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Next month marks my 45th anniversary of my epic solo trip around the world. In 1978-79 upon graduation from college I spent nearly a year traveling through Europe, North Africa, Southeast Asia and East Asia, visiting 25 countries. It changed my life forever. But some things have changed. I travel differently. True, I do have more money than I did as a starving backpacker. But my attitude and outlook have changed. Here are 10 things I’ve noticed and not all of them are positive.

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Thought about Christmas yet? Don’t know what to buy? I’m here to help. Do you have a traveler in your family or someone who wants to travel? Buy them a travel book, More specifically, an armchair travel book. These are long yarns about travel adventures that don’t offer tips but do other plenty of insights, some of them hilarious. I list my 10 favorite travel books, ranging from a 26-year-old miserable on an exotic island to an Australian ex-con hiding from the law inside the Indian mafia.

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On a freelance assignment, we came to the village of Picinisco and discovered things we never read in guidebooks. It is the source of most of Scotland’s people of Italian heritage, it has some of the best cheese in Italy and has spectacular views with few tourists. We stayed in a charming B&B built in 1926 where we ate a five-course meal prepared by a gourmet chef. I also met a Scotsman who bought a nearby village. One of the best overnight trips of my nearly nine years in Italy.

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With Republicans poised to take over Congress in today’s U.S. midterms and five months after the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, American women brace for what will happen to their abortion rights. Italy has had free, legal abortion since 1978. However, the September election of the far-right Brothers of Italy party threatens those rights. They may not change the law but the new leaders want to offer cash incentives for women to change their minds and also allow pro-life advocates inside abortion clinics. And they’re following the United States’ lead.

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For more than 10 years living in Rome I’ve heard about the wonders of Lucca. The huge wall. The historical center. The great Tuscan cuisine. We stopped there for nights going and coming from Le Langhe last month and came away feeling we cheated ourselves on time. Lucca’s wall meets the hype and while it isn’t off Tuscany’s beaten path, the old town does have an ancient-modern charm to it.

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Global warming has cut wine production in my beloved Le Langhe zone by 30 percent as wine makers are harvesting their grapes earlier every year. I went to Le Langhe two weeks ago and the wine makers I interviewed are nervous. Global warming hasn’t affected the taste yet but they worry about the future. They’re taking drastic measures to preserve water and their wine industry.

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At every wine tasting, I ask the local wine experts; Pretend you’ll be executed tomorrow morning. What wine in the world do you drink tonight? I asked this at all the wineries and wine shops I visited in Le Langhe last week. You’ll be surprised by the answers.

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