jtrent238 test blog: Travel Dispatch: You Haven’t Seen Blue Until You’ve Seen San Andres

March 16, 2024

A catamaran sailboat is tied to a float in azure water, while a motorboat can be seen off in the distance.

A typical day vacationing in San Andres includes taking a boat of some kind from cay to cay. Toh Gouttenoire for The New York Times

Dear Travel Fan,

The effects of climate change on travel have been made clear in the past couple of years, from heat waves in Europe to floods in Vermont to fires on Maui. This week we look at Lytton, British Columbia, which has long been a hub for whitewater rafting, hiking and other outdoor pursuits. It was destroyed by wildfires in 2021 and is still struggling to rebuild. And if you're looking to travel more sustainably, we've got a roundup of getaways where eco-activism is part of the attraction.

We take you to the Caribbean island of San Andres, which is part of Colombia, though it's much closer to Nicaragua, where counting the shades of blue in the water is a major pastime.

36 Hours this week offers a tour of Sarasota, Fla., a laid-back city with art, nature and beaches to explore. Our World Through a Lens column stops in Kyoto, Japan, for the Setsubun festival, which marks the end of the year with bonfires and rituals to bring good luck. And the latest Tripped Up column helps a couple whose vacation was upended by a problem with a code-share flight (our columnist Seth Kugel also explains just what a code share is, don't worry).

I recently traveled to Aspen, Colo., to ski a newly opened section of Aspen Mountain called Hero's and brought back this report on Aspen's on-, and off-mountain charms. I hope you enjoy it.

Finally, as you may remember, we made the Path of Totality for the coming total solar eclipse one of our 52 Places to Go for 2024. It is turning into perhaps the biggest travel event of the year. If you haven't made your plans yet, we've got this helpful list of 31 things to do for the eclipse.

Wishing you safe and happy travels,

Amy Virshup

OPEN UP YOUR WORLD

A man in a brown jacket and orange pants skis down a snowy trail with evergreen trees behind him and a second skier in the background.

Matthew Defeo for The New York Times

Aspen Has 153 New Acres of Terrain. Cue the Champagne.

This Colorado enclave draws both die-hard snow lovers and those who don't even dream of skiing, be they museum-goers, gourmands or influencers.

By Amy Virshup

A brilliant orange sunset over a calm ocean. In the foreground, people stand on the shore looking at the spectacle.

36 Hours

36 Hours in Sarasota, Fla.

Kayak through mangroves, take a Black history trolley tour and spot dolphins from a white-sand beach on Florida's Gulf Coast.

By Valeriya Safronova

Under a double row of paper lanterns with Japanese script on them, two women dressed in Japanese kimonos and holding fans dance on a stage. In front of them a crowd of people stands and watches, many of them holding up cellphones to record the action.

Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

THE World Through a Lens

A Japanese Festival of Fire and Spirits

During Setsubun celebrations in Kyoto, demons and bad luck are banished as people prepare for the start of the new year.

By Chang W. Lee

An island with palm trees at its center ringed by beach with beach umbrellas is seen across an expanse of clear blue water.

Toh Gouttenoire for The New York Times

You Haven't Seen Blue Until You've Seen San Andres

The island, close to Nicaragua but part of Colombia, boasts waters in seven shades of the color. Counting them — from a boat, from a cay, from the shade of a coconut tree — is a meditative experience.

By Shannon Sims

Continue reading the main story

THE CHANGING WORLD OF TRAVEL

A street lamp with a spire that has been melted by fire.

Grant Harder for The New York Times

How Does a Tiny Mountain Town, Burned to the Ground, Come Back?

Lytton, British Columbia, used to draw backpackers, rafters and road-trippers until a wildfire destroyed it in 2021. Now, it's a microcosm of how climate change is scrambling tourism.

By Rowan Moore Gerety

In a large green field next to a calm river bed, a man with shovel and another with a pick-axe plant a tree.

Maple Grove

5 Getaways That Reinvent Eco-Tourism

From the Columbia River Gorge to the Chesapeake Bay, these retreats provide educational and volunteer experiences for travelers not only wanting to reconnect with nature, but to give back.

By Lauren Matison

A photo illustration shows the body of an airplane but instead of an airplane tail, a human hand abruptly juts out at the end of the airplane in a warning

Miguel Porlan

Tripped Up

Help! Air Canada Ruined Our Trip to Ireland but Won't Take the Blame.

A Minnesota couple's vacation fell apart after a jet bridge accident and a code-share snafu led to two nights of failed connections.

By Seth Kugel

TRAVEL 101

An illustration of a crowd of people standing in line below a sign that says

Dani Pendergast

Travel 101

Delays and Cancellations: Know Your Rights

Advocating for yourself after an airline delay or cancellation can be challenging and confusing. Here's how to best achieve the result you want — or at least get you where you want to go.

By Christine Chung

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