News travels: Your need-to-know before you go
Mindful airports, the hottest European city break, and the welcome return of wine country’s party season: Here’s everything a keen traveler needs to know this month
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Hot destination: Madrid
Landlocked Madrid has long sat in the shade of her coastal cousin Barcelona, but a citywide Pablo Picasso festival and the new Royal Collections Gallery have put it top of the hit list for culturally curious travelers. And fall is the perfect time to visit: Warm evenings, tapas, grand monuments (like those in Retiro Park, pictured top), and hotel openings in its renovated downtown district make it prime city-break material.
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Transport trend: Silent airports
In an attempt to make travel more mindful, Norway’s “silent airports” are leading the way: Terminal-wide announcements are banned, with just low-volume notifications given at the gate. Oslo Gardermoen Airport also offers meditation and prayer rooms, and serene “sound shower” audio artworks. Cape Town, Singapore, Mumbai, and Cancun are among the international airports following the Zen trend.
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Culture hit: Cairo’s new museum
When it opens later this year, Cairo’s eagerly anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum will be the biggest archaeological museum in the world dedicated to a single civilization. Nearly all 5,600 treasures found in Tutankhamun’s tomb, including the royal sarcophagus and his gilded funerary mask, will be exhibited in this vast complex in Giza next to the pyramids, along with nearly 100,000 items from other sites.
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Book now: Glamping in Yellowstone
Fans of Paramount’s smash-hit Western drama series Yellowstone may have to wait until November for its return to our screens, but there’s nothing like seeing roaming elk and bison, and Old Faithful geyser firsthand. And you have until September 25 to satisfy your craving for Montana’s cinematic scenery with a stay at Under Canvas’s newest glamping spot, North Yellowstone, before it closes for the season.
Go set-jetting with Yellowstone
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Swinging Sonoma: Harvest parties
In California’s Sonoma wine region, “crush season” (the annual grape harvest) was the stuff of party legend… until the pandemic. This year, wine tastings, live music, and culinary pop-ups are all back with a bang, with celebrations running from late August to mid-October. For wine lovers, it’s an occasion worth raising a glass of pinot to; and be sure to book a small-group tour while you’re there.
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