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The hottest openings and travel news you missed in North America

It’s been a while since we’ve been out there, but the world hasn’t stopped moving. From the latest hotels to new retreats in far-flung destinations to museum openings and what’s trending, here is all the inspiration you need to inform your travel plans to North America this year and beyond.

Los Angeles: find new places to stay, eat and explore

The City of Angels is also a city of reinvention and returning visitors will find it abuzz with new places to stay, eat and explore on repeat. In food news, L.A. has welcomed a new wave of all-day dining options including a landmark Sunset Boulevard venue for Superba Food + Bread and a couple of hotspots installed in new destination hotel Downtown L.A. Proper: rooftop Cara Cara and opulently designed Caldo Verde. Meanwhile, those keen to explore the eclectic and innovative food scene of Downtown L.A. by foot can tag along on a new guided tour led by Culinary Backstreets.

The much-anticipated opening in September last year of the Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures – the world’s premier institution dedicated to the art and science of movies – signals that arts and culture continues to thrive, but the biggest boom no doubt has come in the hotel stakes.

Valet, Fairmont Century Plaza, Los Angeles, USA
The Hotel Fairmont Century Plaza has been completely reimagined after a five-year renovation.

Head to Hollywood for several new openings including The Godfrey, just south of Sunset Boulevard with immersive interior design inspired by Old Hollywood and a curated art program; Thompson Hollywood, a luxury lifestyle hotel that brings California cool and a mélange of dining concepts to the heart of Hollywood; and the modern and spirited Tommie Hollywood. Pendry West Hollywood brings a fresh take on modern luxury to Sunset Strip while storied hotel Fairmont Century Plaza, at the centre of iconic moments throughout pop culture since 1966, has been completely reimagined after a five-year renovation. Or divert your attention to Culver City (one of L.A.’s coolest neighbourhoods) and nearby up-and-coming West Adams (one of its most historic), where The Shay and Alsace respectively give travellers the opportunity to experience a different side of the city.

Alsace Hotel, Los Angeles, USA, North America
Alsace gives travellers the opportunity to experience a different side of the city.

Visit the First Americans Museum, Oklahoma, USA

The largest single-building tribal cultural centre in the USA has opened in Oklahoma City to celebrate a shared American history through the stories of the state’s 39 Tribal Nations – the name Oklahoma itself comes from two Choctaw words, okla and homma, meaning ‘Land of the Red People’. At over 15,000 square metres and decades in the making, First Americans Museum is a platform for state-of-the-art exhibitions and plenty more besides.

First Americans Museum, USA
See state-of-the-art exhibitions and plenty more at the First Americans Museum.

Stay in the Arizona desert at Ambiente, Sedona

Americans travelling on home soil lately have been especially drawn to the healing power of Sedona; the imminent opening of Ambiente, a Landscape Hotel, designed to blend in with the Arizona desert city’s landscape of mystical red rocks and the first of its kind in North America, will provide deeper earthing still.

Ambiente Hotel, USA, North America
Landscape Hotel’s Ambiente is the first of its kind in North America.

Embark on one of the three new Pole-to-Pole Expedition Cruises

Hurtigruten Expeditions has announced three new Pole-to-Pole Expedition Cruises on two of the world’s most sustainable cruise ships (the small-sized battery-hybrids MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen). Exploring the planet from its extreme north to its deepest south, these seriously epic journeys set sail in August 2023. Clocking in at almost 100 days, the ‘Ultimate Bucket List’ route departs Vancouver before taking in Alaska, the Northwest Passage, Greenland, Central and South America and finally reaching the fabled depths of Antarctica.

Alaska Denail National Park, Alaska, USA, North America
Explore the planet from its extreme north to its deepest south with Hurtigruten Expeditions.

Experience Hawaii on a deeper level with the Malama Hawaii Program

After the pandemic provided a moment of pause, Hawai’i is inviting travellers back to discover its islands on a deeper level. Inspired by the word mālama, meaning to care for, preserve and protect, the Mālama Hawai‘i Program highlights the relationship between the state’s natural beauty and vibrant culture through volunteer opportunities such as tree planting, reforestation projects, beach clean-ups and quilting sessions; discounts and free extra-night stays are available for participants.

Community, Hawaii, USA, North America
“Malama", meaning to care for, preserve and protect.

Stay at Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, Vancouver Island, Canada

Australia’s Baillie Lodges went global in late 2020 with the addition of Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge to its portfolio, meaning you can experience the wild luxury the brand is known for (with properties including Longitude 131° and Silky Oaks Lodge), Canadian-style. Here, among the coastal rainforest of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, and accessible only by seaplane, lies a blissfully remote lodge replete with 25 luxurious white canvas tents, each with a view of namesake Clayoquot Sound.

Ivanhoe Lounge, Clayoquot Wilderness Lounge, USA, North America
Experience the wild luxury the brand is known for, Canadian-style.

