I Just Took the Greatest Road Trip of My Life

Plus, A Little Thai Town and Its Vulnerable Fairy Tale Treasure [Manage newsletters]( [View in browser]( [Image] [Image] The entire world in your inbox.   Hello all– I’m writing to you from 30,000 feet as I’m flying from Doha to Cairo. I had no idea what to expect before my trip to Qatar, but it was fascinating and I can’t wait to tell you all about it in our next It’s Still a Big World feature. [This week’s lead story]( is another dispatch from that signature series and it takes a look at road tripping the Baja Peninsula. Driving through this unique landscape was exactly what we had in mind when we created this series–places that remind you just how much of the world isn’t overrun by tourists who merely follow the crowd. I think you’ll find [my journey]( there one you’ll want to do some day. We also [have a lovely tale]( from Lucie Grace about a remote town she visited in Thailand called Phrae. While there she observed a battle the town was waging to preserve its unique gingerbread house-like teak architecture. It’s an interesting peek into a place I’d never heard of. I’m always on the hunt for neighborhood boutique hotels, whether in my home city of Washington, DC or somewhere far-off like Cape Town. Finding one in Manhattan has often proved elusive for me, but I can say [I’ve definitely found one in The Moore](, a new hotel in Chelsea named after the neighborhood's founder who, fun fact, also wrote [Twas the Night Before Christmas](. I wrote about my stay there for our series on exciting new hotels, [Room Key](. Enjoy! —[William O’Connor](, Travel Editor   [Image] [I Just Took the Greatest Road Trip of My Life]( [Along the way you will be immersed in dramatic desert landscapes, careen around mountains plunging into the sea, rest in palm tree-lined oasis towns, and marvel at the marine life.]( [A Little Thai Town and Its Vulnerable Fairy Tale Treasure]( [A small town in remote Northern Thailand is banding together to save their antique wooden buildings.]( [NYC Just Got a Cute Neighborhood Hotel—and It’s Convenient]( [The city has plenty of chains, intimidatingly hip spots, and swanky high-end hotels. But small, chill, and reasonably priced, not so much.]( [Reaching the Farthest Corner of the World Is One Rough Trip]( [Pitcairn Island in the Pacific Ocean was made famous by the Bounty’s mutineers, who settled there after ditching Captain Bligh in 1789. It was tough to get there then. It still is.](   [“](The chances of solving the urgent question of why China Eastern Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 jet hit the ground at the speed of a missile, instantly killing all 132 people on board, suddenly looks more hopeful.[”]( – Clive Irving [reports on the latest developments in the mysterious China Eastern Airlines crash](.   OMG I Want to Rent This House! Casa Sol Penthouse, Tulum, Mexico ([Airbnb](): Before the Era of Covid began, Tulum was a former hidden gem that was becoming [more than a little exposed](. Everyone who was anyone was dashing off to the Riviera Maya for some much needed rest and relaxation (capped off by a heavy dose of tequila, we can only assume). But just because Tulum has now firmly taken its place as a hotspot doesn’t mean you should skip it, even if you are trying to find somewhere off the beaten path to take a little holiday jaunt amid the never-ending pandemic. Rather than staying at one of the popular hotels on the water, opt for a luxury penthouse like Casa Sol which offers all the sand and sun that Tulum is known for, but with a heavy dose of privacy and comfort. If the past two years have you craving a little more permanence in a chaotic life, then maybe a week-long stay at Casa Sol won’t cut it. No worries—there’s another option for you. Thanks to the company, [Kocomo](, this space is also open to new co-owners-cum-investors for the paltry sum of a little over $100k. That’s just a dip in the Santa money bucket, right? (We wish!) Book Your Stay: [Casa Sol](, Tulum, Mexico: $1,200/night via Airbnb Don’t miss previous OMG, I Want to Rent This House posts, which spotlight the most spectacular and unique homes that you can actually stay in. [Check out the full archives](.   Travel to the World’s Coolest New City Parks Many of us aren’t aware, but we’re actually living in a second golden age of urban parks. That, at least, is the takeaway from the fascinating new book from Rizzoli, [Parks of the 21st Century: Reinvented Landscapes, Reclaimed Territories]( by Victoria Newhouse. The engrossing survey is the latest selection for our series on new travel-related coffee table books–[Just Booked](. Inside, the book is a very serious examination of the explosion over the last decade in innovative and spectacular urban parks–places that have been reborn out of the remains of the second industrial era. Highways, airports, waterfront industrial sites, and railroads have been transformed into playful and serene spaces. But given how beautiful so many of these parks highlighted are and how global the survey is, the book has already become an essential trip planner. It introduces parks as far flung as Shanghai’s Xuhui Runway Park and Chattanooga’s Renaissance Park. Our favorite after flipping through, though, is undoubtedly Shanghai’s Quarry Garden, a 10-acre components of the city’s botanical garden that features a floating walkway in the flooded quarry! [BUY ON AMAZON >>](   Please note that if you buy something featured in one of our posts or newsletters, The Daily Beast may collect a share of sales. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up here.](   [Daily Beast]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( @copyright 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC I 555 W. 18th Street, New York NY, 10011 [Privacy Policy]( If you are on a mobile device or cannot view the images in this message, click here to [view this email in your browser](. To ensure delivery of these emails, please add emails@thedailybeast.com to your address book. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, or think you have received this message in error, you can [safely unsubscribe](.