Traveling in November
Traveling in November? Here are 10 of the best places to go
This November, get together to celebrate a season of togetherness with a twist of adventure.
In November, consider moving the turkey-fueled family reunion. Countless destinations are offering a delicious counterpoint to this eternal meal, whether you prefer gourmet cuisine on the Caribbean's fanciest island or the chance to bite into some sugar skulls in Mexico.
Here are the 10 best places to travel in November.
1. Chickasaw Country, Oklahoma
November is best for celebrating Native American culture
November is Native American Heritage Month, so it's worth pausing, reflecting, and learning more about American culture long before the Europeans arrived. Remember: One person's Thanksgiving is another's National Day of Mourning, an alternative to the damage done to Indigenous nations by new settlers.
When the Native nations were forcibly moved to what was dubbed Indian Territory, one of their last refuges was what is now known as Oklahoma. The Southeast-based Chickasaws were forced to relocate to an area of the Midwest renamed Chickasaw Country. Almost two centuries later, it's a rewarding place to visit and learn about Aboriginal culture. The Chickasaw Cultural Center is a 109-acre complex that features several interactive exhibits on the nation's language, heritage, and traditions. The Chickasaw White House housed Chickasaw Governor Douglas Henry Johnston and his family until 1971 when it became a museum.
Beyond the cultural sites, be sure to visit the Chickasaw National Recreation Area and Lake Murray for outdoor activities like hiking and fishing.
Proceeds from the 81-room Artesian Hotel near Sulfur, Oklahoma go toward essential services for the people of the Chickasaw Nation.
How to Get to Chickasaw Country
Allegiant flies nonstop to Oklahoma City from Los Angeles, while Frontier connects it to Denver, plus a nonstop American Airlines Dallas. From Oklahoma City, take an hour and a half drive south to Chickasaw Country.
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2. Boca Raton, Florida
November is best for: Ditching the road to I-95
The Brightline high-speed train connects the necklace of towns along the east coast to the tip of Florida. It's transformed South Florida, making it easier than ever to travel between Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Palm Beach (one-way prices start at $17). This month, the Boca Raton train station opens, adding another stop on this route, right next to the downtown library and a short walk from Mizner Park, named for the architect whose penchant for an ersatz Mediterranean aesthetic helped shape the look and feel of the first modern SoFla.
The new resort means you can get around all four city centers even more easily, so take your pick of events: Lagoon Fest on Nov. 5 in West Palm Beach, for example, is where food stalls take over the downtown Flagler Drive, and families can go on clean-up kayak tours to help beautify the 20-mile-long estuary.
Alternatively, take Brightline to its stop in Miami, where the annual book fair takes place for eight days starting November 13; more than 300 authors of fiction and non-fiction guest lectures and lectures concentrated at the fair's headquarters in downtown Miami Dade College.
Check into the 224-room tower, the latest part of Boca Raton's $200 million makeover -- rooms are easily configured in flexible layouts, making it ideal for families looking to book rooms to communicate.
How to get to Boca Raton
The nearest well-served commercial airport is Fort Lauderdale (FLL) 20 miles away, which serves most major hubs in the United States. Low-cost carriers Allegiant and Spirit have notable presences there.
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3. Baja Peninsula, Mexico
November is great for Spooky stuff of all kinds
Outside of Mexico, Day of the Dead may just be a fun occasion for adults to indulge in a bit of face painting, but within the country's borders, this tradition of honoring ancestors is celebrated. with much more enthusiasm and ceremony. La Catrina - we'd call it the Death - is honored with delightful, ghoulish sugar sculptures in the shape of skulls, while families often visit local cemeteries with music and tequila to celebrate their fallen loved ones. Visitors are invited to join in the parades and festivities, which energize any Mexican city on November 1st.
Oaxaca is the spiritual home of this festival, but considers heading to the Baja Peninsula instead: not only for its 70-mile-long beaches (landlocked Oaxaca can't compete with that) but also for the Baja Film Festival Los Cabos will take place this year from November 11 to 19. It typically attracts 15,000 or more visitors, including Reese Witherspoon and Ewan McGregor, on the program, which features workshops, screenings, and panels; After dark celebrates inventive approaches to horror and sci-fi films by new filmmakers from Mexico and beyond.
The 173-room One&Only Palmilla is an ultra-luxe hideaway right on the ocean, its whitewashed-wall casitas and retro decorative touches meant to nod to the Spanish colonial era.
How to get to Baja
Los Cabos Airport (SJD) is well served from countless US gateways via all three traditional airlines, including flights from San Francisco, Dallas, and Los Angeles.
