Pita pockets made using Nefise Kansu’s recipe for sheet-pan döner kebabs, which have amassed popularity on TikTok. The Cypriot mother’s method doesn’t require the traditional kebob shop spit holding a round of the marinated lamb or beef to slice from as it cooks. Food styled by Spencer Richards. (Rachel Vanni/The New York Times) By KORSHA WILSON It’s an old tale: A boyfriend visits his girlfriend’s parents’ house for the first time and nerves ensue. But in Michael Wilkes’ cas

Patrons dine outside at Jeanie’s in Cozumel, Mexico, in November 2025. The west coast has the calm sea, sunsets and, along San Miguel’s waterfront, restaurants and bars with stunning views. (Tony Cenicola/The New York Times) By PATRICK SCOTT It may be surprising that Cozumel, the 30-mile-long island just off Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula that is one of the world’s busiest cruise ship destinations, can still feel comfortably uncrowded, peaceful and even wild. Go beyond the someti

Experts advise starting conversations with children about safety about a week before a journey, taking a family photo at the start of each day, and labeling bags and clothes. (Weston Wei/The New York Times) By DANIELLE GELFAND A few months ago, my family was in the crowded Brussels Airport. Though I’d put an AirTag in my then 7-year-old daughter’s knapsack, made a bracelet with our contact information and even taught her my phone number to the tune of “Happy Birthday to You,”

Whether because of stereotypes or evolving tastes, these ten wine varieties tend to be dismissed, but they still offer great beauty and are worth exploring. (Nishant Choksi/The New York Times) By ERIC ASIMOV Fashions come and go, it’s said, but style is eternal. It holds true with wine, too. Different wines fade in and out of popularity, but good ones deserve recognition regardless of the trends. I have picked 10 wine genres here that I feel have either been arbitrarily dismi

A miller at Isle-aux-Coudres in Quebec, Canada on Sept. 5, 2025, gives a demonstration about how the flour is made. An agro-tourism route through the Charlevoix region offers a hyperlocal bounty, charming towns and farms that preserve traditional methods of production. (Renaud Philippe/The New York Times) By JIM ROBBINS It is a culinary adventure that started with a bang: Some 400 million years ago, a meteor more than 2 miles wide slammed into what is now the Charlevoix regio

Dishes at a restaurant at the Pellestova mountain station in Norway, 2025. A 100-mile journey along the country’s Troll Trail includes stunning vistas, snowbound mountain hotels and waffles. (David B. Torch/The New York Times) By DAVID GOODMAN In ancient times, travelers in Norway avoided paths thought to be inhabited by trolls. According to Nordic folklore, these fearsome creatures lived in the mountains and threatened and harassed humans. But the Troll Trail, or Trolloypa i

Sometimes, a short-term rental doesn’t live up to its billing. Here’s how to recognize red flags before you turn up at the front door. (Weston Wei/The New York Times) By ADRIENNE WICHARD-EDDS When my husband and I followed our GPS to the charming Maine saltbox home we’d rented on Airbnb in July, we blew right past. We circled back, finally accepting that we’d arrived. Surely, this sad shack on top of a retaining wall at the back of an empty lot was not where we’d planned to s

Braised pork with lemon, olives and tomatoes. This one-pot, make-ahead pork shoulder lets the host relax. Props styled by Sarah Smart. Food styled by Roscoe Betsill. (Kelly Marshall/The New York Times) By MELISSA CLARK “Pork shoulder is so easy, it’s almost like cheating,” my friend Zoe said on a recent winter afternoon. We were discussing possible meaty mains for an upcoming holiday party, looking for something impressive but low-stress and economical enough for a crowd. Fin

An ocean vista at a resort in Thailand on Dec. 26, 2024. 52 Places to Go, the Travel section’s annual list of recommended destinations, lands every January. Each short entry is a snapshot into a different possible adventure. (David Rama Terrazas Morales/The New York Times) By TACEY RYCHTER 52 Places to Go, the Travel section’s annual list of recommended destinations, lands every January. Each short entry is a snapshot into a different possible adventure. Some Travel editors w

Two pet dogs riding in a stroller, at Central Park in Manhattan, June 12, 2024. As concern grows over a global fertility crisis, people who chose to have dogs or cats but not children have become a popular scapegoat. But new research shows that, at least in Taiwan, rather than replacing children, pets are actually more likely to be a steppingstone to having them. (Graham Dickie/The New York Times) By AMANDA TAUB Are pets crowding out babies? As concern grows over the global