A back-door strategy to the Alps, ski school tips for kids, and money-saving hacks to put to use this winter.

Now that the snow guns are powered up at most ski resorts in North America, it’s time to get some trip dates in the books. We all know that ski vacation-planning is complicated: There’s airfare, car rentals, lodging, lift tickets, ski school, and off-slope activities to wrangle, and that’s not even taking into account your ski equipment—should you lug it from home or demo when you get there?

While there’s no magic wand—aside from hiring a travel agent—there are some hacks we’ve uncovered after decades of ski travel. From tips for ensuring smooth air travel during unpredictable winter weather to making sure your little ripper’s first ski school experience is a positive one, these seven nuggets of wisdom aim to help you have a less stressful, more relaxing ski trip this winter.

SKI’’s Top Travel Hacks For Smooth Ski Vacation Planning

Hack #1: Reduce the Odds of Your Flight Getting Canceled or Delayed

While you can’t control the weather, booking travel on the largest available aircraft, may allow you and your crew to punch through storms that typically sideline smaller vessels. That’s especially worth remembering whenever you’re weighing the difference between flying directly into a ski resort (such as Steamboat) or taking ground transportation from the nearest major city. If tiny planes are your only option into the resort airport, you may be better off taking a bigger plane to the city and completing the trip via a shuttle van, which is generally more likely to make the journey through snowy, stormy conditions.

Hack #2: Skip the Car Rental on Your Next Ski Trip

While many aspects of travel have returned to their pre-pandemic norms, car rentals have remained stubbornly high. Experts attribute it to the global vehicle shortage caused by pandemic-related supply chain issues, limiting the number of cars the rental companies could buy. In other words, good ol’ supply and demand. That said, some resorts are more easily navigable without a car than others, so be sure to choose wisely.

Hack #3: Ensure Your Child Has a Positive Ski School Experience

Always be completely honest about your child’s skiing ability. If your learner never got off the bunny hill last year, don’t sign them up for ski school saying they turn down greens. The ski school will likely have a projected progression for the age/experience level of your skier, which helps the ski school group students together and pair students with the appropriate instructor with the appropriate certifications. If you fudge your student’s ability, this will only slow down the lesson and your child’s progress, since they might have to be shuffled into another class mid-day, and end up feeling like they failed. That’s no way to grow a lifelong love of skiing.

Hack #4: Slash Your Lodging Costs in Half This Winter

With ski-town lodging costs higher than ever, it’s no wonder that many skiers are looking to pare down vacation costs this winter. One way to do this is to opt to stay in a nearby ski town rather than right at the base of the slopes. This can easily shave 50 percent or more off of your lodging costs. These “second ski towns” often have great public transportation to the resorts, often utilized by resort employees, and can be a great way to stretch your dollar this winter.

Hack #5: Look Beyond Epic and Ikon for Low-Cost Passes With Great Benefits

Most skiers think there are two major pass options—Epic and Ikon—plus a few more second-tier products you can add on, such as the Indy Pass, Mountain Collective, and Power Pass. What most of the general skiing public doesn’t know about are the myriad resort season passes that offer reciprocal skiing benefits at partner resorts spread all across the continent, and in some cases, around the world. While they’re not direct competitors to the Epic or Ikon passes, these passes could have appeal as complementary products that are affordable and serve up additional low- to no-cost ski days at destinations that might surprise you.

Hack #6: Consider This Back-Door Option to Cut Airfare to Europe

For many American skiers, a ski trip in the European Alps is a dream-worthy adventure. But flights to the traditional European ski cities (Zurich, Milan, Munich, or Vienna) are pretty pricey. As of last winter, there’s a cheeky little hack you can take advantage of: the Eurostar London Ski Train. Score yourself a cheap fare to London, take the scenic train to the French Alps, and save yourself a chunk of change.

Hack #7: Escape the Crowds and Still Use Your Ikon and Epic Pass

The heavy hitters that draw crowds on the major multipasses do so for good reason. (We’re looking at you Aspen, Vail, Jackson Hole, Breckenridge, Big Sky, et al.) There’s no shortage of world-class terrain, amenities, and events at the most well-known ski resorts on the continent. But with that comes world-class crowds and a less, well, soulful experience. While the big-ticket trips to the marquee destination resorts will always be a highlight, you might be surprised by how some of the lesser-known ski areas will worm their way into your heart.

Fine dining typically means splurging a little for high-quality meat or fresh seafood. However, what if money were truly no object? Well this, would have to be the case to indulge in some of the most delectably opulent dishes.