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4. Saint Helena Island
November is best for: Reaching one of the hardest islands to visit in the world
This remote volcanic island more than 1,200 miles off the coast of southern Africa remains a British possession today, having flipped between colonial powers since the Portuguese first commandeered the rock in 1502. Indeed, his isolation was one of the reasons for sending Napoleon Bonaparte to live out his life. last days here after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo; his home on the island is now a museum.
This holiday season is the perfect opportunity to use those vacation days to make the trip to the island. Explore its historic colonial-era capital, Jamestown, and the subtropical landscape of the 46-square-mile landmass. The best countryside views are from Diana's Peak, a roughly 2.5-hour hike to reach the 2,700-foot summit. The waters off Saint Helena teem with life: go whale watching to see humpback whales, which arrive at this time of year to give birth; head along James Bay and Lemon Valley for great snorkeling among the fishy waters; or go wreck diving if you are already certified in diving.
The former British East India Company barracks, built in 1774, are now part of the 30-room hotel operated by the Mantis Group; ask for one of the eight rooms in the restored wing of the building.
How to get to Saint Helena
Ah, the travel is part of the appeal of this island. It takes nearly 20 hours to get to Johannesburg from JFK, via London, but that's just the beginning. The five-hour flight to this ultra-remote island is sporadic at best: these flights have operated only once every two weeks, every other Saturday, but their frequency increases in October to weekly. Once you approach the landing, be prepared: the airport is perched on the edge of a cliff and is therefore only accessible to pilots who have undergone special training.
5. Dubai, UAE
November is best for design research and foraging
Whenever a city sees a luxury real estate boom, design stores and aficionados follow, aiming to help these wealthy homeowners fill their new crash pads with stylish stuff (see also: Miami and Design Miami). Dubai's entrant is Downtown Design, taking place November 9-12 this year, a showcase from 20 countries of the best furniture and thrift stores to outfit your home. Combine shopping and sailing with the two-day Sailing Grand Prix (November 12-13), which will bring some of the world's best sailors to the waters of the Gulf here.
Remember, however, that Dubai is not just a 1 percent paradise. The construction boom of recent years has brought workers from all over the world to build these skyscrapers; their presence has spawned a global culinary scene downtown with restaurants opening to offer them a taste of home. Sign up for a tour with Frying Pan Adventures, led by two Dubai-born Indian bloggers, to explore this lesser-known part of the city-state.
Embrace the gaudy glitz of this destination too it's never enough at the five-star Atlantis, The Palm Hotel, a 1,500-room resort on a sprawling 114-acre site.
How to get to Dubai
Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, offers flights to 12 American airports, including Orlando, Houston, and San Francisco.
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6. Cape Verde
November is best for a cool, balmy island getaway
The weather in this island nation, just 300 miles off the coast of West Africa, hits a balmy 82 degrees in November. Best of all, the rainy season has just ended, leaving the landscapes as lush as possible - the best time to explore and hike or go birdwatching on land or along the coast for seabirds.
The winds also pick up this month, so you can easily go kite surfing, windsurfing, or sailing: Ponta Preta sur Sal is the most popular spot, although Monte Leão is impressive and close to the airport, which provides shelter from strong winds.
Otherwise, the barely a-year-old Mansa Floating Hub, which opened its doors last summer, is a must: the floating music center on the north coast of the island of São Vicente is a platform of nearly 8,500 square feet for live artists, intended to bring together both African and diaspora musicians.
The best way to see these islands is via a trip with expedition cruise expert Hurtigruten, who has redoubled their efforts to go beyond conventional cruising locations and audiences (see his recent creation of a board Black Travelers Advisory). Cape Verde is part of a 14-day voyage on the MS Spitzberg from Dakar in Senegal, with double cabins starting at $7,914 pp.
How to get to Cape Verde
This is an approximately eight-hour non-stop flight to Dakar where this cruise begins, traveling on Delta from New York to JFK.
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7. Palm Springs, California
November is Best for Rainbow Revelry
Exact counts vary, but most estimates suggest that around 50% of the resident population of this desert oasis identify as LGBTQ+. It has long been associated with the community, ever since Greta Garbo first came to attention when vacationing there in the 1930s with Mercedes de Acosta, a woman who is said to be her lover. It's no wonder, then, that it’s Pride Festival, which takes place the first week of November, is one of the most enjoyable and comprehensive in the country. Head for a block party on Arenas Road, the main street for gay bars here, a parade on Sunday, November 6, and plenty of live music.
