Daily News Voyage — Travel Reviews / Restaurants & Shopping

How the VAT refund actually works when you shop in Europe

The tax-free sticker in the shop window is only step one. Here's what happens between the register and your bank account, and where the process trips people up.

How to pick a carry-on bag that clears every airline's sizer

One number covers most US carriers, but budget and international airlines run tighter. Here's the size to shop for and where it still falls short.

What to know when a sold-out restaurant table shows up for sale online

Reservation scalping got three states to pass laws against it this year — here's how the resale schemes work and what to book instead.

What actually happens at TSA if you show up without a REAL ID

Whether your Amsterdam Schiphol layover is long enough to leave the airport

The visa rule, the train math, and the luggage-storage costs that actually decide it — plus what to do inside the terminal if the answer is no.

How Venice's day-tripper access fee actually works (and why it's off right now)

What the FTC's junk-fees rule actually changes about the hotel price you see

Venice's 2026 access fee is over — and the mayor wants a bigger one next time

The charge covered about 60 dates ending in late July; now the re-elected mayor has proposed raising it in future years, with reports mentioning figures as high as €50.

Which foods can come into the US in your suitcase, and which die at the border

Baked goods, condiments, coffee, and most hard cheeses sail through US customs; most fresh fruits and vegetables and nearly all meat products do not — and declaring everything, even the items that get seized, costs nothing but a minute.

The Paris pharmacy run: what to buy, which green cross to pick, and what it saves

French pharmacy skincare runs 20 to 40 percent below US retail for the same brands — the strategy is knowing the ten products worth the errand and skipping the famous Saint-Germain queue unless you collect queues.

Mexico City food neighborhoods: where to eat based on the trip you're taking

Roma and Condesa carry the taquerías and coffee, the Centro Histórico carries the markets and the old kitchens, Polanco carries the world-class fine dining — match the neighborhood to the trip and the city's food starts making geographic sense.

Power banks and airline rules compared: what 100 watt-hours means for your carry-on

We compared published airline and TSA rules against the capacity labels on the power banks people actually buy, and the short version is: almost every consumer power bank flies free in carry-on, and almost none of the big ones fly at all in a checked bag.