Travel & Tourism

Austin – September 29, 2026 -- RVshare has announced the winners of its fifth annual Campers' Choice Awards, known as "The Campies," naming top campgrounds and RV content creators across 16 categories after a public voting process that closed September 22.

Nominations opened this summer and finalists were set by August 25

RVshare, the RV rental marketplace, opened nominations earlier this summer and closed them on August 25, when three finalists per category advanced to a final public vote. Thousands of voters then weighed in before the September 22 deadline. This year's ballot added a new category, the Fan Favorite Award, decided through social media voting.

Boulder – September 29, 2026 -- The Sundance Film Festival will leave Park City after more than four decades and debut in Boulder, Colorado, running January 21-31, 2027.

Boulder's Chautauqua Auditorium becomes an official festival venue

Set beneath the Flatirons, Boulder pairs the festival's screenings and premieres with immediate access to hiking trails at Chautauqua Park. Downtown, the pedestrian-only Pearl Street will mark its 50th anniversary in 2027, and the city's dining scene has drawn recognition from the MICHELIN Guide.

Estes Park offers elk sightings and quiet winter trails near Rocky Mountain National Park

As the basecamp for Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park turns into a snowshoe-friendly landscape in winter, with elk commonly seen around town and mule deer spotted in the surrounding area. The Riverwalk trail follows the Big Thompson and Fall rivers through downtown.

Burbank, Calif. – September 29, 2026 -- Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood has opened ticket sales for Gilmore Girls Holidays, a new fan event replacing its former Holidays Made Here celebration, running December 12, 2026 through January 3, 2027 and closed on Christmas Day.

General admission costs $79, while a Studio Tour Bundle including both the holiday event and the full studio tour costs $124. Tickets are available now at the venue's official site.

Luke's Apartment Reopens on Its Original Soundstage

The event recreates Luke's Apartment inside Stage 13, the original filming location, built from the production's original specifications. Guests can also walk through an expanded version of the Gilmore Estate and visit a new Chilton School Graduation Courtyard set, along with an interactive Rory's Basket Auction experience.

New York – September 29, 2026 -- Zelle is picking up the fare on a different NYC Ferry route every Thursday in October, part of a push to cut the cost of getting to a date across the city's boroughs.

Zelle sponsors five ferry routes through October

Starting October 1, Zelle will cover rides on a rotating schedule: St. George on October 1, East River on October 8, Rockaway–Soundview on October 15, South Brooklyn on October 22, and Astoria on October 29. NYC Ferry operates first-come, first-served, and tickets are valid one-way only.

Stockholm – September 29, 2026 -- Visit Sweden has launched The Introvert Travel Agency, a new service designed to help travelers plan trips with minimal social pressure and more control over solo time.

Survey data shows most travelers want optional, not expected, socializing

A YouGov survey commissioned by Visit Sweden found that 67% of travelers prefer destinations where social interaction feels optional. The same research shows 53% would pay extra for more peace, privacy or fewer crowds, while 41% of respondents identify as introverts, 45% as a mix of both, and only 14% as extroverts. Nearly half of respondents said they sometimes need a "vacation from their vacation" to recover after traveling.

New York – September 28, 2026 -- Travel And Tour World (TTW) has released its Top 50 Halloween Travel Destinations in the World for 2026, ranking Transylvania as the number one spot for October travel.

Transylvania leads a list built on folklore and historic landmarks

The ranking places Bran Castle and the Dracula legend at the top, with Brașov and Sighișoara offering access via train, bus or car from Bucharest or Cluj-Napoca.

Derry, Salem and Dublin round out the top five

Derry's parades and city-wall festivities take second place, followed by Salem's Haunted Happenings, easily reached from Boston by commuter rail or ferry. Dublin and County Meath rank fourth, tied to Ireland's Samhain heritage near the Hill of Ward, while Edinburgh's Old Town ghost tours take fifth.

San Diego – – September 28, 2026 -- Cyclists in San Diego are increasingly drawn to Mount Soledad, a climb that ends not just at a scenic overlook but at a nearly century-old veterans memorial.

Multiple routes lead to the same summit

Mount Soledad offers several distinct roads to the top. Some are short and steep, testing riders early with punishing pitches. Others wind longer through residential streets, offering a more gradual but sustained effort. Regardless of the route chosen, every path converges at the same summit.

A nearly 30-foot cross anchors the memorial

At the top stands the Mount Soledad Veterans Memorial, centered on a large white cross rising nearly 30 feet and visible from much of the city below. An American flag flies beside it. The structure has stood on the hilltop in some form for close to a century.

Tucson – September 28, 2026 -- Western National Parks (WNP) is bringing the traditions of Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site on the road again for the 2026-27 season, with stops at national park sites and community venues across the West through June 2027.

The tour visits six confirmed locations starting in October

The schedule kicks off at Bandelier National Monument on October 10-11, 2026, followed by The National Parks Store on January 16-17, 2027, Sabino Canyon Recreation Area on February 13-14, 2027, the Tucson Festival of Books on March 13-14, 2027, White Sands National Park on April 17-18, 2027, and Petroglyph National Monument on June 12-13, 2027. Additional stops may be added during the season, and events on public lands run during regular Visitor Center hours.

Fort Lauderdale – September 28, 2026 -- Princess Cruises has become the first global cruise line to launch a native app inside ChatGPT, letting travelers search, compare and plan trips across its fleet using plain conversational language.

Travelers can tag @princesscruises to search 330+ destinations across 17 ships

Once the Princess app is installed in ChatGPT, guests can type requests such as "@princesscruises Show me seven-night cruises that visit Santorini in August 2027" or "@princesscruises Help me plan a cruise to Alaska next summer." Within the same chat, they can compare itineraries and ships, check current pricing and availability, and explore ports, shore excursions, cruisetours and onboard packages.

Cangzhou – September 27, 2026 -- The 12th China Cangzhou International Wushu Competition wrapped up on September 13 at Cangzhou Stadium, drawing 4,352 athletes and coaches from 295 teams across 40 countries and regions. Competitors ranged from 4-year-old newcomers to an 82-year-old master, spanning four generations on a single stage.

Ahead of the competition, Cangzhou released an AI-generated short film called Iron Lion: The Sentinel of Time on September 5. The 17-minute production blends fictional characters with the city's wushu heritage, urban landscape and Grand Canal history, aimed at introducing the tradition to international viewers.

The AI film has racked up more than 5.51 million views since release

The short has spread across multiple platforms, prompting online reactions. One viewer, identified as "Siwei Jiaoyu," wrote that they never expected AI could produce such an atmospheric kung fu film.