If you need a break from the partying, plan a visit to the brand new Museum of Modernism, slated to open in late October: a passion project of real estate developer Jerry Turco and his designer wife Tracy, who supervised its interiors. It's a celebration of all things mid-century, allowing visitors an interactive step back in time to that era via facilities like a classic motorhome and lane house.
Rowan Palm Springs, a funky hotel with retro accents operated by Kimpton, is a 153-room downtown hotel and offers a major perk for lazy days: the city's only rooftop pool.
How to get to Palm Springs
As of November 6, you can take the new direct Southwest flight from San Jose, California, although there are already many other options on this carrier as well as Alaska and Delta, including Reno. , Nevada and Denver.
8. St. Barts
November is best for Hungry and thirsty jet-setters
The island's culinary bona fide has been bolstered since 2013 by the annual Gourmet Festival, which runs from November 8-13 this year. This shindig imports a slew of haute cuisine superstars from around the world to lend their Michelin-approved expertise to a series of multi-course tasting menus. Last year's 11-person roster included fusion champion Pierre Gagnaire and French traditionalist Eric Fréchon.
Come early and the F&B focus is a bit more local. More specifically, it is one of the main exports of the Caribbean: rum. The day is celebrated during this year's first week of November (November 1-6). St.Barts hosts the Caribbean Rum Awards, the fifth year celebrating what happens to sugar cane when it grows. The boisterous, festive atmosphere contrasts sharply with the fine dining feast that follows - think rum cocktail competitions, rum-cigar pairings, and, of course, an exhibition where visitors can enjoy a glass or two of drinks through the islands.
The Barthélemy Hotel & Spa on the northeast coast, at the end of the shallow waters of Grand Cul-de-Sac beach, is refreshingly understated; oversized rooms -- expect at least 600 square feet to call your own -- are a huge perk.
How to get to St. Barts
There are no direct flights to Saint-Barth from the United States. Most visitors choose to connect via St. Maarten on a puddle jumper operated by a local company like Tradewinds.
9. Laos
November is great for A whole new Asian rail network
The Southeast Asian nation's borders only reopened in May this year, so tourists have had little chance to try the 260-minute Vientiane-Boten rail line. miles, which was commissioned at the end of last year. The Lane Xang stops in five main cities, including Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Oudomxay, and Luang Namtha. Rather than planning your itinerary, hop on board with one of InsideAsia's new 11-night rail tours.
Before doing so, however, slow down at its terminus, Vientiane, the country's capital. You can stop by the Laos Handicraft Festival in Vientiane, which usually runs from late October to early this month. Local artisans sell everything from bamboo and rattan housewares to silver jewelry; there are also product demonstrations and fashion shows. On November 8 in Vientiane, the Boun That Luang festival also takes place, beginning with a candlelit procession with elaborate wax castles adorned with flowers, silver, and incense, intended as offerings to Buddha.
The last residence of the Laos royal family, which was deposed in 1975, has been rebooted as an upscale 26-room hotel overlooking the Mekong River.
How to get to Laos
The best option is Singapore Airlines from LAX in Singapore, the region's slickest hub, then hopscotch to Luang Prabang on the national carrier, Lao Airlines.
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10. Rovaniemi, Finland
November is great for Extending Christmas for a few extra weeks
Of course, technically it's not Christmas yet, but a trip to Santa's official home in the Finnish Arctic is a great excuse to start the festive season a little early. Santa's Village is the quintessential Christmas market, with handmade gifts and an Elf Academy where St. Nick's full-time helpers will share the secrets of their lives and future school elves on what it takes to make Christmas go well. (Graduates receive a diploma.)
Rovaniemi, however, offers more than a fun riff on all things Christmas. Come see the Northern Lights, which are visible in Finnish Lapland for about 150 nights a year. The clearer skies in the fall make it more likely to spot them now than during the darkest winter. For architecture buffs, take a break to admire the city itself. During World War II, 90 percent of the city's buildings were destroyed. Finnish architect Alvar Aalto was therefore commissioned to rebuild and reimagine the city as a whole. It is one of his masterpieces and is said to represent the outline of a reindeer's head: the roads of the city are his antlers and the stadium his eye.
Like wooden igloos deep in the forest, rooms at the Apukka Resort have a rustic charm. The star is the Aurora Wagon, where you can pay extra to sleep in a trailer all by yourself in the desert while you spy the Northern Lights.
How to get to Rovaniemi
Finnair is one of America Airlines' main partners in the Oneworld alliance, so fly to Helsinki on either carrier from most US hubs. From there it takes about 90 minutes to reach Rovaniemi Airport on a local flight.
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