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Little Island: New York City’s newest performance venue

Rising from the site of a derelict pier on the Hudson River is New York City’s newest (and possibly most eccentric) public space and performance venue. With a 687-seat amphitheatre and designed by British architect  Thomas Heatherwick, the $357 million Little Island is a floating park propped up by 132 concrete pilings, or ‘tulips’, and backed by billionaire Barry Diller and his fashion designer wife Diane von Fürstenberg, who also helped fund the development of the nearby High Line.

Little Island by the Hudson River, New York City, USA, North America
See Little Island,  New York’s newest (and possibly most eccentric) public space and performance venue.

‘Rockies to Red Rocks’ on the Rocky Mountaineer

With its luxury glass-dome trains winding through the wilds of North America, Rocky Mountaineer is synonymous with the Canadian Rockies, Western Canada and the American Southwest, and last year it upped the ante further with the launch of a brand-new route.  The two-day ‘Rockies to the Red Rocks’ journeys between Moab, Utah and Denver, Colorado through awe-inspiring landscapes of mountains, canyons, red desert and geological marvels.

Don’t miss: Alpine Distilling in Park City

Gin aficionados travelling through Utah take note: Alpine Distilling in Park City has taken gold at the Gin of The Year 2021 ceremony in London; visit its new Alpine Bar for award-winning craft cocktails and pie.

RTR Train, 7 Mile Moeb, Colorado, USA, North America
Join the two-day ‘Rockies to the Red Rocks’ journeys.

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12 grand journeys throughout North America

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    Discover North America’s epic adventures — from Route 66 and Alaska cruises to Hawai‘i road trips, NYC culture, Mexico trails and more.

    1. Route 66, the Main Street of America

    Travelling with: Ricky French

    Sunset on Route 66 in the California Mojave Desert.
    Hit the open road and trace America’s legendary highway. (Image: Getty/Der_Thomasa)

    Dubbed the Main Street of America, Route 66 radiates serious main character energy, cemented into popular culture through everything from John Steinbeck’s novel The Grapes of Wrath to the Disney Pixar film Cars. Spanning nearly 4000 kilometres from Chicago to Los Angeles, the historic highway celebrates its centenary next year, a timely invitation to take the mother of all road trips along the Mother Road. Allow two to three weeks to tackle the full length, or bite off a smaller chunk at either end, cruising the dramatic deserts of California or the more pastoral landscapes of Illinois, lined with neon-lit diners, retro gas stations and quirky roadside attractions.

    2. Mexico’s Día de los Muertos

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    emblematic catrina of mexico with flowers and necklace with sempasuchil flowers
    Celebrate life and honour loved ones in vibrant style. (Image: Getty/Fabian Pacheco)

    You might know Oaxaca as the birthplace of mole and mezcal. But the state in southern Mexico is also where the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) began. Time your visit to coincide with the colourful holiday, on 1–2 November, which honours and celebrates loved ones who have passed away. Oaxaca is also Mexico’s Michelin-starred culinary capital, with 18 restaurants and a humble taco stand listed in the 2025 guide.

    3. Museum-hop in New York City

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    The Guggenheim Museum’s iconic spiralling exterior, a highlight of North America Epic Adventures.
    Step inside and marvel at bold, world-class art. (Image: Damiano Fiore)

    Your map app will look like it’s been scattered with confetti after you’ve dropped pins on all the museums you want to visit in New York City. Must-sees are the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art aka the Met, and the Museum of Modern Art. The American Museum of Natural History is also a draw. It’s also worth venturing into the boroughs to browse institutions such as the Brooklyn Museum, which has a huge permanent collection categorised by culture.

    4. The USA’s music scene

    Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

    The Seattle skyline at night, aglow with city lights on North America Epic Adventures.
    Soak up skyline views and dive into the city’s coffee culture. (Image: Abigail Boone)

    If you’re a muso, chances are you’ve wanted to make a pilgrimage to the United States, the epicentre of so many beloved genres. Whether you’re head-banging your way around the Grunge Circuit in Seattle, chasing the twang of the pedal steel through Tennessee or bouncing between blues bars in the Mississippi Delta, the USA’s rich music culture has something that’ll strike a chord.

    5. Road-tripping Hawai‘i

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    A woman surfing in Hawaii, gliding across turquoise waves on North America Epic Adventures.
    Catch the waves and ride Hawaii’s iconic swells. (Image: Ben Ono)

    Hawai‘i is one of the most diverse US states to road trip around. Of the six major islands to visit, the Island of Hawai‘i packs in everything from the snowy summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa to black-sand beaches and lava fields frozen in the act of flowing forward. Change down a few gears on the island of O‘ahu, too, where you can find your own patch of sand on Waimanalo Beach. Visit poi and pineapple plantations. And hang ten on beginner-friendly waves on the North Shore.

    6. Cruising Alaska

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Explora Journeys ship cruising in Alaska.
    Sail past glaciers and spot whales in pristine waters.

