J. Clarke articles

Nothing tests a traveler’s patience quite like the airport baggage carousel. You stand there with hope, optimism, and a growing suspicion that your suitcase has betrayed you. Then, two days later, your bag finally appears on your doorstep looking like it moonlighted as a chew toy. Your clothes are ruined, your patience is shot, and now you’re wondering whether the standard baggage refund even begins to cover this chaos. The good news is that federal rules give you more protection than many travelers realize—if you know how to use them.

The latest discovery from the 1715 Treasure Fleet isn’t just glittering proof of Spain’s lost wealth. It’s a reminder that the ocean never forgets what we drop into it. Over 1,000 coins, centuries of mystery, and a story still unfolding beneath Florida’s waves.

For more than a century, people in Africatown insisted that the last slave ship ever to reach the United States hadn’t vanished—it was just hiding. The river knew where it was, the elders knew where it had been, and the rest of the country mostly shrugged. Then, in 2019, archaeologists finally caught up with the story that locals had been telling all along.

Before we dive into the chaos, picture this: you booked a great hotel deal through a third-party site, felt like a bargain-hunting genius, and then—disaster. Your dates are wrong, your room type isn’t available or maybe the system thinks you don’t exist at all. You call the website…they blame the hotel. You call the hotel…they blame the website. And somewhere along the way, you realize you’ve entered the hospitality version of a ping-pong match, except you’re the ball.

Some cities are all hustle, headlights, and high-rises. Others still have that, but with a twist—a whole lot of grass, trees, and trails sneaking in between the buildings. Green space isn’t just pretty scenery; it cools neighborhoods, soaks up stormwater, gives wildlife a fighting chance, and hands humans somewhere to breathe that isn’t a parking lot.

Choosing where to raise a family is tough—every city promises great schools, safe neighborhoods, and plenty of things to do. But when you boil it all down, the places that truly shine are the ones that consistently score well in areas like affordability, health, education, safety, and everyday livability. Using nationwide data comparing 182 cities, here’s a countdown of the top 22 spots in the country for families, starting from number 22 and working our way to the very best.

Nothing kills the joy of planning a European getaway faster than suddenly noticing your passport expires sooner than you remembered. One moment you’re dreaming of gelato, fjords, and tiny cobblestoned streets; the next, you’re spiraling down an internet rabbit hole about mysterious “passport validity rules” enforced by shadowy airline gate agents. Five months left might feel like plenty of time, but depending on where you’re headed, your trip could be smoother than French butter or end abruptly at the check-in counter.

You book an all-inclusive vacation to relax, indulge, and maybe make questionable choices at the swim-up bar—not to spend quality time examining the tile pattern on the resort bathroom floor. Yet foodborne illness strikes thousands of travelers every year, and when it happens on vacation, the stress doubles. Suddenly you’re wondering if that buffet shrimp was plotting against you and, more importantly, whether the resort can be held accountable. Here’s what you need to know before you point any fingers.

You know creativity is getting serious when someone turns it into math. According to the data, the US is sprinkled with cities where imagination isn’t just welcome—it’s practically a local currency. Whether you’re a designer craving inspiration, a musician hunting for a new scene, or a writer hoping to trip over your next great idea, these 22 cities rise above the rest. Ranked from 22 to the reigning champ, here’s where the numbers say your muse might live.