Thanksgiving is fast approaching, and if you originally decided to stay home this year but are now itching for a new adventure, it’s not too late to book a last-minute Thanksgiving getaway. Here are 13 great places we recommend visiting this year with family and friends!
With the recent success of House of the Dragon, the world of travel offers new and exciting experiences all over the globe. Since the series wrapped up, we have been left wondering, where are all those incredible sights to be found? Look no further, as we have listed various places where the HBO show was filmed.
The first location scoped out during the principal photography stage was the breathtaking Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe. This beautiful, historic building can be found in the Cáceres province of Spain. Eagle-eyed viewers may remember this place from the show’s predecessor, Game of Thrones. Scenes were shot for both King’s Landing and the Red Keep, and to keep continuity for this prequel, the exact location was used for House of the Dragon.
The scenes that used this space include Rhaenys’ discussion with Princess Rhaenyra about her being named heir to the Iron Throne, and where Rhaenyra chose Ser Criston Cole as her Kings guard.
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Featuring in the second to last episode of House of The Dragon, the Caceres church – San Francisco Javier was the backdrop for an intense scene between Aegon and Aemond Targaryen. The former ran away from his duty becoming king, and his brother was sent to hunt him down. The altercation between characters in this scene is played out in front of the many steps that can be seen before the entrance.
In reality, this baroque-style church is in the centre of Caceres, a small town located in Spain. This 18th Century church adds to the old town aspects of King’s Landing and made for the perfect addition to the House of the Dragon filming locations.
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The next recognisable location can be found across the pond in Holywell Bay, Cornwall. The view from this large cave was used as Rhaenyra and Laenor walked across the beach. It is the primary location used to represent the Valeryon family home at Driftmark. This location was new to the Game of Thrones universe, after not being previously used. The Valeryon home was never featured in the show’s predecessor.
Cornwall is located in the very far Southwest of the United Kingdom and makes for a great vacation spot. The summers can get particularly warm, so a good place to consider if you want that English charm sprinkled into your next trip. We also recommend traditional fish and chips and Cornish ice cream as a treat!
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Just a stone’s throw from Holywell Bay is the beautiful St Michael’s Mount, Cornwall. This was the main feature for the Drift mark exterior shots, which served as the Valeryon ancestral home. Laena Valeryon greeted King Viserys and welcomed him to the home in one of the earlier episodes of House of the Dragon.
The stunning location is very reminiscent of Mont Saint-Michel in France, but the two locations are totally separate.
We recommend adding this breathtaking historical castle to your trip to Cornwall! There is an online castle tour also available for those keen historians who want to learn more about the destination.
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Our final destination in Cornwall is Kynance Cove beach near the Lizard Peninsula. Located further south than Holywell Bay, this truly looks out into the ocean. This Cove faces out to the Celtic Sea and the English Channel.
Kynance Cove was the main location used for the Stepstones Battle between Daemon, Corlys and the Triarchy.
The blue water of the cove is a sight to be seen on any trip to Cornwall, with the rocky pillars below being the perfect backdrop for a true battle Game of Thrones style. After a walk down to the beach on a sunny afternoon, why not enjoy a fresh Cornish pasty or homemade cake with clotted cream? The Kynance Café and Cottage eco-friendly eatery is a must-visit after a long day.
The 3.2km walk offers scenic views and Lizard point is the UK’s most southerly point. This National Trust location is a protected conservation area, so make sure you dispose of all trash appropriately!
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This spooky season, travel is back and better than ever. There are so many fascinating places to visit, from a popular film set to a suspected haunted hotel, here are some ghoulish places you should consider visiting on this creepy Halloween weekend.
Halloween Movie House – Did you know you can visit the real house that was from the Halloween movies? We saw in Halloween Kills the house had an interior re-vamp, but the external face remained the same. Take a trip to 1000 Mission Street, North Carolina and you can find the replica of the original house. Just make sure not to disturb the businesses that currently run out of the building!
Hotel La Fonda (Santa Fe, New Mexico) – Back in its Old West heydays, gunfights were a commonality inside the La Fonda, and convicts hung from the gallows out back. The spirits of these western gunslingers are often found still hanging around the old hitching and sleeping post.
Roller King Skating Rink (Albuquerque, New Mexico) – Sticking in the Southwest, the Roller King-Skating Rink was famously used as a set for the recent 4th season of Stranger Things. This roller rink is a great activity to participate in for Halloween, so why not dress up and get your skates on? Stylised as Rink-O-Mania in the show, bring back the 80’s flare and give it a try. They have a daily schedule through October to fit into your own spooky plans. Make sure to keep an eye out on their website for other festive events this month.
