With the hectic holiday season in full force, we thought it would be nice to slow down and take a closer look at the Danish tradition of hygge. Our first encounter with the word left us perplexed, but once we learned its meaning we couldnt help but become utterly fascinated with the concept. The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection, by Louisa Thomsen Brits, digs deeper, exploring the phenomenon and what

We think of Mardi Gras and Carnival as a good excuse for late winter debauchery. And while they are that (yee-haw!), the ritual of Fat Tuesday began as a last hurrah before Ash Wednesday, which marked the beginning of Lent, the Christian season of sacrifice before Easter. And while Venice, New Orleans, and Rio may get the most attention, theyre not the only ones who know how to do this party. Parades, mascots, and dances may be universal pl

Can it be? A gorgeous, centrally located, family-owned hotel in Central London thats actually affordable? Contributing editor and London regular Christina Ohly strikes hotel gold at Flemings Mayfair.LONDON – Visitors to London are spoiled for choice when it comes to fantastic hotels, so I am always on the lookout for the latest, greatest, newest offering when I return to this city that I consider my second home. I tend to stay in more resid

Annarita Aprea is a local fixture on the Amalfi Coast and mouthpiece for Casa Angelina, a gorgeous retreat tucked away in the quiet town of Praiano. We asked her to share her favorite area local explorations and recommendations.AMALFI COAST – I was born and raised in the Sorrento, just the other side of the coast from Praiano, and have experienced that which makes both Praiano and the Amalfi Coast so special for those who live here and thos

Eat This Poem, one of Fathoms 24 Best Travel Blogs and Websites, seeks out the best food and fiction in cities around the world. Heres a selection from their London guide, written by Elena Bowes, a writer, culture-vulture, and San Francisco native who moved to London in the late 80s. Shes got her finger on the page, so to speak.LONDON – No literary trip is complete without tucking into a local coffee shop to read or write. With this in mind

BROOKLYN, NY – Sometimes the best part of traveling is coming home. A reader story.

INDIA – Rafat Ali has traveled enough in the last year to fill three passports. In this photo essay, he captures mosques in New Delhi and Aligarh in India.

HONG KONG – The city is united in its unabashed consumerist culture, and time is money. Better move quickly.

CUBA – Technicolor moments on the streets of Havana and beyond.

ITALY – Goddamn, those classic Italian movie stars sure were a gorgeous and stylish bunch. 

THE SOUTH – Go behind the scenes of Big Easy Express with director Emmett Malloy, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and Mumford and Sons. The journey, the shows, the trains.

When Fashion Week ends, everyone needs a break. Especially designers. Where do Cynthia, Rebecca, Jessie, Waris, Jeffrey, and the gang go to kick back?

TIBET – I just got back from Tibet, which was totally incredible. Lhasa is a spectacular place, surrounded by mountains, some as high as 20,000 feet. Various monasteries and lots of monks running around town. (Monks move quickly.) Highly isolated, mainly populated by yaks (disgusting as food, by the way, often packed into little balls called momo), nomads, and subsistence farmers, so I was a little unclear why the Chinese take such a

In the spirit of Catholicism, I have a confession: I am not a religious person. Yet no matter where I travel, I inevitably wind up walking the nave of the largest cathedral in town. This is particularly satisfying in Europe, where Catholicism and its iconography are as present as thong bikinis are in Rio. I’ll hit up three shrines before lunch in Palermo and feel like I’ve totally scored (the walk from Via Roma to the Vucch

OMAN – The road from Dubai to Oman passes through four other Emirates. There are no maps. There are only a few signposts along the way and weve been given scribbled directions that say things like: Continue forward 100 km and turn left at the tree. We begin on the wide highways beyond Dubai, leaving the glass and concrete towers of commerce behind. We pass through Sharjah, where the pre-mixed gin and tonics concealed in

Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee.Occupation: Special projects editor, Dwell.Favorite destinations: Copenhagen, Normandy, New Mexico mountains.Dying to visit: Turkey and Iceland.Bizarre travel rituals: Inventing dialogue between the foreign-speaking travelers next to me. Drinking as much water as my bladder can stand.In-flight relaxation regime: I used to have an uncanny power to fall asleep on planes. No more. Now I bring earpl

Hometown: Dallas, TexasOccupation: Writer / Editor / DreamerFavorite destinations: Paris, Buenos Aires, French Polynesia, and any place with a white sand beach. Dying to visit: NamibiaBizarre travel rituals: I have to clean the house top to bottom before I leave for a trip. In-flight relaxation regime: I take off my shoes, put my book and a bottle of water in the seat pocket in front of me, and buckle up.Always in carry-on: Severa

Hometown: New York, NYOccupation: Filmmaker and photographerFavorite destinations: Any place with turquoise water and a language I cant speak.Dying to visit: That little tiny island off of Puerto Rico.Bizarre travel rituals: Chia seeds, Larabars, and my sneakers. Cant leave home without them.In-flight relaxation regime: I use flights to work so when I get there I can relax.Always in carry-on: Laptop, comic books (Calvin and Hobbes or Foxtr

Hometown: Louisville, KY. Current City: New York City Occupation: Photographer & Filmmaker. Favorite destinations: Santa Cruz, Mexico City, Pensacola Florida, New Mexico, New Zealand, and of course, Brooklyn. Dying to visit: Norway, Kauai, Patagonia, Bali, Spain. Bizarre travel rituals: Skinny dipping and beard growing.In-flight relaxation regime: Reading, listening to podcasts. Always isle seat. Always in carry-on: Everything for the trip.

MUSCAT, Oman – The Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque rises into the air like a weird and magical oasis on the flat and boring main highway outside Omans capital, Muscat. The mosque was empty on the sunny Thursday morning when I walked in, and I was glad to have it to myself. Its pretty massive, pretty breathtaking, and awfully pretty. By far, it was the best thing I saw in Oman.The house of worship is of recent vintage, having been compl