logo
Tourists are trickling into Afghanistan and the Taliban government is eager to welcome them

Tourists are trickling into Afghanistan and the Taliban government is eager to welcome them

Washington Post10 hours ago

KABUL, Afghanistan — By plane, motorbike, camper van and even on bicycles, tourists are beginning to discover Afghanistan , with solo travelers and tour groups gradually venturing into a country that until recently was wracked by war.
And the country's Taliban government, which seized power more than three years ago but has yet to be formally recognized by any other nation, is more than happy to welcome them.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rome Travel Inspiration: Relaxing, Exciting And Gorgeous Ideas For You
Rome Travel Inspiration: Relaxing, Exciting And Gorgeous Ideas For You

Forbes

time18 minutes ago

  • Forbes

Rome Travel Inspiration: Relaxing, Exciting And Gorgeous Ideas For You

. © Tonetti Francesco Viva Roma! Italy's capital is called the Eternal City, not only because its mesmerizing millennia-stretching past is still evident today at iconic landmarks such as the Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and Vatican, but also because Rome continues to pulsate with ever-evolving contemporary culture, cuisine, creativity and charisma. This much-buzzed-about vacation destination is anticipated to draw 35 million tourists in 2025—up from 22.2 million in 2024, according to Italy's National Tourist Research Institute—driven by a major religious event, molto popolare music concerts and sports competitions. Its allure is lauded in Roma Eterna (Eternal Rome), a swanky and sizable (10-by-13-inch, 320-page, five-pound) coffee-table book, brand-new this month from luxury publisher Assouline. For armchair travelers, for those actively planning their first Roman holiday and for experienced globetrotters who have previously swooned under the municipality's spell, Roma Eterna delivers inspiration. 'Rome is a deeply sensual place,' says its author James Horncastle. 'It is hard not to succumb beauty.' . © 2025 Assouline Publishing Horncastle—an English writer and broadcaster with vast knowledge of Italy, who has been honored with the rank of Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy—weaves engaging words. As a correspondent for The New York Times , he covers European football, too. Thus, Horncastle brings a capacious sensibility to focusing the essence of Roma Eterna, steering readers to the commune's coveted charms, must-see sights and off-the-beaten-path escapes, both ancient and modern. 'To live in Rome is to constantly travel from one dimension to another,' explains Horncastle, who reveres Rome as 'magical, a place of wonder.' Supermodel and actress Claudia Schiffer at the foot of a reclining Roman statue, touching its marble toes. © Arthur Elgort/Roma Eterna is not a listicle guidebook. It is a sumptuous, eye-opening dive into Rome's distinctiveness with more than 200 evocative photographs and illustrations on heavy-stock paper. I sometimes fantasize about 'stepping' inside travel books, particularly those with extraordinary visuals. If you are like me, you are encouraged to daydream within Roma Eterna 's purview. Featured are family-run restaurants (such as Osteria da Secondo), chic hotels (such as five-star Hotel Hassler Roma), prime people-watching venues (such as Ciampini Roma in Piazza di San Lorenzo), panoramic perches (such as Piazzale Giuseppe Garibaldi, a peaceful retreat), breathtaking sunset-and-nightcap rendezvous (such as terraced 47 Circus Roof Garden) and gathering oases for artists, writers and celebrities (such as Antico Caffè della Pace near Piazza Navona). Imagine renting a snazzy convertible or cherry-red Vespa to zip among Rome's notable neighborhoods and up to its hills beyond the city. To stop for a morning biscotti and cappuccino: a shot of high-quality espresso, topped by velvety froth of steamed whole milk, perhaps dusted with chocolate powder. To sightsee impressive architecture, palazzos , monuments, obelisks and fountains. To admire chiseled marble galore. To fuel a wanderer's quest, assured that here, there, almost everywhere in Rome—on streets, piazzali , promenades; in parks, gardens, museums, galleries—statues, paintings, etchings and frescoes are encountered. Daily life intermingling amid artistry and m asterpieces. View of Saint Peter's Basilica from the Knights of Malta secret garden. © Susan Wright Cesare Cunaccia, Assouline's resident Italy expert, recommends his favorite haunts in the book's foreword. 