Thursday, June 29, 2023

By The Way: A local's guide to Yosemite

PUBLISHED BY

In case you missed it this week: What to eat, see and do around Yosemite National Park; why you should camp in a national forest; and the truth behind viral deals promising cheap homes abroad.

Great outdoors

(Emily Edwards)

Want to camp near a national park? National forests make it easy.

Camping in a national forest is an easy way to avoid the National Park Service's labyrinth of lotteries and release dates.

Plastic paradise

(Airbnb/Reuters)

Barbie's DreamHouse is back on Airbnb — with big Ken energy

"Come on Barbie, let's go party" at the Malibu DreamHouse Airbnb, which will begin to take (extremely limited) bookings on July 17.

Content from Marriott Bonvoy

Why exploring South Carolina's Gullah Geechee culture matters

TikTok influencer Charisma Jamison lost her connection to her family's Gullah Geechee legacy. But in St. Helena Island, she reconnects with a culture that is too often missing from the history books.

Feed fact check

(iStock)

Is Ireland paying people to move to islands? How those viral deals work.

Don't be fooled by viral internet hype: Here's the reality behind those "too good to be true" deals on your feed.

'Can you hear me?'

(Illustration by María Alconada Brooks/The Washington Post)

You asked: What's the best way to get international phone service?

Should you get an international plan? A MiFi? A SIM card? Travel experts break down how they stay connected abroad to help you choose the best option for you.

From the archive

(Washington Post illustration; iStock)

Airbnb is more successful than ever. Why is everyone so mad at it?

Does Barbie have to wash her own sheets? Airbnb guests are done with fees and chores as hosts say they can't fill vacancies, but the company keeps cashing in.

Explore national parks

There's more to see

(Tracy Barbutes for The Washington Post)

So much of what makes Yosemite's natural wonders so spectacular is their size — from the tallest waterfall in North America (Yosemite Falls) to the largest granite monolith in the world (El Capitan). The trees are no exception. The Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, which can be seen in "A Postcard From Yosemite," is the largest grove in the park and is home to trees that are up to 3,000 years old and over 280 feet tall. Traverse a gentle walking path and imagine what the world was like when these giants were but wee saplings. Check that out and more in our local's guide to Yosemite. Then take a deep dive into the complicated past and uncertain future of America's national parks with The Post's new "Field Trip" podcast.

On Instagram

(María Jesús Contreras for The Washington Post)

Countries have been luring U.S. tourists with heritage trips since the 1950s, but the number of travelers visiting these homelands has increased in recent years as consumer DNA test kits and digitized genealogical records have become available to aid at-home research. Though it can come with a hefty price tag, heritage travel "gives people this really profound, really moving, even a spiritual sense of connection with those who came before them," one expert said. Read more here.