Save up to 20% on your Omni spring stay with United Airlines

As a celebration of the spring season, and in collaboration with United Airlines, travelers can save up to 20% on renowned Omni Hotels and Resorts properties across North America. When booking a flight and hotel bundle (through May 31, 2026), you can save on stays at the hotel group’s properties in fun-filled cities, including San Francisco, NYC, Boston, and beyond. In a separate, more timely deal on Omni’s direct site, you can find another celebration-of-spring deal—if you book by April 19, 2026, you can score 20% off on even more of the brand’s amenity-forward hotels.

The pool at the Kauai Marriott Resort

Courtesy Marriott/Photo by Don Riddle

Score on longer stays with Marriott Bonvoy

If you can stretch your trip past a long weekend, Marriott Bonvoy is making it worth your while. Book the “Stay Longer and Save” rate at participating Marriott Vacation Club, Sheraton Vacation Club, or Westin Vacation Club resorts and take 10% off three nights, 15% off four, or 20% off five or more. Choose from 80 resorts worldwide—think Cancún, Hawaii, Hilton Head Island—with amenities like adults-only infinity pools, family-friendly activities, cabanas, spas, golf, and beachfront access. Ritzy standouts include Marriott Grand Residence Club, Lake Tahoe; Marriott Vacation Club South Beach; and Marriott’s Desert Spring Villas. Book by November 1, 2026, with promo code S6058 for stays through December 18, 2026.

Save 15% or more on short-term bookings with Booking.com

If you’re eyeing a quick escape, Booking.com is making it very easy to move from “maybe we should use our PTO” to “okay, booked.” The platform’s Getaway Deals promotion offers 15% off (or more!) on hundreds of properties. Just look for the “Getaway Deal” tag when you search—no code, no extra steps. Destinations range from Myrtle Beach and Las Vegas to Dubai and Istanbul. Thousands of top-rated stays are 15–50% off, including Paris from $76 per night, Cancún from $33 per night, Las Vegas from $69, and Myrtle Beach from $47.

Save even more on your hotel bookings and travel plans with these Booking.com promo codes.

Cruise deals

Get 75% off your second guest’s cruise fare (and more) with Celebrity Cruises

There’s no better time to book the cruise vacation you’ll always remember on a ship you’ll never forget, thanks to Celebrity Cruises’s Weekend Flash Sale. Whether you want to head from Europe to the Caribbean or Alaska and beyond, for a limited time only, take up to a whopping 75% off your second guest’s cruise fare, save up to an additional $650 per room, and get $100 bonus savings on all Alaska sailings. Plus, additional guests in your stateroom sail free on some of the line’s select sailings, including the three-night sailing around Key West and the Bahamas, a seven-night cruise to the Alaska Dawes Glacier, and an eight-night sail around Aruba, Curaçao, and Bonaire.

The sunny Suite Deck on Wonder of the Seas by Royal Caribbean International

Michel Verdure/Royal Caribbean

Joshua Jackson has long been one of the cooler gentlemen on television. Since his role as Pacey on beloved teen melodrama Dawson’s Creek cemented his legacy as a luminary of television, the Canadian actor has kept us entertained with shows like The Affair, Little Fires Everywhere, and the titularly similar but unrelated Dr. Death and Doctor Odyssey—the latter a particularly guilty pleasure that asked the question: what if the incessant medical disasters of Grey’s Anatomy occurred aboard luxury cruise ship?

While not TV, Jackson’s latest project still has an air of adventure. He’s the face of Banana Republic’s Archive Reissue campaign—which was shot in the storied halls of The Explorers Club, a historic professional society for scientists and their benefactors on Manhattan’s Upper East Side—sat down with us to talk about a ski trip he took to Hokkaido, Japan. Well-traveled and therefore well-versed in the art of going carry-on only, due to his work shooting on location around the world, Jackson shares what he brought with him for the journey—including the one luxury item he swears by.