    Seeing Alaska from the sea allows you to cover a lot of distance quickly. This immersive frontier now beckons more than ever before with Explora Journeys adding the American state to its global destination portfolio. Best of all are the pre-and post-journey immersions that connect the luxury of a cruise onboard Explora III with the rugged grandeur of the Alaskan interior. UnCruise Adventures also weaves in access to remote national parks, legendary wildlife corridors and authentic cultural experiences on its Alaskan itineraries.

    7. The Wixárika Route in Mexico

    Travelling with: Elizabeth Whitehead

    People journeying through the Wixarika Route.
    Journey deep into sacred Huichol traditions and art.

    For generations, the Indigenous Wixárika People of Mexico have walked a sacred path known as Tatehuarí Huajuyé, or ‘The Path of Our Grandfather Fire’. The annual pilgrimage route spans 500 kilometres, taking in significant sites in Wixárika spirituality and cosmology. The route passes through the deserts, mountains and forests of northern Mexico before reaching Wirikuta, believed to be the place the sun first emerged. The route is a living cultural landscape of Indigenous culture pre-Columbian influence and, in July this year, was formally inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

    8. Drive the Iceberg Coast in Canada

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Iceberg off the east coast of Canada
    Chase icebergs along Expedition 51 on Canada’s east coast. (Image: Canadian Tourism Commission/ Chris Hendrickson)

    Download the icebergfinder.com map to better plan your road trip along Canada’s Iceberg Coast. The new highway, which has been nearly 25 years and CAD$1.1 billion in the making, threads through the country’s pleated coastlines around Quebec, Newfoundland, Labrador, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick before looping in the French islands of St Pierre and Miquelon. As well as chasing icebergs along Expedition 51, travellers will have the opportunity to engage with cultures that have thrived in the pristine provinces for thousands of years.

    9. A foodie tour of Nova Scotia

    Travelling with: Katie Carlin

    Lunenberg Nova Scotia
    Try lobster rolls in Lunenburg on the east coast of Canada in Nova Scotia. (Image: Natalia Kvitovska/ Unsplash)

    World-famous for its lobster, Nova Scotia is a Canadian province best savoured through its culinary clout shaped by sea and terroir. Bite into lobster rolls at historic Lunenburg’s Salt Shaker Deli & Inn and sip maple rum at Ironworks Distillery. Winery-hop around Wolfville’s rising vineyards (don’t miss Lightfoot & Wolfville). Take a maple syrup tour at Sugar Moon Farm near Earltown. And pull up a seat at waterfront Bar Sofia in Halifax, where Nova Scotia oysters aguachile arrive bright with cucumber, lime and pickled onion.

    10. Soak up the sun in the Caribbean

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Overwater bungalows off a beach in the Caribbean
    Experience the white-sand beaches and cerulean seas of the Caribbean on board a cruise.

    The Caribbean is on the radar for seasoned cruisers. And it’s easy to see why, with white-sand beaches, cerulean seas and swaying palms so picture-perfect they look AI-generated. Cruise with Windstar, Royal Caribbean, and Celebrity on its inaugural Xcel season to the Caribbean to enjoy action-packed excursions such as snorkelling coral reefs and shopping for local trinkets. And those sea days? Spectacular.

    11. Red Chair Hikes of Canada

    Travelling with: Kassia Byrnes

    Red Adirondack chairs overlooking Lake Minnewanka in Canada
    Take a seat at Lake Minnewanka, one of more than 400 red Adirondack chairs scattered across Canada’s hiking routes. (Image: Getty Images/ Autumn Sky Photography)

    No one appreciates the great outdoors more than Canadians, emerging from snow-covered winters to tread glacial rivers and snowshoe through forests, or to hike mighty mountains and wildflower-strewn valleys come spring. Along popular hikes around the country, more than 400 red Adirondack chairs have been placed in peaceful, breathtaking locations. What started as a social media contest now sees hikers soaking in classic Canadian lake and mountain vistas, overlooking historic sites or gazing down on the mountainous path they just travelled.

    12. Ride the Rocky Mountaineer from Denver to Moab, USA

    Travelling with: Carla Grossetti

    Sweeping views from the Rocky Mountaineer.
    The Rocky Mountaineer will continue as the Canyon Spirit in 2026, seen here carving through Ruby Canyon.

    Sighting wild animals is one of many incredible thrills along the two-day luxury Rockies to the Red Rocks route onboard the Rocky Mountaineer across America’s Southwest between mid-April and mid-October. In addition to the lone bear, we spot bighorn sheep, elk, beavers, pronghorn antelope, bald eagles and ospreys. Riding the rails onboard the luxury train, which was founded in Canada in 1990 and has been awarded the prestigious World’s Leading Travel Experience by Train several times, has never been about just getting from A to B. Ride the train from Denver to Moab and you will see the scenery change from snow-capped peaks to meadows, red-rock canyons and soaring cliffs that resemble ornate Gaudí-esque cathedrals. But it’s not until you get off the train that you can produce the ultimate Venn diagram, with nature and adventure in the intersecting spheres.

    The hottest openings and travel news you missed in North America - International Traveller