Latest Articles on Travel Inspiration

Spain vs. Italy: Which Vacation Destination Should You Choose?

Both Spain and Italy conjure up images of sunshine, delicious food and wine, beautiful beaches, and a relaxed lifestyle. While the two countries have a lot in common, they are also wildly different. How, then, does one choose which country to visit if the budget doesn’t allow for both? We’ve put the two destinations head…

The One Vacation Oyster Editors Would Redo

Vacations hold so much promise: Relaxation! Discovery! Renewal! Strawberry daiquiris! So it’s heartbreaking when a trip falls short and becomes a disappointment. We’ve heard from you — our readers — about the trips you felt needed a do-over because you were duped by marketing photos and websites that never showed the dated decor, unhelpful staff,…

Where We’d Travel If Money Was No Object

Traveling is eye-opening, fun, and breathtaking, but let’s face it: It can be hard on the wallet. So while we’d love to jet off to the Maldives for a two-week stay at an expensive resort, or go on an around-the-world cruise, that’s not always doable. For a minute though, we suspended disbelief to imagine where…

7 of the Best Trips for Introverts

Introverts are often thought to be shy and timid, though recent studies have shown that this isn’t always the case. Sure, introverts may relish their alone time, but some just function better in smaller groups or in shorter social periods. Introverts will likely want to skip places where public interaction is inescapable and it’s hard…

Introducing the New TripAdvisor: A Social Platform for Travelers

Gone are the days of keeping track of trips — previous and prospective — in email threads. Say goodbye to searching for vacation inspiration, hotel reviews, and restaurant recommendations on multiple platforms. TripAdvisor (Oyster’s parent company) has launched a social stream that puts all your travel needs in one place. Referred to as the world’s…


Notice: Undefined offset: 4 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 5 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 6 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 4 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 98

Notice: Undefined index: pass_through_args in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 158

How to Spend Three Perfect Days in Chiang Mai

Temple in Chiang Mai/Oyster The second-largest city in Thailand after Bangkok, Chiang Mai is an alluring place with serene ancient temples, bohemian cafes, and buzzing night markets. Beyond its moated historic city and bordering metropolitan area, Chiang Mai is surrounded by a rolling, rural rainforest that’s home to waterfalls and elephant sanctuaries. Some of the…

The Best Things to Do in Mauritius

The tiny island nation of Mauritius lies in the southern Indian Ocean, about 700 miles to the east of Madagascar and more than 1,000 miles south of the Seychelles. It’s a long way from anywhere (connecting flights through Dubai and Paris take about six and 11 hours, respectively), but those who make the journey are…

14 Stunning Fall Foliage Train Tours in the U.S.

Aaaah, fall. The time of year that’s all about enjoying the cool, crisp air, watching the world transform into a canvas of brilliant colors, and of course, indulging in pumpkin spiced lattes. There’s no better place to see the pageantry of the great outdoors than aboard a scenic excursion train, which often goes where cars…

7 Trips That Changed Our Lives

As celebrity chef, cookbook author, TV host, world traveler, and wordsmith Anthony Bourdain once said, “Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and…

11 Day Trips You Should Take From Madrid

Crystal Palace at Retiro Park, Madrid/Oyster With its many extravagant festivals, pleasant climate year-round, and refreshing work-to-live attitude, Spain took home the title of third most-visited country in the world last year. This is nothing new, though. For the past few years, the country has been breaking its own records in tourism, and between its…


Notice: Undefined offset: 4 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 5 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 6 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 4 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 98

Notice: Undefined index: pass_through_args in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 158

Notice: Undefined index: class in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/themes/oyster/template-parts/sidebar/sidebar-ad-sticky.php on line 7

Notice: Undefined offset: 4 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 5 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 6 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 92

Notice: Undefined offset: 4 in /nas/content/live/stagingstmllc/wp-content/plugins/smartertravel-shared/includes/ads/includes/api.php on line 98