Prague and the towns and cities of Bohemia tend get most of the attention from travellers and travel writers alike. But in my many visits and time living in the Czech Republic, I found that the historic region in the country’s south – a bit…

Astride the River Clyde in the western Lowlands, Scotland’s largest city (pop. 1.75 million/greater metro area 2.2 million) is also, in the estimation of many, its most exciting, the grand neoclassical architecture of the past is joined by 21st-century starchitecture…

It's true that Prague, with its enchanting Old Town, exciting nightlife, and other allures, is enough to hold any visitor spellbound for an entire holiday. But much of the essence of the Czech Republic flows from the cities, towns, and countryside outside the capital.…

Many people may recognise the name of this Atlantic island of Portugal more as the classic sweet wine it produces than as a destination. But on the other hand, at least a million Brits, Germans, other Europeans, and sundry travelers per year do well appreciate the charms…

PatricioHidalgoP







For years I had this kinda funny (as in funky,…

Movies/TV tourism is of course a popular and growing subsector of travel, as New Zealand joyously discovered with Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit franchises and areas of the United Kingdom found in the…

Last month I traveled back to my old stomping grounds in Washington DC to attend an event and decided to check out one of the very few tourist attractions I hadn’t already been to (hey, I went to college here, and have been back quite a few times since).  And I have to say, the decade-old International Spy…

恭喜發財 (That's Kung hei fat choy! to you). As hundreds of millions ring in the Year of the Monkey for Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year) today, I'm reminded of one of the Chinese diaspora's great gifts to travelers across the planet:…

"By their markets ye shall know them."  OK, no one actually ever said that, but on my travels I have often found it to be true. After all, what lovelier way to learn the nuances of a foreign culture than rubbing shoulders with the locals, tasting the flavors of their land? Well yes, there is literature and art and music, but we certainly can't appreciate those on an empty stomach; and so, before heading to the Prado or the…

Its politics kerfuffles notwithstanding, for visitors South Africa renmains one of the continent's most exciting destinations. The "rainbow nation” is a remarkable mix of world-class ecotourism, wine tourism, history, beaches;…

Auld acquaintance, indeed — when it comes to public NYE bashes, there’s pretty much no acquaintance aulder than that of the Scots. With some traditions dating back to the Vikings, Hogmanay (the word's reckoned to come down from, variously, Anglo Saxon, French, Flemish, and the old…

Chances are you’ve heard of Hannibal, and maybe even that he and his Punic army tried to invade Italy by crossing the Alps with elephants. The city-state he fought for, Carthage, was classical Rome’s biggest rival in the Mediterranean, and one of the big kahunas of the entire ancient world. Even if you’re coming to Tunisia mainly for a…

If you’ve got even a passing knowledge of history and/or Greek mythology, you’ve probably heard of the Minotaur, the monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, imprisoned in a labyrinth by Minos, king of Greece's island of…

AG Gilmore

Ever since first visiting Morocco more than a dozen years ago, I’ve always marveled that this North African country manages to pack such a whole lot of interesting…