2 . These local hot spots put the “win” in winter

1. Roasting s’mores at Backyard Bar

It’s a dream backyard that encourages sitting outside with a glass of wine, ignoring the evening chill.

Open Wednesday through Sunday. S’mores $12, cocktails $12-$14. (Warning: When the temperatures get close to freezing, outdoor service may be stopped. )

2. Discover a comedian at Hotbug

If you need to hear a few jokes, head to underground comedy, a stand-up show case held five nights each week at Hotbug.

Underground Comedy takes place Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 8 p. m. and Fridays and Saturdays at 11:30 p. m. Free.

3. Watch indoor movies for all ages at Metrobar

Free outdoor movies have been a loved communal activity in D. C. for decades, but uncertain weather means that most series tend to wrap up before Labor day. But Metrobar, the outdoor bar is best known for the out-of-service Metro car sitting in the heart of its beer garden.

Sundays at 3 p. m. Metrobar. Free.

4. Have a sound bath at Eaton

It may seem like the last place you’d expect to find your happiness, but not if Artis Moon is your host. Each Thursday night, the healing guide takes over the yoga room at the Eaton wellness center.

Thursdays at 7 p. m. Eaton,. $30.

5. Watch the poets spit rhymes at Busboys and Poets

The Busboys and Poets’ 14th Street location feels like a warm embrace. Try your hand at a verse (章节) or a song or a five-minute set of stand-up comedy. There is no friendlier crowd.

Tuesdays at 8 p. m. Busboys and Poets. $5. See Busboys and Poets’website for the full schedule.

Nanjing is a city that has played an important role in Chinese history for thousands of years. Nanjing     1     (name) the capital city first in 229 AD during the Three Kingdoms period. It has been a capital city many times. It’s a place that is relatively unknown     2     foreigners yet very popular with local tourists.

When Dave and I got the chance     3     (travel) to it, we jumped at it. We hadn’t known anything about Nanjing before going, but hearing that it was a popular destination from Shanghai, we were excited to explore it. It turns out that Nanjing is one of our favourite     4     (place) to visit in China.

We first went to Nanjing Niushoushan Cultural Park. A trolley (电车) took us to the top of the mountain     5     we could view the immaculate(圣洁的) Buddhist Palace that was built into the side of the mountain.     6     (open) in 2015, it is an example that proves the traditional and the modern can co-exist.

But soon we     7     (realize) that a real treat was inside the palace when we took the escalator (自动扶梯) 6 stories underground to see the Thousand-Buddha Hall. With a height of 28 metres, the golden hall is     8     (impress).

We highly recommend     9     (take) a full day to explore the Niushoushan Cultural Park to visit all the sites on the mountains. And do remember visiting the Usnisa Palace is     10    must.

5 . The attraction of an African safari is unparalleled. Here are four ways to experience your trip.

Hot—air balloon safari in Pilanesberg, South Africa

This is the only hot-air balloon safari to launch from inside a park in South Africa. You’ll spot the ‘big five’ (lion, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros and leopard) among the 7,000 creatures in Pilanesberg in a hot-air balloon and get a bird’s eye view of their behaviour.

A five-night stay at the Palace of The Lost City, includes a hot-air balloon safari, breakfast, return economy flights. From £2,595 per person, based on two adults sharing.

Horse safari in Chyulu Hills, Kenya

At ol Donyo Lodge in the Chyulu Hills, you’ll find a stable of 22 horses, including calm and hardy Boerperds for beginners (aged 12 and above) and a selection of thoroughbreds for the intermediate and advanced.

A seven-night stay at Great Plains ol Donyo Lodge, with daily horse safaris, starts at £7,700 per person, excluding flights.

Sleep out in Onguma, Namibia

The Namibia’s vast Etosha National Park has five lodges, two campsites and 34,000 hectares of wilderness — and offers the opportunity to sleep under the stars on a custom-built Dream Cruiser.

Rainbow Tours offers a six-night trip from £5,595 per person including the unique Dream Cruiser experience, international flights and internal transfers.

Walking safari in Mana Pools, Zimbabwe

You can go off the beaten track to places almost untouched by human activity. 70% of the Mana Pools National Park is accessible only on foot, so the animals are used to seeing people and are more relaxed than when approached by vehicles. If you’re lucky, you might get to spot Boswell, the park’s most famous elephant.

A seven-day safari costs from £7,700 per person. Flights can be arranged at an additional cost.

7 . The Friend Trip: Fun Without Conflicts

Anyone who said a friend is a friend forever has clearly never experienced a group trip where you will get into trouble arguing over plans and restaurant bills.     1     Here are some ways to do it without anyone getting unfriended.