Restaurant owners and chefs around the world create original dining experiences for those who want unique experiences — you know, like spending nearly $12,000 on a pizza or $1,000 on an ice cream sundae. If this sounds intriguing, here are some of the most expensive dishes and tasting menus in the world — all starting at more than $500 per person.

Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama — Kyoto, Japan

• Prix fixe Kaiseki menu per person: $589

At Kyoto Kitcho Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan there are several prix fixe menus to choose from, but the costliest option is 79,200 yen — or $588.56 a person. Granted, you won’t leave hungry, as the meal is at least 10 courses, featuring rounds of sashimi, grilled and steamed food, rice, pickled vegetables and dessert, to name a few.

The chef, Kunio Tokuoka, is at the helm of the restaurant, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who were the chefs before him. When you’re eating a high-end meal, be mindful of how restaurants sometimes markup dishes to increase your bill.

Restaurant Guy Savoy Monnaie — Paris, France

• Prix fixe menu for the table: $514

Chef Guy Savoy opened the restaurant in 2015 overlooking the Louvre and the Pont Neuf. Currently, the Parisian restaurant offers a prix fixe menu of up to 13 courses described as a feast of “textures, colors and flavors” served for the entire table.

The price does not include drinks, however. For your hundreds of dollars, you’ll enjoy duck, lobster and artichoke soup with black truffles, in addition to other delightful dishes. Paris is one of the most romantic cities in the world, and eating at Restaurant Guy Savoy Monnaie will certainly make your heart skip away with your budget.

Masa — New York, New York

• Dinner Omakase menu per person: $750 for table seating or $950 for bar seating, plus $150 for prized seating

Plan to set aside two hours and nearly $750 to enjoy the sushi-eating experience at Masa in New York. That price does not include tax and drinks and is basically just a starting point for your meal’s price tag. You will save on gratuity, though, as tips are not accepted.

Although the menu changes regularly, expect to be served only the finest Japanese cuisine, carefully crafted by chef Masayoshi Takayama.

Ultraviolet — Shanghai, China

• Prix fixe menu: $661 to $1,226

Would you like a multi-sensory dining experience? How about a dinner that dazzles more than your taste buds? Visit Ultraviolet as part of your life-changing trip to China — it will be worth the cost.

French chef Paul Pairet designed the concept in 2012. This 20-course meal comes with theme music for every course, as well as light shows. All guests at the table are served the same food at the same time. Prices can vary but they are never cheap.

Serendipity 3 — New York, New York

• Golden Opulence Sundae: $1,000

If you have $1,000 to spend and are curious what a four-figure dessert tastes like, head to Serendipity 3 in New York.

How can a sundae be more than a few bucks? In this dish, Tahitian vanilla ice cream made with Madagascar vanilla bean is covered in 24-karat gold leaf, specialty chocolates, Parisian candied fruits, truffles, caviar and more. A sundae of this magnitude isn’t served in a simple glass dish, but rather a Baccarat crystal bowl that you can take home as a souvenir.

SubliMotion — Ibiza, Spain

• Dinner per person: approx. $2,380

When you’re wealthy, you can pay for a three-hour dining experience that costs thousands of dollars per person. That’s more than the average family will spend for an entire month on food.

SubliMotion is not your typical dining experience. In fact, it operates very much like Ultraviolet — only it’s more expensive. Chef Paco Roncero opened the restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza in 2014, creating a spectacle for the eyes, ears and taste buds where he offers his “gastronomic performance.”

Norma’s — New York, New York

• The Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata: $2,000

Norma’s Zillion Dollar Lobster Frittata may look out of place next to the other $30 dollar menu items at Norma’s in New York. The dish is aptly named even though Norma’s isn’t known as an extremely expensive restaurant, per se.

So, what’s the catch? The $1,000 omelet includes 10 ounces of caviar, which is a big factor in price, making it the most expensive omelet in the Guinness Book of World Records. For those who can’t afford to pay the extravagant cost, there is a smaller frittata with only 1 ounce of caviar available for over $100.

De Daltons — Voorthuizen, Netherlands

• The Golden Boy Burger: $5,533

You’re not going to find beef patties that live up to the caliber of the ones made by chef Robbert Jan de Veen at your neighborhood burger chain. His diner, De Dalton’s in Voorthuizen, Netherlands, serves up a burger known as “The Golden Boy.”

This burger is made with 100% Wagyu A5 meat, as well as Beluga caviar, king crab, Spanish Paleta Ibérico, white truffle and English cheddar. The burger is crowned with barbecue sauce made with Kopi Luwak coffee and Scotch Macallan whisky. Oh, and don’t forget the gold-leaf bun made with Dom Pérignon champagne dough.

