Haiti tourism, it would appear, is once again on the march.  



Yes, thanks to its rough history, the Massachusetts-size country sharing the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with…

One of my earliest travel memories, back in the early 1970s, Cozumel at that time was the Yucatan's biggest (hell, only) beach resort deal. Cancun was still but a glimmer in the eyes of Mexico's government tourism planners and the "Riviera Maya" was little…

I'm one of those people who's got a thing for ancient ruins, especially in the Western Hemisphere - Aztec, Inca, Maya, Olmec, whatever; if it's pre-Columbian, bring it on. So when I was offered a chance by the resort chain Iberostar to pop back down to the Yucatan Peninsula's Mayan Riviera, including a visit to…

Remember the proverb about giving a man a fish versus teaching a man to fish? That ancient bit of wisdom was well at work in an inspiring documentary I saw recently about three of my favorite topics: Peru, food, and Peruvian food. I even got to meet its stars, both world famous chefs, and…

When you think of travel to Bulgaria, what comes to mind first? For me, one of the cool things about visiting this fetching little Balkan country is its touches of exoticism, part of an ancient cultural heritage that stretches back to 5,000 BC, and which I find most noticeable in its Eastern Orthodox churches. As with…

I was a longtime New Yorker and am now a Miamian, but on my most recent visit to Chicago this summer I rediscovered that despite its cold winters, there are some things that the Windy City does better than either of them. And now, since Halloween 2011, Chi-town’s  also the first city in North America to boast an outpost of the…

Scuba diving: one of my greatest dreams. Unfortunately, my inner ear won’t let me. But over the years I’ve talked to plenty of serious divers, and they’ve told me that the Canary Islands are most definitely a scuba do, boasting some of Europe’s best diving at all skill…

One of the great things about living in Miami is its unrivalled mix of Latin cultures, and Brazilians play a big part in that. One thing that especially stands out is that it…

Ever since I’ve been traveling to Europe starting in 1977 – well before American Idol or The X Factor – the Eurovision annual song contest has been a big deal for more than a few of my Old World friends and…

Hace poco tuve el placer de otra bonita visita a esta preciosa ciudad patrimonio de la humanidad UNESCO, y aunque en mis muchos viajes por el mundo muchísimas personas nativas me han pedido (y una vez literalmente exigido a punta de cuchillo) dinero, esta ocasión, como dirían mis amigos españoles, ha sido la hostia.



Pues este pasado miércoles, estuve con un amigo…

Normally I tend to shy away from places you might term "tourist traps." And Puerto Vallarta has certainly had its bread plenty buttered by tourism -- in fact, it seems that half the city is geared toward freespending gringos. And yet... there's no doubt that PV is one of Mexico’smost popular tourist magnets for a darn good reason. Several, actually – starting with its wide,…

More than a few vacationers staying at coastal resorts on the Riviera Maya or Cancun do venture into the interior of the Yucatan peninsula, but for the most part it’s on day trips or overnighters to world-famous Maya ruins such as Chichen Itza and Uxmal. As well they should – but sometimes…

Recently I came across a slightly dated item about master chef Paul Bocuse; seems this past spring, the Culinary Institute of America declared the Lion of Lyon "Chef of the Century" as part of its annual Augie Awards. No argument from me -- and it got me to reminiscing…

On the lovely morning of September 11, 2001, I was working as usual in my 7th Avenue Manhattan office as executive editor of Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, when thanks to somebody over on the publishing side with a dinky in-office TV came word that a plane had hit the north tower of the World Trade Center. As we sat there increasingly nervous yet numbed, trying to…

In East Africa, bordered not just by Sudan to its north but also the Central African Republic, the Congo (the one that used to be Zaire), Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda, this continent’s newly born 54th country and the world’s 258th is admittedly a hard case.  A largely black land of traditional religions, and some degree of Christianity, embroiled…

I can tell you from experience that the good folks of Finland sure do like…

Yesterday was a special occasion for me – no, not so much the Rapture but a relationship anniversary – though I will admit that in a bizarre way all that ruckus had made me feel like flying up to my old and still occasional New York City stomping grounds to camp it up with Harold Camping's kooky kultists in Times Square. But I'd recently had surgery and am grounded in my…

by David Paul Appell

The renaissance of BA’s most iconic world export is still in full swing, and throughout Argentina‘s elegant capital you can experience tango in infinite ways: from milongas (dance halls) and dance academies…