Photo: massimofusaro/Shutterstock
6 Places Around the World to See Polar Bears in the Wild
Outside of Coca-Cola commercials, seeing one of these giants in person can take some serious logistical planning, since polar bears spend most of their lives out on the Arctic sea ice.
This list spans the Arctic, from Svalbard, where you’ll watch from a ship at a safe distance, to Churchill, Manitoba, where hundreds of bears hang out each fall waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze.
N E W S
Flights Have Resumed, but the Aftermath Is Still Brutal
Photo: Miguel Ángel Sanz/ Unsplash
If you were stuck at the airport Friday, congrats, you were part of history. The FAA grounded every departing flight in the US for more than four hours, the longest nationwide ground stop in 25 years, according to the Associated Press.
Officials blamed upgrades that overwhelmed the system’s decades-old equipment. The fallout? Another 2,500-plus flights canceled Saturday.
O U T D O O R
Ditch the Hotels: How to Rent a Campervan for an Easy Japan Ski Trip
Photo: by-studio/Shutterstock
Chasing Japan’s famous powder usually means a hotel base, but a campervan lets you follow fresh snow between resorts in Hokkaido’s “Powder Belt” on your own schedule, with hotel breakfasts and onsen soaks still on the table.
C U L T U R E
How Chasing the Northern Lights in Norway Led Me to Indigenous Reindeer Herders
Photo: Visit Norway/Terje Rakke
A trip above the Arctic Circle to see the northern lights turned into something no one plans for: time with Sámi reindeer herders, who keep alive a nomadic tradition found in few other places on Earth.
P A R K S
Apply Now for a March Hike on The Wave, One of the Hardest US Permits to Get
Photo: vwagner/Shutterstock
A permit for The Wave, the swirling red-and-orange sandstone formation on the Arizona-Utah border, is one of the hardest to land in the country, with only 64 hikers allowed per day.
The advance lottery runs a month at a time for dates four months out, so applying now, in November, lines you up for a March hike, right when the desert weather is ideal.
S T A Y S
Learning to Ski in the Poconos: An Adventure On (and Off) the Slopes
Photo: Camelback Resort
Colorado and Vermont get all the glory, but Pennsylvania’s Poconos make a strong case for first-timers, with approachable bunny slopes, calm ski schools, and plenty to do off the mountain.
A beginner trip based at Camelback Resort can also mean one of the country’s biggest snow tubing parks, beer-keg curling, and Hallmark-worthy town centers dotted with painted snowmen.
Travel Well
The Matador Editorial Team
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