Downtown Reykjavik, as seen from the top of Hallgrimskirkja, the tallest church in Iceland, July 19, 2025. A volcanic eruption in 2010 put the island nation on millions of travelers’ maps. But is the country’s culture now at risk? (Hilary Swift/The New York Times) By STEFANO MONTALI “Sometimes it can feel like Iceland is just one big tourist attraction.” Helga Gudrun, a waiter at a family-owned restaurant in Vik, a scenic village in southern Iceland, had just placed a bowl of

The air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Va., Jan. 30, 2025. Air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck of the shutdown on Tuesday, Oct. 28, as union leaders and the secretary of transportation warned of dire consequences if they missed another. (Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times) By KAROUN DEMIRJIAN and CHRISTINE CHUNG Air traffic controllers missed their first full paycheck of the shutdown Tuesday, as union leaders and t

An photo provided by Tom Marshall shows vintage cars on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in West Yorkshire, England. Grape harvests, colorful foliage and local festivities make autumn a great time to take a scenic train or tram excursion. (Tom Marshall via The New York Times) By PALKO KARASZ Lazy rivers, spectacular valleys cloaked in autumn colors, windswept moors: The fall is prime time for slow, contemplative journeys on some of Europe’s most scenic rail routes. Here ar

Commuter trains under Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, Aug. 24, 2022. With the government shutdown entering its second week, airline passengers and visitors to national parks have been bracing for major disruptions. (Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times) By CHRISTINE CHUNG and GABE CASTRO-ROOT With the government shutdown entering its second week, airline passengers and visitors to national parks have been bracing for major disruptions. Nonessential federal operations ceased a

The clear waters of Arikok National Park, which covers nearly 20 percent of the island of Aruba, Feb. 29, 2020. Aruba, Bonaire and...

No longer the secret of savvy travelers, autumn is becoming the season of choice for people looking to escape summer heat and...

Taktsang Palphug Monastery, also known as the Tiger’s Nest, perched on a mountainside in Paro, Bhutan, on July 10, 2022. When people as...

A shop in Gjirokastra, Albania, in July 2025. Gjirokastra’s houses, decorated with wood carvings around crooked cobblestone streets, give...