'Rome stuns and invades you,' he opines. 'Just look up or peek through the telescope of a dark portico or inside a portal...[to see] carousels of domes, towers, attics and bell towers.' Among Cunaccia's stellar suggestions to savor: an aperitif at Salotto42 set in Piazza di Pietra between the Pantheon and Via del Corso; lunch at Nino in Via Borgognona, steps from Piazza di Spagna, an in-the-know spot since 1934, where 'you can see everyone, really everyone'; and late dinner at Ristorante Camponeschi in Piazza Farnese. Actress Anita Ekberg dances in Rome's Trevi Fountain for La Dolce Vita, an award-winning classic film directed by Federico Fellini. © Pierluigi/Riama-Pathe/Kobal/Shutterstock Horncastle zooms his lens on Italian directors (such as Federico Fellini and Roberto Rossellini), writing frankly about the 1937 origin and development of Rome's significant filmmaking biz. Its Cinecittà Studios—the largest movie studio in Europe; nicknamed 'Hollywood on the Tiber'—has been involved with more than 3,000 productions, boasting 47 Academy Award winners. Tours are available. American cinephiles will delight in his references to yesteryear mega-actors who headlined shows filmed in Italy: Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor, Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly and Gregory Peck. The ornate interior of Saint Peter's Basilica. © ArtHouse Studio:Pexels Vatican City celebrates its Jubilee 2025 (Holy Year) now through January 6, 2026. With enthusiasm for the new Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in the U.S.A., Roman Catholics worldwide as well as travelers interested in religion and art will find expanded access to Vatican City. Horncastle shares insider accounts about church goings-on in recent history alongside photos of the Sistine Chapel (located in the Apostolic Palace, the Pope's official residence), Saint Peter's Basilica and the Vatican Museum. While Milan often is the magnet for Italy's fashion glory, Rome is a strong sartorial champion on its own. Horncastle unfolds lively background info about preeminent fashion houses (such as Fendi) and designers (such as Valentino). Even if you are not a clothing aficionado, his narrative offers insight into this impactful industry. Rome: Where Eating and Drinking Equals Happiness The Pantheon and Piazza della Rotonda. © Susan Wright To understand Rome, it is best to feel it. Food is a key emotional connection. 'To queue outside Regoli Pasticceria in Via dello Statuto and order a maritozzo , a bun with a gaping smile full of cream, is to feel Roman,' muses Horncastle, who praises 'a slice of ricotta and visciole (sour cherry) cake from Boccione. The champagne ice cream at Giolitti, where parliamentarians take breaks.' Then comes the savory. 'Rome is a slice of oily pizza bianca from Forno Campo de' Fiori.... It is pizza with potato and rosemary at Ai Marmi on Viale di Trastevere, where the pizzaioli work on marble slabs,' he says. 'It is pulling open a suppli al telefono , a fried-rice ball filled with mozzarella, tomato and ragù , which gets its name from the cheese stringing out like the cord of a telephone. It is biting into a battered zucchini flower, which blossoms with ricotta and anchovy.... It is watching the old-timers play Roman card games like Scopa outside Bar San Calisto and ordering an aperitivo at the bar.' Rome has graced my horizon on a handful of visits over decades, sparking ample romance, dining extravaganzas and artistic exploration. A cherished personal memory of the exuberant Roman spirit, epitomized in Roma Eterna , crystalized for me many years ago, when my family and I dined at an outdoor restaurant on Rome's famous Piazza Navona. It was a very hot August afternoon. My young daughter peered at the cool bubbling of a nearby fountain and dashed toward its splashes, quickly dunking her long hair for a few seconds. Water streamed down her grinning face and dress. Observing her from their lunch table, several businessmen, dapperly attired in Armani and the like, stood up and cheered her, applauding and laughing: 'Brava! Brava!' I don't know the present-day rules regarding tourists' interactions with fountains, but in that lovely and unexpected moment, my heart swelled with a forever kind of travel passion. Benvenuto, Roma Eterna! For more travel articles by Laura Manske: New Season of Netflix Hit Show 'Somebody Feed Phil' Inspires Travel Joy and In Stanley Tucci's New Travel Show, 'Eating Well Is Inspiring'

Airlines Set to Fly Millions for Fourth of July
Airlines Set to Fly Millions for Fourth of July