The trip

What trip are you unpacking for us?

I am unpacking a ski trip that I took to Niseko, Japan a couple of seasons ago now, and it is indicative of the way that I travel in terms of last minute adventures. The hotel was Ichiseko — Annupuri Garden and I was on the mountain every single day. It’s a beautiful location, where you basically just ski and eat this local cuisine of noodles and seafood. It was a fantastic trip. But the best part of it is the onsen. After a day skiing it’s perhaps the greatest thing ever.

How was this trip indicative of the way that you travel?

I pack pathologically light, firstly just because I don’t want to deal with the pain in the ass of losing baggage, or carrying extra baggage and all the extra weight. But I also think that when you pack light, everywhere you go will have most of what you need, and it forces you to interact with the place that you’re in, to fill in anything that you might need locally. So I try as best I can to just pack the essentials and then figure out everything else once I’m there. However, I recently decided to get a proper piece of grown-up luggage—a Sterling Pacific carry-on. I always do carry-on, I even carry my boots on with me, but this time I brought my own skis [and checked them.]

What was the reason for such a last-minute trip?

Packing for a trip always feels like a dance between art and science—and attempting to pack light complicates things even further. All of that “just in case” stuff quickly adds up—and before we know it, we are lugging overflowing suitcases full of unused items through airports, on trains, or up flights of stairs. According to one survey, nearly one in three travelers consistently overpack more than what they need.

As an avid traveler who is on the road several times a month, I’ve found that packing efficiently is a skill that comes with experience. And after countless trips—navigating airports, trains, and unexpected layovers—I’ve realized that less truly is more. Dragging around a heavy suitcase quickly becomes a hassle, and the risk of lost luggage only adds unnecessary stress. Over time, I’ve refined my packing strategy, mastering the art of fitting everything I need into a carry-on. Now, traveling light is second nature which offers me freedom, flexibility, and peace of mind. Below are my tried-and-true tips for packing light with only a carry-on.

Choose the right luggage

A key consideration for any trip is choosing the right luggage to fit all your essentials without weighing you down. If you’re traveling with just a carry-on-sized bag, you want it to be lightweight yet roomy—expandable options are always helpful. My current go-to is Briggs & Riley’s expandable carry-on that offers a few extra inches of space while still fitting in the overhead compartment on most planes. The 360-spin wheels mean it’s a breeze to maneuver in tight spaces, and the multiple carry handles make it easy to lift on the go. Inside, the patented compression technology expands or compresses the bag with just the touch of a lever. The large padded front compartment fits my 15-inch laptop, a scarf, and a book.

Another smart carry-on option is Cotopaxi’s Allpa Roller bag. The hybrid combination of a hard-shell back and adjustable soft front offers the right amount of support and more flexibility than a traditional carry-on. It only has two wheels but when I saw how easily the bag moved on different surfaces, I was hooked. Cotopaxi’s fun and vibrant colors also make these suitcases stand out among a sea of lookalike bags at the airport.

Next up: Choosing a functional personal item. I often pair my suitcase with the Lo & Sons tote bag. As a professional photographer, I always travel with my gear and this tote is spacious enough to pack my camera, an extra lens, and in-flight essentials, including snacks and a water bottle. The tote bag has a trolley sleeve, a separate shoe compartment, and it can be carried by the handles or the shoulder strap. Bonus: It fits comfortably under an airplane seat.

Go in July for: food and wine festivals, plus some seriously good bubbly

Margaret River is a name that conjures visions of rugged coastal landscapes, big swells, and rolling vineyards. Here in Wadandi country, home to the “saltwater people” for over 40,000 years, you choose your own adventure: Hike the 84-mile Cape to Cape Track between Cape Naturaliste in the north and Cape Leeuwin in the south, dive into immersive cultural experiences, or engage with a food and wine scene that has deep roots.That latter realm is set to be big in July: A local roster of food and wine talent lights up Southern-Hemisphere winter with the 10th edition of the Cabin Fever festival, which will run from July 17 to 26.

