ArcaMax

When traveling in the Netherlands – with its canals, windmills, and tulip fields – it all seems so cute and sweet; you may find yourself exclaiming, "Everything's just so…Dutch!" But for another side of the Netherlands, visit the no-nonsense "second city" of Rotterdam.

Mighty Rotterdam has a gleaming skyline and Europe’s largest port. ...Read more

Sparkly, spooky or scary? Your preschooler may want to be Frozen’s Elsa, while The Addams Family’s Wednesday is proving a popular choice for grade-schoolers and Beetlejuice characters for teens.

Have you dusted off your witch’s hat yet? (Maybe you can be Elphaba, Wicked’s fantastic Wicked Witch of the...Read more

For cellist Derek Stein, touring is a part of his life as a member of Vitamin String Quartet. But one of his fondest memories is of traveling with his grandfather many years ago. “My maternal grandfather took me to Germany the summer between junior and senior year of high school,” Stein said in an interview from Los Angeles. “It was my ...Read more

While London sits upon an ancient Roman foundation (Londinium), today’s city was shaped in a powerful way by England’s Industrial Revolution. In 1800, London had about a million people. By 1900, its population had quadrupled to over four million, as people came from the countryside into the big city for the promise of a good job and a better...Read more

Let’s all get in the box! If you are among the more than 825,000 people in Albuquerque, NM, during the International Balloon Fiesta (this year Oct. 4 to 12), you will hear a lot about the Albuquerque Box. It’s a weather phenomenon in early October that creates ideal ballooning conditions.

The Rio ...Read more

Charlie Sexton started playing the guitar when he was four years old. Family friend Stevie Ray Vaughan babysat him, introducing him to Jimi Hendrix's music. By 11, Sexton was performing with Vaughan's brother, Jimmie. Two years later, Joe Ely picked him to play lead guitar. At 15, he toured with the Clash. And at 16, he moved by himself from ...Read more

Europe is rich in history, but its splendid castles, antique churches, and age-old ruins tell only part of the story. To dig even deeper in time – much deeper – visit a cave. Some of my favorites, in France and Slovenia, showcase 17-foot-long bulls drawn by our ancient forebears and 100-foot-high stalagmites sculpted by nature.

The world’...Read more

What are you waiting for? If you really want to enjoy fall foliage, you’ve got to get out of the car.

And that includes all of you at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the country’s most- visited national park, where so many visitors stay in their vehicles that they’ve got a special moniker – "windshield wiper tourists” because ...Read more

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump pressed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to stop buying oil from Russia and left the door open to Ankara obtaining F-35 fighter jets, as the leaders looked to resolve a number of longstanding issues that have strained ties between the NATO allies.

“I’d like to have him stop buying any oil from ...Read more

Singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop (“On and On,” “Save It for a Rainy Day,” “It Might Be You”) had a sold-out tour planned when the COVID-19 pandemic threw a wrench in his plans. “Sadly, we were never able to reschedule the dates,” said Bishop, now 73. “[But lockdown did give] me time to really reflect on my career. In the end, ...Read more

Pretty, pristine, and perched on a lake, with a striking mountain panorama as a backdrop, Luzern has long been Switzerland’s tourism capital. Since the Romantic era in the 19th century, it's been a regular stop on the "Grand Tour" of Europe for the likes of Mark Twain and Queen Victoria. And with a charming old town, a pair of picture-perfect ...Read more

Congratulations! There’s no more carpooling, no more worry about teens getting home late, no more nagging about doing dishes or cleaning up their rooms.

Finally, you’re an empty nester. And whether you are a solo parent or a couple, you deserve to reward yourselves for making it this far.

Of course you don’t want to go overboard, not ...Read more

“Every audience has a regional vibe [that’s] wonderful,” said musician Dar Williams. “I've learned that in the United Kingdom, oftentimes they are laughing and appreciating a concert – on the inside. After the concert is when I find out I haven't bombed. Irish audiences have been so demonstrative and generous. I told an audience in ...Read more

Every fall, Munich throws the planet's biggest kegger – Oktoberfest. It’s a sloppy soup of locals and tourists swaying beer steins and toasting to “Gemütlichkeit,” the cozy and convivial atmosphere.

Oktoberfest dates to 1810, when the Bavarian king threw a grand public wedding reception for his son. It was such a hit that they decided ...Read more

Next time your kids squabble, tell them what happened to the two German “Hostile Brothers.”

Let’s time travel back to the 14th century when young Henry and his younger brother Konrad, sons of a noble, fell in love with the same girl. Our always engaging cruise director, Rachel Couto Gomes, narrates their story as we cruise on the Read more

When “Cobra Kai” actress Alicia Hannah-Kim was asked to help secure a team of western actors to appear in the K-drama “Tempest,” she went to work to assemble a cast that includes well-known actors like John Cho, Spencer Garrett, Michael Gaston, Brooke Smith, Christopher Gorham and Jacob Bertrand. “I think a lot of people think that K-...Read more

It’s been nine years since Brexit, when the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union (EU). That decision sent shockwaves across Europe, and everyone — from pundits to economists to pub regulars — loved making predictions about the impact it would have. It took years to sort out the details, but now that the dust has settled, the ...Read more

Pumpkins, cranberries or apples? Maybe you’d rather focus on music. Perhaps animals – sheep, elk or even chicken. (Can you do a good chicken impersonation?) Let’s not forget beer and wine, cars and corn.

The good news is you can find a fall festival guaranteed to please whether you are traveling with or without kids. The other good news ...Read more

Singer-songwriter Maia Sharp remembers what it was like when she was a struggling musician trying to get gigs. “It was on a Monday night at 10 p.m. at Molly Malone’s Irish Pub in Los Angeles,” Sharp said. “The booker told me I needed to bring 50 people to get called back. I brought 51.” These days, the artist – who has also written ...Read more

I'm really into “second cities” these days. For generations, Industrial Age powerhouses in Europe turned into what we would call “the rust belt,” while their elegant “first city” counterparts enjoyed the luster of the Information Age. But over the last decade or so, the rust has become a trendy accessory, and industrial ruins have ...Read more