MetLife Stadium is an 82,500-capacity venue in the Meadowlands, which is set to become the centre of the footballing universe as the FIFA World Cup returns to American soil for the first time in 32 years. MetLife Stadium is not located in New York City, per se. It sits in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This is a small distinction that can have a large impact on your World Cup trip planning. Especially from the financial point of view.
If you look at a map of Texas, the very left point is El Paso. From there, let your eyes wander southeast. You see that dip in the Texas border along the Rio Grande? That dip is called the Big Bend. And within this area, you'll find one of the largest, most remote national parks in the continental U.S. Big Bend National Park is bigger than Rhode Island and the only national park that contains an entire mountain range, the Chisos Mountains.
It can, however, just as easily overwhelm, meaning most visitors can get their fill simply by sticking to the "Central" region. Here, modernity rubs lightly up against traditional Japanese ryokans (or guesthouses) and an abundance of natural beauty. Come winter, this region-specifically Niseko-becomes an international ski resort, boasting world-class powder snow. In summer, however, the snow lifts like a serviette from a picnic, and Hokkaido is transformed with cinematic national parks, sprawling flower fields, and volcanic hot spots.
With a nickname like "the land of eternal spring," Guatemala had been on my radar ever since its bougainvillea-draped Antigua and the dreamy blue expanse of Lake Atitlán made rounds on social media. I got lucky: I visited twice this year-first for work, then for a girls' trip. Antigua's cobblestone streets and courtyard cafes lived up to the hype, but it was Guatemala's lake region, nicknamed the Lake Como of Central America, that stole my heart.
