AFAR Search

How to Check Your Passport Status—and What to Do if It’s Taking Too Long

U.S. passports are normally processed in four to six weeks, but if the waiting seems endless, here’s how you can check your passport application or renewal status.

September 23, 2025 01:30 AM

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Ramsey Qubein

The Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is filled with materials inspired by traditional regional textiles.

Hotels

The 8 Best Hotels in Abu Dhabi for a Truly Local Stay

Sparkling waters, otherworldly sand dunes, and palm-shaded oases await near Abu Dhabi’s most exciting hotels.

January 4, 2023 02:20 PM

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Nicola Chilton

Solo Travel

The “Guardians” Helping Keep Women Travelers Safe

Through crowdsourcing, the SafeUp app is helping solo travelers feel more comfortable all over the world.

January 6, 2022 02:33 PM

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Flora Tsapovsky

Style + Design

Lydia Tár Is Problematic—but She’s My Travel Style Icon Anyway

Here’s how to recreate the airplane outfit Cate Blanchett wore in the Oscar-nominated film that is low-key and high-brow all at once.

March 10, 2023 02:01 PM

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Katherine LaGrave

Islands

Why This Destination Is the Caribbean’s Ultimate Island Hopping Paradise

Filled with thrilling outdoor activities, iconic beach bars, dreamy resorts, and stunning parks, the British Virgin Islands promises spectacular boating—and adventure.

Sponsored by The British Virgin Islands

Having a good or "bad" passport cannot only affect one's travel plans—it can affect the course of one's life.

Books

Patrick Bixby’s New Book, License to Travel, Explores the Quiet Power of the Passport

The author and professor discusses the simple beauty—and absolute authority—of the passport in his newest book “License to Travel.”

October 25, 2022 10:30 AM

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Mae Hamilton

View of an Air New Zealand airplane wing above hills dotted with wind turbines and a body of water as viewed through an airplane window

Air Travel News

These Are the World’s 25 Safest Airlines—and Only 3 U.S. Carriers Made the Cut

Last year saw deadly crashes in the U.S. and India, yet air travel remains one of the safest forms of transportation. These are the world’s safest airlines, according to a recent report.

February 6, 2026 01:16 PM

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Barbara Peterson

Tips + News

Hotels Step Up to House Coronavirus Health Workers and Patients

The Four Seasons, the St. Regis, and the Yotel group were among the first to throw open their doors.

March 27, 2020 04:11 PM

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Tim Chester

A silhouette of a person stargazing on a deck.

Ocean Cruises

5 Amazing Excursions Curated by Afar

Go stargazing in Norway with expert astronomers, learn to play the bagpipe, and enjoy more enriching cultural excursions with Atlas Ocean Voyages.

The travel industry has a long way to go to reach its climate ambitions of net-zero by 2050, but these companies and destinations are stepping up to the challenge.

November 29, 2022 06:42 PM

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Kathleen Rellihan

Tips + News

Washington, D.C. Says “Don’t Come” to Inauguration

Airbnb cancels reservations and hotels may be asked to shut in the coming days as the tide turns on what’s normally a joyous event that draws hundreds of thousands of people.

January 13, 2021 05:47 PM

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Laura Dannen Redman

Tips + News

EU Officially Proposes Reopening External Borders

The European Commission hopes international travelers will be able to visit Europe this summer.

May 3, 2021 03:29 PM

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Samuel Petrequin

The exterior of an ornate white mansion with manicured gardens and a fountain.

Art + Culture

HBO Max’s Gilded Age Is Back. Experience It for Yourself in Newport, Rhode Island

Explore the famed coastal “cottages,” don tennis whites for a friendly match, and cruise the harbor in a vintage schooner.

July 3, 2025 08:15 AM

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Robin Catalano

Hotels

Puerto Rico’s Iconic Caribe Hilton Is Reborn Post-Hurricane Maria

The resort where the piña colada was invented reopens, helping to celebrate the Caribbean island’s renaissance.

May 16, 2019 08:33 PM

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Michelle Baran

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