General Travel

September 9, 2025

Skopelos Trails: A British woman uncovering — literally — paths of Greek island’s simple past

Heather Parsons moved to Skopelos in 1987 when it had one asphalt road. It pains her to see the little Greek island lose part of its soul through over tourism. She did something about it. Her Skopelos Trails organization has helped uncover 200 miles of old trails, good now for hiking and getting away from crowded beaches. I joined her on a hike Saturday.

September 2, 2025

Greek island guide: Ten spots even Greek gods would love

Marina and I are headed to Skopelos Wednesday for our annual August Greek island vacation. I’ve been to 10 Greek Islands which seems like an appropriate number to produce a small travel guide. They range from the huge, Peloponnese, to the tiny, Tsougrias. I’ve got a nice map and added links to more in-depth articles and blogs I’ve written about specific islands. You’ll find something you’ll like for your next adventure.

August 30, 2025

Business class: Discover the most luxurious experiences around the world

(Director’s note: Do you envy all those people in the big comfy seats in business class when you walk past to your cramped seats in coach? Business class has become more affordable. London-based guest blogger Jessica Harris, who specializes in airline trends, lists some of the business class flights and their amenities available.) If you’ve […]

August 19, 2025

Pasta with grandma: NonnaLive gives tourists a taste of dying art of cooking pasta by hand

The changing role of the Italian woman and the declining Italian economy has led to a dying art in the Italian kitchen: Making pasta by hand. But two enterprising young women in a small town near Rome are teaming with 15 Italian grandmothers to teach tourists the fine art. I took the class and filed this report.

August 5, 2025

Italy underrated: 10 things you didn’t know were great but are

Italy has so much to offer so many people, millions of visitors have no idea how many other great features fall under the radar. From fruit to Molise to Italian drinking habits, Italy is full of surprises. Here are 10 of my favorites.

July 29, 2025

Abruzzo: Chillin’ out in an outdoor Italian wonderland

PESCOCOSTANZO, Italy – I hate July in Italy. July is our dog days. La Dolce Vita is La Schifo Vita (The Life Sucks), Rome especially is steaming. It’s crowded. It’s just late enough in summer for the beaches to become packed but not late enough for the city to let out its hordes for holiday. […]

July 25, 2025

Egypt: Planning a bucket list trip to Egypt? Here’s how to dive in before you go

(Director’s note. Egypt is such a fascinating country, to visit it is an education. But learn about it before you go. New Orleans-based writer Sadie Smith lists some ways to prep for Egypt in this guest blog.) A trip to Egypt is no mere holiday. It is a chance to step through a time […]

July 22, 2025

Dolce & Gabbana: Italian fashion enters theater of the weird in Rome exhibition

I attended Dolce & Gabbana’s exhibit at the gargantuan Palazzo delle Esposizioni in Rome Wednesday. The outfits on display, all from past fashion shows around the world, were outrageous. Bamboo miniskirts. Dresses made up entirely of flowers. One cloak depicted a canal scene from Venice. But it provided insight into one of the world’s leading fashion houses, one that earned €1.9 billion in sales last year. D&G also has an interesting history.

July 18, 2025

Video: My 10 Favorite Cities in the World

Continuing my addition of videos onto my website, I am doing my 10 Favorite Cities in the World. This comes two months after my video on my 10 Least Favorite Cities in the World. I wonder which will get a more negative reaction.

July 15, 2025

Tourist annoyances: 10 things that drive me crazy

It’s the height of tourist season around the world and if I hear one more tourist here in Rome say “Thank you” instead of “Grazie,” I’ll call the Carabinieri. There are so many things tourists do that annoy me that I decided to form a top 10 list. Feel free to add to it.

July 8, 2025

Skye: As world falls apart, this quiet, green and cold Scottish isle was worth half century of wait

Skye is one of the most popular destinations in the United Kingdom. Impossibly green. Sparsely populated. Incredible views. Adventurous outdoor activities. We took a precatious 3 1/2-hour drive from Inverness to spend three nights on neighboring Raasay Island. It was an expensive three days but with the world caving in elsewhere. this corner of northwest Europe was the perfect escape.

July 1, 2025

Inverness: The fabled train ride isn’t as nice as the city

An Instagram video of the Caledonian Sleeper from London to Inverness got me interested in taking it from Edinburgh. However, an investigation told me just taking the regular Scotrail train would be cheaper and we’d see the same scenery. Turns out, the scenery wasn’t really worth the train trip. But Inverness was. Compact downtown. Beautiful river walk. Languid Ness Islands. We’re glad we went.

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