This Is Why Your Baggage Claim Is Always in the Farthest Part of the Airport
The plane’s at the gate, the seatbelt sign finally dings off, and you hustle to baggage claim (because we all know someone who absolutely must check their luggage). Then you get there and wait. Airlines aim to get bags to the carousel within about 20 minutes, but at big hubs, it can stretch to 30 or 40.
One airport found a fix for all the complaints, and it had nothing to do with handling the bags any faster.
R O A D T R I P S
A Romantic Fall Road Trip Through the Cutest Covered Bridges in New England
Photo: RaulCano/Shutterstock
Fall is in full swing in the Northeast, and New England’s almost 200 covered bridges are framed in red and gold right now.
This road trip links the cutest ones from Vermont to Connecticut, in case you need plans for the weekend.
D E A L S
Last-Minute Travel Deals We'd Actually Book
No affiliate links. Just solid finds.
Alaska Airlines: One-way fares from $169 to ski towns and surf spots this winter. Three days only: book by Oct. 15 at 11:59 PM PT.
Omni Hotels & Resorts: Up to 15% off fall stays across the US. Book by Oct. 18.
Trafalgar: Up to 15% off guided tours departing in the next four months.
Design Hotels: Fall wellness deals at boutique hotels from Stockholm to Bali, many with spa access, massages, or yoga included, and up to 30% off at select properties.
Turkish Airlines: Round-trip economy fares from LAX to Istanbul from $750.
G U I D E
Why Halloween in San Antonio Should Be Your Next Fall Family Trip
Photos: Rebecca Kathryn Sharp
San Antonio goes all-out for Halloween: three of its four theme parks throw seasonal events (think Howl-O-Scream, haunted houses, and candy trails), and ghost tours run through the Alamo and Texas’ most haunted hotel.
Between scares, there’s a multicultural food scene best eaten family-style.
W E L L N E S S
Affordable Las Vegas Spas: 6 Luxe Ways to Relax Without the Splurge
Photo: Fontainbleau Las Vegas
These six Las Vegas spas feel like a splurge, with quiet relaxation rooms, showers, and lockers, minus the price tag that usually comes with Strip luxury.
Some treatments, like salt rooms, are more relaxing than scientifically proven, but at these prices, any of them beats recovering from a long night on the Strip in your hotel room.
H A L L O W E E N
Your Worst Edible Story Could Win You Two Nights in an Allegedly Haunted Illinois House
Photo: Judith Lee/Shutterstock
Many scary edible stories go the same way: you took some, decided it wasn’t working, took more, and then both kicked in at once. If yours is weirder than that, Chicago THC drink brand Herb Light wants to hear it by Oct. 23.
The two scariest stories win a Halloween-week stay in an allegedly haunted Illinois house, with a fridge full of Herb Light and no guarantee of ghosts.
Travel Well
The Matador Editorial Team
Hey, it’s me, your newsletter editor. Have feedback? Just hit reply and send it my way. I’m all ears.