Skift

timean hour ago

  • Skift

Airlines Set to Fly Millions for Fourth of July

Airlines are gearing up for what is expected to be another record breaking Fourth of July, with international bookings up. Airlines and federal agencies are preparing for what could be the busiest Fourth of July travel period in more than a decade. The FAA expects a total of 300,000 flights between July 2 and July 8 – it said it is 'preparing for the busiest Fourth of July week we've seen in 15 years.' The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen 18.5 million people between July 1 and July 7. July 6 will see the highest passenger volumes at around 2.9 million. United Airlines anticipates flying around six million passengers for the July Fourth holiday weekend. For the summer, the carrier said it will fly 50 million passengers, about three million more than last year. International travel is also up. United said international bookings are up nearly 5% this summer compared to last summer, and the most popular destinations include: London, Cancun, Frankfurt, Rome, and Paris. June 27 and July 3 are expected to be the busiest travel days for United. Airlines are expected to report their second-quarter earnings in the coming weeks, and while carriers reported softening demand for domestic travel, it seems as if that trend is expected to continue. A June 27 Deutsche Bank report found that domestic demand for the second quarter, particularly among price-sensitive travelers, has been weak. International travel has been the most resilient, with demand continuing to increase. During United's first-quarter earnings call, chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella said international demand was offsetting much of the weakness in domestic. What am I looking at? The performance of airline sector stocks within the ST200. The index includes companies publicly traded across global markets including network carriers, low-cost carriers, and other related companies. The Skift Travel 200 (ST200) combines the financial performance of nearly 200 travel companies worth more than a trillion dollars into a single number. See more airlines sector financial performance. Read the full methodology behind the Skift Travel 200.

I moved to Mexico for my maternity leave. It was the best decision I've made.
I moved to Mexico for my maternity leave. It was the best decision I've made.

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

I moved to Mexico for my maternity leave. It was the best decision I've made.

My train broke down returning home, and I started a conversation with another passenger. I told him my husband was Mexican and that I was due in September. He suggested we move to Mexico for my maternity leave and skip the London winter. In February 2009, I was on the Eurostar returning to London from a day of meetings in Paris. Somewhere in rural northern France, the train broke down. We were asked to disembark and wait on the platform indefinitely for a replacement. A stranger asked me a question that changed my life. I had been sitting at one of those four-seat tables where you face strangers across a shared surface. We hadn't spoken until that point, but as we stood on a freezing platform together, we each began to tell our story. One woman in our group had been to Paris to deliver an engagement ring to a hotel for her son, who was flying in later that day and planned to propose to his girlfriend. The other two were businessmen also heading home. I mentioned I was pregnant with my second child and had just finished a long day of meetings with advertising clients. Eventually, I shared that my husband was Mexican and working on a bar opening in London that would wrap in September, right around my due date. One of the men looked at me and said something that changed everything: "I guess you will be spending your maternity leave in Mexico then?" I didn't understand his comment, so I asked him to expand. He said that if I was going to be off for a year, why weren't we going somewhere warm for the winter? It stopped me in my tracks. I hadn't even considered that option. But he was right. Why should we stay in cold, gray London when we could be bonding with our newborn in the Caribbean sunshine? By the time I got back to London — many hours later — I called my husband from the taxi and asked, "Is there any reason we shouldn't spend six months in Mexico after the baby's born?" He paused, thought about it, and said, "No. Let's do it." And so we did. We rented out our London house to friends of friends. On December 6, 2009, with a 2.5-month-old baby and our 3-year-old in tow, we flew to Mexico. After a stop in Mexico City to spend Christmas with family, we settled in Playa del Carmen, a beach town on the Yucatán Peninsula, for four months. The house we stayed in was very basic — plastic garden furniture, mismatched dishes, and borrowed essentials from generous relatives. No washing machine, no microwave — which, with a newborn, felt pretty daunting. But we were in heaven. We swam every day, ate fresh fish, took turns to go to the gym, and spent true quality time as a family. Our toddler became fluent in Spanish. My husband and I got fit, tanned, and rested — something I never expected to feel just a few months after giving birth. We actually made money while we were away. The rent we earned on our London home covered all of our expenses in Mexico. Our cost of living there was dramatically lower — no tube passes, no childcare, no expensive dinners or work wardrobes. We came back refreshed and financially ahead. The basic but very happy life we lead completely reset my understanding of what I need versus what I want in life, a benefit that lasted for many years after our trip. When I returned, a friend's husband swore I'd had "work done" because I looked so rejuvenated. I hadn't. It was just sunshine, sleep, and a simple life. That spontaneous decision, sparked by a stranger's comment, became one of the best of my life. It taught me that the obvious path isn't always the smartest one. Sometimes, the most logical next step is the one you hadn't even imagined. Read the original article on Business Insider

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store