By Melissa Lambarena | NerdWallet Taking that much needed vacation while on a debt payoff journey may seem impossible, but it doesn’t have to be. By planning a vacation that suits your budget and keeps goals on track, you can transport yourself somewhere new and recharge. Related Articles Business | Retirement could come sooner than you think — how to plan for it Business | Survey: More than 1 in 3 American travelers plan to go into debt for their summer vacations this year Business | Is financial trauma holding you back from living your best life? Business | How couples can share the men ..read more

By Mary Ann Anderson, Tribune News Service MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga.— When the Savannah-born Flannery O’Connor, widely regarded as the queen of Southern Gothic literature, moved home to Georgia from Connecticut in 1951, she was diagnosed with lupus, an incurable, crippling autoimmune disease. Her mother brought the then 25-year-old to live with her at Andalusia, the family farm just north of Milledgeville, a town of some 17,000 in the heart of Georgia’s lake country. Environment is everything to a writer, and the venerable yet charming two-story white house rising on a hill and overlooking a quietly ..read more

By Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times After five years of pandemic- and snowpack-related closures, Yosemite National Park has reopened “glamping” campsites where visitors will have access to showers, gourmet meals and a view of the park’s wild back country. Camping hopefuls can now enter a lottery to experience three of the five available campsites at the High Sierra Camps from June to September. The two other sites, Vogelsang and Merced Lake — respectively the highest elevation campsite and the oldest and most remote campsite, established in 1916 — will remain closed throughout the 2024 season. Ne ..read more

Katie Kelton | Bankrate.com (TNS) Perhaps your summers hold fond memories of strolling along the beach, hiking mountains or trying new foods at a destination hundreds of miles from home. If so, are you planning to keep the travel streak going this year? Would you go into debt for it? A new Bankrate survey found that only about half (53%) of Americans are planning a summer vacation in 2024. Of those who plan to travel this summer, more than 1 in 3 (36%) are willing to go into debt to pay for it. On the other hand, another half (47%) of Americans plan to skip their summer vacation this year, cit ..read more

Grace Toohey | (TNS) Los Angeles Times Hawaii lawmakers are hoping that phasing out short-term rentals could help ease its worsening housing crisis, where locals face the highest housing costs in the nation and one of the worst rates of homelessness. Two bills that would allow for new regulation of “transient accommodations” have moved readily through the state legislature this spring, and if passed, could provide new avenues to limit the short-term home rental industry, which has exploded in recent years across the state’s four populated islands. But the issue has been a challenging one for o ..read more

Looking for vacation inspiration? Men’s Journal recently ranked the best vacation destinations in the country, including everything from beach towns to gastronomic treasures and adventure-packed gems. It’s a coast-to-coast, border-to-border array of 50 tempting spots, complete with tips on when to go, where to stay and what to do — and eat — while you’re there. The top spot goes to Ouray, a Colorado mountain town the magazine editors say feels “like you’ve stepped foot in a live-action REI commercial.” But California gets several sensational shout-outs, starting with the coastal town of SLO ..read more

Where can you taste the world’s best bourbon, make the acquaintance of the world’s most famous Thoroughbred, tour the home of the “Paul Revere of the South,” shop for high-end antiques in a converted schoolhouse, and spend the night in a castle — all in the same small county? If you said Woodford County, Kentucky, go to the head of the class. Located in the state’s scenic Bluegrass Region, Woodford County offers enough to keep a visitor occupied for an entire vacation. Start with the Thoroughbreds. Drive along US 60, and you will quickly discover that you are in an upscale neighborhood where t ..read more

By Sally French | NerdWallet At the airport, long lines for check-in, security screenings and even getting food can feel like a giant waste of time — and potentially disrupt even the most meticulously planned itinerary. But with planning, you can skip some of the most annoying lines, and in some cases, get reimbursed if the line-skipping privilege requires an application fee. Here are five common airport bottlenecks and how to avoid them for free or cheap. 1. Check in It is the year 2024, which means there’s a mobile version of all sorts of travel services. That includes the ability to check i ..read more

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Carnival Cruise Line has released another round of updates on what travelers can expect when its new private destination Grand Bahama Celebration Key opens. Debuting in summer 2025, the port of call will be welcoming ships from Florida ports Port Canaveral, PortMiami, Tampa and Jacksonville as well as six other U.S. ports. The 369-acre site less than 20 miles east of Freeport will be the first dedicated to Carnival Cruise Line, although Carnival ships have used sister line destinations Princess Cays and Half Moon Cay for years. The largest port construction project in the l ..read more

Do you like the Great Outdoors? For the kickoff of the annual National Park Week, which for 2024 will be held April 20-28, the park service is offering free admission to its parks and monuments on Saturday, April 20. This can save you $50 or even more, but here’s what you need to know, from someone who’s taken advantage of it in the past. Show up at dawn. Seriously. I know, I know. Don’t hurt me. But then you get there before the thundering hordes arrive. As you might guess, free passes are a huge draw. You don’t need to sign up or register. Just show up and go. Tourists stop to gaze at the sp ..read more