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The Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, Colorado) – As soon as you arrive at the idyllic driveway of this hotel, you will realise it inspired the hotel from Steven King’s The Shining. This extravagant building houses ‘spirited rooms’, meaning you can have a real paranormal experience during your stay! Availability is limited in these rooms, so it’s best to pre-book these as early as you can.
If you can’t make it to stay overnight at the hotel, we highly recommend the Spirited Tour. This experience lasts around 60 minutes, and the night-time ambience adds to the spooky atmosphere. The knowledgeable storyteller takes you around the hotel itself and through the dark edges, leaving it the perfect place for a few scares this Halloween.
Ramada Plaza Hotel (Fond du Lac, Wisconsin) – The basement of this hotel is the exit point of underground tunnels once used by Chicago gangsters to escape from authorities. Former owner Walter Schroeder passed on whilst on the premises, and he now haunts the hotel – turning on faucets and lights, banging on walls, and reportedly yelling.
The RMS Queen Mary Hotel – (Long Beach, CA) – Unfortunately currently closed due to ongoing renovations. This massive ocean liner crossed the Atlantic thousands of times, but it has been permanently docked in Long Beach since 1967…where paranormal activity has become the norm. Strange rapping noises can be heard onboard, ghostly apparitions are often seen walking the halls, and stairs have been seen on the side of the docked ship. Due to the temporary closure, a Halloween Festival called ‘Shaqtoberfest’ has been set up alongside the famous ship for Halloween fun this year.
Provincial Hotel (New Orleans, Louisiana) – The Big Easy is infamous for being inhabited by spirits, and the Provincial Hotel is no exception. Once a hospital for the fallen, the ghosts of soldiers and doctors roam freely, opening and closing doors, whispering in the halls, and some guests have even reported seeing soldiers in their rooms. Building No. 5 is believed to be the most haunted, so stay and sleep…if you dare.
The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel – Known for being ‘haunted’ by the late Marilyn Monroe, Errol Flynn and Montgomery Clift, this Hollywood Boulevard hotel has gained quite the reputation for scares since its opening in 1927. It’s sure to be spooky fun this Halloween, so why not book a room and see if you can sleep through the night?
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The best airports for when you need a layover
Quite often, holidaymakers, travelers, and business people will experience layovers as they fly between countries. Layovers can be as short as 30 minutes, or as long as 24 hours for international flights.
Layovers can be a great way to discover a new destination. Whether you have a few hours to wander the streets of Paris and grab a croissant, or an evening to take advantage of the nightlife in Tokyo, layovers are a fun way to check out a new city to see if you’d like to return in the future.
By investigating the busiest airports in the world from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta to Shanghai Hongqiao International, on their food & beverages, hygiene, service, customer satisfaction, shopping, and hotel availability, this report reveals the best airports in the world for an airport layover.
Ranking as the best airport for a layover in the US is Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, hitting a layover score of 7.22/10. The airport offers great hygiene and service practices and there is a good selection of 33 hotels within 2 miles of the airport to choose from.
Seattle to Los Angeles is the most popular flight out of this airport. Yet, whilst you wait you can gaze upon the stunning Mount Rainier, visible from the comfort of the Airport’s terminals.
George Bush Intercontinental Airport ranks as the second-best US airport for a layover with a score of 6.11/10. George Bush Intercontinental sees excellent ratings across amenities, hygiene, and services. There is only 1 hotel within 2 miles of the airport though, so be sure to book in advance. The most popular flight out of George Bush is to Los Angeles.
In third place is Denver International Airport with a score of 6.00/10. Denver has more shopping choices than George Bush International, and the airport also scores well for its food and beverage offerings (4.17/5).
Denver is one of the busiest US airports, servicing almost 60 million people each year. Denver Airport offers a memorable and exciting experience as you investigate its four murals, all of which have been a favorite topic of conspiracy theorists.
Tokyo Haneda Airport, Japan, ranks as the best airport in the world to enjoy a layover. This Japanese airport has an excellent 4.59/5 hygiene rating to pair with an excellent choice of food and beverages. The service and shopping choices are likewise great here, with several designer fashion shops available, including Burberry, Chanel, Hermès, and Rolex.
There are 31 hotels within 2 miles of the airport to find the perfect place to relax and unwind. Tokyo Haneda Airport shows off its more modern design and is often enjoyed by foreign heads of state upon visiting Japan.
In runner-up position is the Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Shanghai Hongqiao International offers excellent amenities, with shopping and staff service hitting 4.5/5 each. The airport also boasts a customer satisfaction score of 6.00/10, a significantly high score for a busy airport.