Renato Viola — Salerno, Italy

• Louis XIII Pizza: Over $12,000

Do you want a pizza fit for a king? If you’re filthy rich, you can splurge on the Louis XIII Pizza, one of the most expensive food items you can order. It will be made in your home by Renato Viola, one of Italy’s best master pizza chefs.

The pizza is anything but ordinary, with sophisticated toppings, such as mozzarella di bufala, lobster and caviar, all flown in from all different parts of the world. To top it off, the feast is served with Remy Martin Cognac Louis XIII and Champagne Krug Clos du Mesnil 1995.

The Fortress Resort and Spa — Sri Lanka

• The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence: $14,500

If you prefer to eat nearly $15,000 rather than put it towards retirement or paying off debt, then this is the extravagant dessert for you.

Made on special request, with a minimum of 24 hours’ notice, the dessert features Italian cassata flavored with Irish cream and is served with a pomegranate and mango compote. The base is a champagne sabayon, adorned with an 80-carat aquamarine stone, placed beneath a handcrafted chocolate stilt fisherman.

As parents grow older, holidays with them become all the more precious. These tips will help each of you get the most out of your trip together.

Be prepared

Discuss where you want to go and what you want to do beforehand, so you both know each other’s expectations and limitations before the first bag is packed.

Discuss spending

Work out how to divide expenses in advance. It can be easier if you agree to pay for everything and keep a tally that can be evened up later.

Consider cruising

It means you only have to unpack and pack once, no time is wasted on travelling around and it can be much more relaxing than a coach tour.

Schedule in time apart

There may be activities or tours a parent might like, and something more physical that would suit you. It’s fine to separate from time to time.

You can socialise separately

Give each other the space to make different friends. They might enjoy chatting to people of a similar age.

Select the right tour

If you’re choosing a tour, check the details as moving every day can be exhausting for older folk.

Book appropriate accommodation

Check any hotels you’re planning to stay in have lifts to upper floors, or make sure you book rooms on lower floors. Do you need separate rooms or will you share? Ask about the bathrooms, too – stepping into showers in baths can be hard for some, and even dangerous.

Choose cuisine with care

Look at the menus in restaurants to see if they have alternatives to highly spiced local foods for parents who like plainer, more familiar fare.

Selective sight-seeing

Make sure there aren’t too many steps at the sights you want to see and that they’re possible for older knees to manage.

Relax

Factor in plenty of downtime to enjoy places. It can be just as pleasant sitting at a local café watching the world go by, as rushing to a different landmark every hour.

If the idea of flying makes you nervous, you’re not alone.

If you live with aerophobia—aka the fear of flying—you are far from alone. According to 2024 data, some 25 million Americans fear flying to some degree, which can interfere with travel plans and even lead some to stay home rather than head off on adventures of a lifetime.

“Fear of flying can be a deeply uncomfortable condition to live with. It’s not just the physical discomfort during a flight that can occupy a great deal of your energy, but also the feelings of shame and embarrassment about this fear that can make life harder,” Jenny Maenpaa, a licensed clinical social worker and founder of the New York City Psychotherapy Collective, told Travel + Leisure. “There are various ways to work on this, and it’s important to recognize that each person’s fear is unique, whether it’s rooted in past trauma, a generalized anxiety disorder, or simply unfamiliarity with the mechanics of flight.”

Indeed, there are ways to combat this fear to ensure you see as much of the world as possible. Here are a few things to try to overcome your fear of flying from the experts so you can comfortably soar at 35,000 feet.

Figure out the root cause.

According to Maenpaa, it’s essential to find the root cause of the fear and investigate its emotional origins. “This might involve understanding past experiences of a turbulent flight, hearing stories from others as a child that exacerbated your fear, or related beliefs that may have contributed to the fear,” Maenpaa said. “Deeper exploration can reveal hidden triggers, and confronting these through psychodynamic therapy that brings the past into the present can be transformative.”

Try exposure therapy.

After trying to understand where your fear came from, you could try to confront it with exposure therapy. “An effective way to overcome a fear of flying is through gradual exposure and learning how to calm your nervous system,” Abrah Sprung, a licensed clinical psychologist, told T+L. “Start by watching videos of planes taking off, then visit an airport without boarding a flight, and build up to taking a flight.” Facing your fear, Sprung said, is a step-by-step process that retrains your brain to respond “with confidence instead of panic.”

Or think about cognitive behavioral therapy.

