’s coast is having a moment
There are new ways to soak up Italy’s dolce vita shores this season. Fly directly to the Amalfi Coast—having a moment, thanks to Netflix show Ripley—via international airport Salerno Costa d’Amalfi, which reopens in July. Always dreamed of the glamorous seaside hotspot Portofino? From June, you can arrive in style on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a romantic route that starts in Paris. Or strike out and discover the coastline on foot: At Cinque Terre (pictured), beloved hiking trail the Via dell’Amore reopens in July after a landslide closed it in 2012.
Flights, camera, action: Set-jetting in Italy
Fiona Kerr is a food-loving travel journalist and former features director at Condé Nast Traveller. Her writing has appeared in The Guardian, The Telegraph, Elle Decoration and the The New York Times. When she gets to a new country, her first stop is usually the local supermarket.