Furthermore, the team behind Margaret River’s storied winery Vasse Felix has debuted two new experiences. First, there will be a sleek tasting salon for Idée Fixe, the winery’s sparkling offshoot dedicated to Blanc de Blancs, a style made entirely from Chardonnay, in the traditional Champagne method. While Idée Fixe, just south of Margaret River town, has quietly been producing for several years, this will be its first stand-alone space, where it will offer immersive tastings and a behind-the-scenes look into the craft of méthode traditionnelle winemaking. It’s a natural evolution in a region widely considered Australia’s top Chardonnay producer. Second, a coastal-inspired bistro is now open with sweeping views of the vineyard.

How to plan it: It’s a little over three hours by car from Perth, but Busselton-Margaret River Airport, which is a 45-minute drive, has Sydney and Melbourne flights via Jetstar. The region is vast and varied: Amid coastal towns, epic surf, and forested hinterlands, Margaret River’s wineries are world-renowned; the region hosted the World’s 50 Best Vineyards 2025 awards last November. With so much ground to cover—and limited public transport—hiring a car is the best way to explore properly.

Where to stay in Margaret River, Australia:

“In the winter, the primary concern is frozen or burst pipes due to heating failures or poor insulation,” says Lane. “In the summer, high humidity and heat can lead to mold growth, warped materials, and strain on cooling systems. So homeowners should never completely turn off their heat or air conditioning.”

A Google Nest thermostat is a great investment for travelers—it lets you control the temperature of your home, and the thermostat monitors your HVAC system and alerts you to any issues. Lane recommends setting the temperature to 55 degrees in colder climates and 78 degrees in warmer ones. You can also adjust your smart thermostat to your preferred temperature via app a few hours before your return, so you walk into a home that’s perfectly cool or warm without running up the electric bill.

Take care of the mail

Nothing screams “this home is vacant!” quite like an overflowing mailbox. Instead of relying on loved ones to check your mailbox, sign up for the USPS mail hold service to stop deliveries for up to 30 days, or try temporary mail forwarding for even longer absences.

Expecting something important to arrive? Anissia West, a life coach who leaves home for extended periods at least five times per year, recommends a virtual mailbox like iPostal1. The company collects your mail, uploads photos of it through an app, then allows you the option to discard it, forward it, or have it scanned so you can digitally read your mail from anywhere.

If you can’t delay the arrival of a special delivery, a smart lockable parcel box like Loxx Boxx will keep packages out of sight and out of reach of porch pirates. According to Rod Sides, president and CEO of Loxx Boxx, this reduces not only the risk of theft but also the effects of damaging weather exposure.

Make it look like someone is home

Another way to ward off would-be robbers is to create the illusion that you never left home. This can be as simple as arranging a regular landscaping service, but Royal Williams, online teacher and graduate student who splits her time between California and Colombia, goes the extra mile: “To make the house seem lived in, I use light timers—so for a few hours every night, the living room lights turn on.” Light timers that connect directly to your outlet, like this Amazon bestseller, are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. For a more advanced option, smart lightbulbs like Philips Hue often have a vacation mode that will randomly program the lights so they’re not turning on and off in a predictable manner.

Install smart home security

Long gone are the days of leaving a spare key under a flower pot by the door. Instead, invest in a smart lock like this keypad deadbolt from Schlage. Using the dedicated Schlage app, you can create temporary codes for pet sitters, neighbors, or anyone else coming to check on your property. Notifications will alert you whenever the door is unlocked, and you can also remotely control the deadbolt from your phone using the Schlage app, Apple Home, Alexa, Ring, and other home automation systems. Monitor your home further with the help of Ring and Nest, which offer other smart home security services such as indoor and outdoor cameras, motion-activated floodlights, and more.