The Journal

24 piecesSeptember 2026 · New Delhi

Written by the people who run the tripsFree · no signup, ever

No. 01 · Destination guide

China: Beijing, the Great Wall, and Xi'an's Terracotta Army

China's classic first-timer route strings together Beijing's imperial monuments, a hike along the Great Wall's less-crowded secti…

18 September 20265 min readThe TripClub desk

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Photo: Lloyd Tudor / CC BY-SA 4.0

Also in this issue

23 pieces · 6 departments

02Rio de Janeiro and Iguaçu Falls: Brazil's Essential Two WeeksRio's beaches, samba, and mountain backdrop pair with Iguaçu's thundering, 275-waterfall spectacle on the Brazil-Argentina border…Destination guide5 min
03Chile: The Atacama Desert, Santiago, and Wine CountryChile's absurd geography — the driest desert on Earth in the north, a European-feeling capital in the middle, vineyards in the ce…Destination guide5 min
04Zanzibar: Spice Islands and the Swahili CoastZanzibar's Stone Town blends Swahili, Arab, Persian, and Indian influences into a UNESCO-listed maze of carved wooden doors, whil…Destination guide5 min
05Tulum and the Yucatán: Cenotes, Ruins, and Mexico's Caribbean CoastThe Yucatán Peninsula pairs Tulum's clifftop Mayan ruins and Caribbean beaches with a landscape riddled underground by thousands…Destination guide5 min
06Sicily: Volcanoes, Greek Ruins, and Italy's Deep SouthMount Etna, the Valley of the Temples, and a food culture shaped by three thousand years of conquest make Sicily one of the Medit…Destination guide6 min
07The Basque Country: San Sebastián, Bilbao, and Europe's Best Small-Plate Food SceneSpain's northern Basque Country pairs a Michelin-star-dense pintxos culture with a fiercely independent identity, a language olde…Destination guide5 min
08Porto and the Douro Valley: Where Port Wine Comes FromPortugal's second city pairs a riverside old town of tiled facades with the terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley upstream, the…Destination guide6 min
09Kerala's Backwaters: Houseboats, Spice Ports, and India's Slow-Travel CoastA network of lagoons and canals behind Kerala's coastline, best explored by traditional kettuvallam houseboat, anchors a state th…Destination guide6 min
10Ladakh: High-Altitude Monasteries, Turquoise Lakes, and India's Cold DesertPerched above 3,000 meters in the Himalayan rain shadow, Ladakh pairs centuries-old Tibetan Buddhist monasteries with some of the…Destination guide5 min
11Yellowstone and Grand Teton: America's Original National ParksThe world's first national park pairs geysers, hot springs, and some of the lower 48's best wildlife viewing with the jagged, gla…Destination guide5 min
12Why I Stopped Chasing Bucket ListsAfter a decade of ticking off countries, I noticed the trips I actually remembered weren't the ones on any list at all.Planning and itineraries5 min
13The Case for Traveling Alone at Least OnceYou don't have to make solo travel your whole personality. But everyone should try it once, and here's why.Solo travel6 min
14What Overtourism Actually Looks LikeFrom Venice's day-tripper fee to Barcelona's water pistols, a look at what happens when a destination's popularity outgrows its c…Planning and itineraries6 min
15The Souvenir ProblemWhy the shot glasses and magnets end up in a drawer, and what actually stays out on the shelf.Planning and itineraries6 min
16Learning to Slow Down: The One-City TripA canceled flight stranded me in Oaxaca for ten days instead of two. It became the best trip I've taken, and changed how I plan e…Destination guide5 min
17What a Decade of Guiding Tours Has Taught UsTen years of group trips have changed how we think about itineraries, guides, and what travelers actually remember.Planning and itineraries6 min
18The Honest Case for Group ToursPast the matching-hats stereotype, small-group travel solves real problems — and the criticisms worth taking seriously.Planning and itineraries5 min
1910 of the World's Best BeachesFrom silica-white sand in Australia to pink-tinted shores in the Bahamas, ten beaches that earn their reputations for entirely di…Destination guide6 min
20Top 10 National Parks Before They ChangeFrom retreating glaciers to bleaching reefs, ten national parks where documented change makes the case for visiting sooner rather…Adventure travel7 min
218 Weekend Getaways from Mumbai and DelhiFour picks near each city, chosen for how well they fit into forty-eight hours, from hill stations to heritage forts to India's a…Destination guide6 min
22Best Time to Visit Europe Month by MonthA month-by-month read on crowds, weather, and the specific events worth planning around, from Venice Carnival to the last Christm…Continents and countries6 min
237 Destinations for a Long Layover Done RightFrom Singapore's free city tours to Iceland's stopover program, seven airport hubs where a long layover is worth turning into a m…Adventure travel4 min
24Top 10 Food Cities Worth Traveling ForFrom Bangkok's street stalls to Naples' wood-fired ovens, ten cities where the food alone justifies the trip.Activity information6 min

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