According to Ashley Pena, the national executive director for Mission Connection, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one more approach to overcome your fear. “CBT helps you identify and challenge irrational fears about flying,” Pena said. “Many individuals catastrophize the experience (‘The plane will crash,’ ‘I’ll have a panic attack and embarrass myself’), and CBT helps replace these thoughts with more balanced ones.” This may be perhaps one of the easier approaches to take. As Pena said, it can be done via virtual therapy so you can do it from the comfort of home.

Learn a simple breathing technique.

Sprung offered another easy tip to try the next time you’re feeling anxious on a flight: attempt box breathing. “To practice, inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four, and hold again for four seconds,” Sprung said. “This helps regulate your nervous system and reduces anxiety.”

Or this grounding exercise.

Pena also offered one other simple sensory grounding technique: the “5-4-3-2-1.” On your flight, try to identify five things you see, four things you touch, three things you hear, two things you smell, and one thing you taste. “This keeps your mind present rather than focusing on fear,” Pena said.

Download the right apps.

If you need a little more guidance on how to relax before or during a flight, that’s OK. According to Rostilav Ignatov, the chief medical officer at The Haven Detox, there are plenty of apps to help you do just that. “Tools like meditation and relaxation apps for travel stress relief, such as Headspace, provide guided meditations and breathing exercises to encourage relaxation and reduce stress,” Rostilav told T+L. “These apps are highly accessible and can accompany travelers on flights, making the flying experience more comfortable and less intimidating.”

And avoid certain triggers.

This one is a bit of a bummer, but it’s a good idea to forgo that glass of airport wine or a cookie if you suffer from any type of flight anxiety. “Unfortunately, alcohol and sugar are not the solutions to anxiety,” Erin Weinstein, a hypnotherapist and psychotherapist, told T+L. “As difficult as this may be to accept, consuming a drink or sugary food before a flight can actually increase your anxiety despite providing temporary relief.” The reason is that alcohol and sugar cause your blood sugar levels to spike as they are digested. “That spike leads to your heart racing. That jittery sensation you experience may feel like panic, but it’s really just your body reacting to what you’ve consumed,” Weinstein said. And if you already have flight anxiety, you may start to associate this “jittery” feeling with flying, “potentially triggering a spiral of distressing thoughts.”

Undergo hypnosis.

Weinstein also suggested trying hypnosis if you have a fear of flying, as it “helps people build a personal ‘calm button’—a phrase, image, or sensation that instantly shifts them into relaxation mode.” She noted you can try it by listening to guided hypnosis on YouTube or booking a custom recording from her.

Keep your mind busy.

Michelle English, the executive clinical manager at Healthy Life Recovery, said keeping your brain busy on a flight may be enough to sidetrack you from any fears. “Bring something that can distract you—like a book, music, or a movie,” English said. “The more you focus on something else, the less time you’ll have to think about and dwell on your fear. It’s a simple trick, but it works for many people—keeping your mind busy can help calm your nerves and make the flight feel faster.”

Talk to the crew.

Sometimes, chatting up the crew before takeoff can help calm those nerves, too. “One thing that can help is to talk to the flight crew. Ask any questions that you might have,” Jay L. Serle, the clinical supervisor of behavioral health at The Ohana Addiction Treatment Center, explained. “This can demystify flying and help a person understand more about things like turbulence, which can be scary for many. Simply understanding more about flying, turbulence, and other flight-related concepts can make a world of difference when it comes to alleviating anxiety.”

Understand that flying is abundantly safe.

One more critical thing to do is to understand that flying is abundantly safe. “Flying is one of the safest modes of transportation,” Sprung said. “Planes are built to handle turbulence, and pilots train extensively for every scenario. Turbulence may feel scary, but it’s just like bumps on a road—uncomfortable but not dangerous.” Sprung added that it’s a good idea to “trust the data” since “the odds of a plane crash are about 1 in 11 million, making flying far safer than driving. Learning about the science behind flying can replace fear with understanding.”

Maenpaa also added that those who live with a fear of flying should understand that it doesn’t need to control them. “By reframing thoughts, learning more about flight safety, and understanding the systems in place to keep us safe, people can find comfort in the knowledge that flying is one of the safest ways to travel.” She, too, cited the stats, including those from the National Transportation Safety Board that show that planes are designed to withstand even direct lightning strikes, and that “you only have a 1 in 1.2 million chance of being in a plane crash, and the overall survival likelihood if you are in a plane crash is over 95 percent.”

While yes there have been accidents, “millions of planes take off and land safely every single year without incident,” Maenpaa said. “Arming yourself with this knowledge can help you stay calm during moments of bumpiness or uncertainty mid-air, leading to significant improvements in your quality of life each time you fly.”