Know + Go: Delta to Iceland; Death Valley flooded; Austin hotel; Thanksgiving dinner; holiday travel apps

Delta Air Lines will begin flights between Minneapolis-St. Paul and Reykjavik, Iceland, next spring, expanding to a European gateway Minnesotans can already reach on Icelandair. Delta's daily route will begin May 26 and end Sept. 6. Icelandair flies the route 10 months a year.

staff report

Death Valley National Park was hammered by a powerful weather system in October that dropped nearly 3 inches of rain in five hours, triggering a 1,000-year flood event that battered historic structures, chewed through roadways and altered the landscape. Park superintendent Mike Reynolds said, "We're gearing up for a long, hard recovery."

Los Angeles Times

With 1,012 guest rooms, three restaurants and 42 meeting rooms, the new JW Marriott is the biggest hotel in Austin, Texas. The 34-story property takes up most of a downtown city block. Guests can head to the shores of Lady Bird Lake for a jog or paddle-boarding session before hitting the town. One lake-facing room on the 24th floor was spacious, comfortable and outfitted with a healthy dose of Texas accents. In addition to 24-hour room service, the hotel has three restaurants: Osteria Pronto, an upscale Italian eatery; the more casual Corner, which features Texas cuisine and a large patio; and a walk-up Burger Bar that channels Austin's grab-and-go food-truck culture. This downtown newcomer also features a spacious, 3,500-square-foot gym with nine treadmills, and an outdoor pool with a deck on the fifth floor. This hotel will appeal to conference-goers and business travelers, but boutique aficionados should look elsewhere (standard rooms from $299; jwmarriottaustin.com). New York Times

As more travelers are on the go during Thanksgiving, many global destinations are offering traditional dinners blended with regional fare. Strawberry Hill in Jamaica has a buffet with turkey, chicken, ribs and fish, all prepared in the traditional jerk fashion, along with local desserts and rum cocktails ($55 per person). The Regent Porto Montenegro will offer a four-course meal on Nov. 26 that includes a slow-cooked turkey breast dish served with mlinci (a local pasta), tangerine relish and cabbage ($53). Domestically, Westin La Paloma's Azul restaurant in Tucson features dishes with a Southwestern slant, including agave chile-rubbed turkey with poblano crema and cornbread chorizo stuffing ($64.50). New York Times

Here are some of the best travel apps and websites that can help with Thanksgiving travel:

• After you've booked your rental car, Autoslash.com searches the Web for discounts and applies them to your bottom line.

• The iExit app tells you the services available at different U.S. highway exits, so you can decide whether to get off at the next exit or wait for a better option.

• Waze, a traffic and navigation app, posts real-time traffic info from drivers in your area. Hartford Courant