Shanghai airport has its very own art galleries in the Arrival Hall, known as the Artspace. Antiques alongside modern artworks and paintings are displayed here for travelers to enjoy.
Istanbul Airport, in Turkey, ranks as the third best airport to enjoy a layover. With scores for amenities consistently over 4.00/5. Istanbul Airport also enjoys a huge choice of 87 hotels within a 2-mile radius. Despite a lower customer satisfaction score of 3.00/10, Istanbul Airport still scores a 7.22/10 layover score due to its consistently high scores across its amenities.
Luxury Square, at Istanbul Airport, offers a wide variety of world-famous luxury and designer products, with stores covering 800 m². Opened in 2018, this airport has some stunning architecture with its giant glass walls, and it is already one of the most popular airports in the world.
All of the following data was taken from Skytrax:
The number of hotels within 2 miles of each airport was recorded using Booking.com.
Annual passenger numbers were taken from Wikipedia. These were not included in the ranking calculations.
Most common domestic flights in the US were taken from Stacker.
Data was recorded before October 4th, 2022.
All factors were given a normalized score ranked and combined to give the Layover Score.
Where are the best ski destinations in the US?
There’s so much to see and do across the US throughout all seasons of the year, but during the winter months nothing beats the thrill of skiing, and you may be surprised to hear that there are more than 500 ski resorts in the US.
Whether you are traveling from Los Angeles International (LAX) or Boston Logan (BOS), the US is home to some of the best ski resorts in the world, so you are sure to find the perfect one for you.
No matter your abilities, whether you’re a pro on the slopes or a complete novice, this report reveals the best ski resorts across the US, analyzing factors such as annual snowfall, customer reviews, and the cost of a ski pass.
In the top spot is the historic mining town of Breckenridge, Colorado. In the summertime, this resort is alive with plenty of family-friendly activities, and during Fall Oktoberfest is often enjoyed. However, it is during the winter months that the resort transforms into a seasonal wonderland.
Scoring 8.81, this resort has a lot to offer with a total slope length of 153km and 284” of snowfall 2020/2021 season. The resort is also popular on Instagram with over 930,000 mentions, making it easy for you to identify grid-worthy parts of the resort before you go.
Out of the top three resorts shown, Vail has the longest length of slope at 234km and adult season passes start at the same price as those for Breckenridge at $859. Vail also saw 218” of snowfall during the 2020/2021 season. On social media, Vail isn’t as popular as the other top two resorts, however, it is still well known with 228,281 mentions on Instagram.
In third place is Park City, in Utah, the only resort in the top five from outside of Colorado.
Park City is one of the country’s major destinations for skiers and has hosted the U.S. Ski Team for training camps. It is also the most Instagrammable resort on this list (1.3 million posts), and the joint biggest in terms of the length of its slopes (250km).
When it comes to sheer scale, two resorts are tied in first place, each with a total slope length of around 250km.
The first is Park City, Utah, which is the largest lift-served ski resort in the country, after being combined with the neighboring Canyons Resort via a gondola.
The other is Big Sky in Montana, which is also the second-largest ski resort in the US by acreage, with more than 5,800 acres of coverage.
The cheapest resort for an unlimited season pass for adults is the Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, with a price of $599.
A-Basin is an alpine resort in the Rocky Mountains and is of great value as it has a longer season than most, staying open until early June or sometimes, July.
With 437” of snow in the 2020/2021 season, Jackson Hole resort tops the list as the snowiest resort. Plenty of snow makes the destination perfect for a ski trip, or for a magical winter experience. The views of the mountains and snow-filled wonderland are perfect for the grid and according to our research, the place is pretty picture-perfect with 973,997 mentions on Instagram.
When looking at popularity on Instagram we discovered that the most mentioned resort was Park City in Utah, with over 1,000,000 hashtags! This resort offers amazing landscape views of the surrounding resorts of Deer Valley and Utah Olympic Park, which held the 2002 Winter Olympics. The scenery makes for awesome pictures so it’s no surprise that Park City made the first position.
Heavenly Ski Resort in California takes the top spot when it comes to average monthly Google searches, with a total of 823,000. 246,000 of these searches come from the US alone and perhaps it’s no wonder; with breathtaking views of Lake Tahoe, it is an incredible place to ski and simply take in the scenery.
Now you have all of the details you need to choose the best ski experience for you and your family to enjoy, we hope you have an awesome time on the slopes.
In total 523 ski resorts in the US were refined down to 50 based on those with the highest review scores as of October 17th, 2022, according to Skiresort.info.
Each ski resort was ranked on the following factors and was given a normalized score out of 10 before creating an average overall score.
