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America's Best Beaches, Top Kids' Club Resorts And More Travel News
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Since 1991, Dr. Beach—aka Stephen Leatherman, a professor in the department of Earth & Environment at Florida International University—has released his annual list of the Best Beaches in America. This year's top spot is, amazingly, not in Hawaii. Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York was ranked No. 1, ahead of two Aloha State beaches, Wailea Beach in Maui and Poipu Beach in Kauai.
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For those who appreciate the journey more than the destination, an increasing number of luxury train operators are offering culinary-themed itineraries that cater to travelers who long for the golden age of rail travel. Longtime Forbes travel writer Everett Potter explores a smorgasbord of culinary rail tours in his forthcoming book National Geographic's 100 Train Journeys of a Lifetime: The World's Ultimate Rides, and offers up five unforgettable train trips with a food and wine theme.
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When planning a luxury family vacation, it's not enough to spread out on a pristine beach with a few coloring books and a shovel. Today's discerning little travelers—and their (presumably) exhausted parents—demand more. Fortunately, many of Forbes Travel Guide's Star-Rated resorts in Florida are raising their game with imaginative programming, immersive experiences and innovative play spaces that engage, educate and entertain. Here are six resorts in Florida that elevate the kids' club experience.
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Heading to Europe this summer? Veteran travel writer Laura Begley Bloom warns that visitors should 'think twice before lighting a cigarette on the beach or strolling shirtless down a boardwalk.' With tourism numbers predicted to surge to record levels in 2025, many European destinations have implemented new bans, fines and restrictions that could cost travelers hundreds (if not thousands) of euros. Here's what you need to know before traveling to Europe.
'In America there are two classes of travel—first class and with children.'
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Plenty of travelers have been known to bring back a bottle of gin from a trip to London—or any duty-free shop, for that matter. But one innovative hotel in the Azores has guests packing a bottle when they leave for their trip. 'The rules are if they bring one I already have—I get to keep it,' says Ali Bullock, owner of the Solar Branco Eco Estate on the island of São Miguel. 'But if it's a new one they get to swap it for one of my gins. We're getting incredible gins that you will never see anywhere else in the world all in one place.' Bullock recently secured his 2,000th bottle and claims the largest gin collection of any hotel in the world. 'We started with my own personal stash of 300 and now we have bottles from 72 countries and every continent except Antarctica,' he says. 'We'll have someone visit from a small town in Tasmania and say, 'You don't have my local gin' and I'll say 'Here it is.''