Invite with care

“You cannot travel with everybody. All your friends are not travel friends,” says Irvin on her popular TikTok account. She suggests picking travel partners who share similar interests, and deciding ahead of time what kind of trip you will be taking—relaxation, partying or adventure.

Brainstorm as a group

    2     Some people prefer to use familiar spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel to organise the plan and share it with friends. And creating an Airbnb wish list lets friends suggest accommodation options for the whole group to see.

Exchange the captain’s hat

Use a classic teacher’s trick to keep everyone engaged and share the planning burden: schedule a group leader to take ownership of each day’s activities.     3     By making everyone the driver, everyone also gets the chance at some point to sit back and be a passenger.

    4    

Tracking expenses for a whole group can expose a lot of pain points. “I have seen so many friendships break down because dissatisfaction builds when one person suspects other friends are taking advantage of her financially or not pulling their weight,” says friendship coach Jackson.     5     Jackson says he liked Splitwise to help groups manage everyone’s bills, so there’s no confusion about who owes what.

8 . I recently visited California’s most-visited national park—Yosemite. Turns out, there is a lot you can do and see over a couple days. Here’s my suggested route, if you decide to make a quick weekend trip to see Yosemite’s wonders.

6 a. m. : Hike the Four Mile Trail to Glacier Point. The 9. 6-mile round trip will take six to eight hours with rest stops, so plan accordingly. Leave early to beat the heat and enjoy the sunrise.

1 p. m. : Hike to Vernal Fall. If you’re looking for lunch, a tasty and efficient spot is Curry Village Pizza Deck. Plus, your next adventure is on the Mist Trail from nearby Happy Isles for a quick 1. 6-mile round-trip visit to Vemal Fall. It’s a nice cool-down hike after your morning workout and offers easy access to year-round falls.

4 p. m. : Learn some history at Yosemite Valley Visitor Center. Every national park visit requires a stop at the visitor center to learn about park’s history and main features. Here, you can check out the Yosemite Village as well, but the real secret is the free bike share program. Download the app and grab a pair of wheels here for your evening exploration.

6 a. m. : Drive up the picturesque Tioga Road. While your feet are recovering from yesterday’s mileage, take a leisurely drive up Tioga Road. Along the 45 miles to Tenaya Lake, take photos at the many viewpoints, but especially at Olmsted Point, which has a less-visited but very cool perspective on Half Dome. Have breakfast or lunch alongside the blue waters of Yosemite’s largest lake before heading back toward the valley.

3 p. m. : Complete your trip with a visit to Yosemite Climbing Museum in Mariposa. At a last stop, visit the charming historical town of Mariposa to check out the long-overdue Yosemite Climbing Museum opened in 2021. The famous climbing history displayed in the museum gave me a new appreciation for Yosemite, a place I can’t wait to return to.

9 . Torbjorn Pedersen is a Danish traveler who recently finished a trip around the world. But this wasn’t just any trip. Mr. Pedersen spent nearly 10 years ________ every country in the world.

As he began to plan his trip, he made a few ________: no flying, no visiting home, and spend at least 24 hours in every ________ . He hoped that he could ________ about $20 a day, and finish his trip in about four years.

It took him far longer. The first part of his trip was pretty easy. He ________ across Europe and North America, where his biggest ________ was not spending too much money. But as he ________ on to other parts of the world, things began to get much ________ . Mr. Pedersen says he had many difficult experiences. He was once ________at gunpoint and thought he might be killed. He also became ________ ill with malaria（疟疾）.

But he also had many good ________. Mr. Pedersen says that one reason he didn’t ________ was the help he got from people all over the world. “You might have to try 1,000 closed doors,” he says, “But there is always a（an）________ door somewhere. Never, ever give up.”

On July 26, 2023 Mr. Pedersen arrived back in Denmark after a 33-day boat ride. He was ________by about 150 people, including friends and family members. Mr. Pedersen says he plans to write a book and ________ what he learned in his travels around the world.

10 . Fly like superman!

Have you ever imagined how it feels when fresh air is in your face? Or to see the beauty of nature from the top? You can do it in a hot air balloon ride.

Hot air ballooning is the activity of flying in a basket hanging over a hot air balloon. Attractive parts of ballooning include the unusual quiet, the lack of a feeling of movement, and the bird’s-eye view. Since the balloon moves with the direction of the winds, the passengers feel absolutely no wind, except for brief periods during the flight when the balloon climbs or falls into air currents of different directions or speeds. Hot air ballooning has been recognized by the World Aeronautical Federation(WAF)as the safest air sport, and accidents seldom happen. However, you must follow some rules such as:

There are many regular (定期) gatherings of balloons and balloonists in Hidalgo around the year, which provide both a place for balloonists to interact as well as a place for visitors to entertain. You must try this activity at least once in a lifetime.