Time. There just never seems to be enough of it. It always seems to move too fast (and, every year, it seems to just move faster). Time is something people always tell me they don’t have enough of and is one of the main reasons why they don’t travel as much as they would like. (Money is also an issue, which I’ve talked about here.) While there are more digital nomads and remote workers now that COVID has changed the concept of the office, not everyone is able to work remotely these days. But, even if they don’t want to…

I believe a regular dose of travel dreaming can be good for the soul. Stow away with me to Siena, Italy, in this excerpt from my book For the Love of Europe, a collection of 100 of my favorite places, people, and stories from a lifetime of European travels.  Stretched across a Tuscan hill, Siena offers perhaps Italy’s best medieval experience. Courtyards sport flower-decked wells, churches modestly share their art, and alleys dead-end into red-tiled rooftop panoramas. This is a city made for strolling. With its stony skyline and rustic brick lanes tumbling every which way, the town is an…

How does one become a successful chef and restaurateur? If there is a standard path, Andy Ricker sure as hell didn’t take it. An iconic advocate of Northern Thai cuisine in the United States best known for his Pok Pok Restaurants, Andy Ricker is one of the guiding forces behind the League of Travelers. The award-winning chef, restaurateur, and bestselling author spoke to R&K’s Charly Wilder from his home in Chiang Mai. How does one become a successful chef and restaurateur? If there is a standard path, Andy Ricker sure as hell didn’t take it. His winding, peripatetic journey from…

Posted by Hannah Canham on Monday, January 7, 2019 · Leave a Comment  [Heritage & Rare Madrid has been reported closed] With it’s intriguing jet black facade that boasts in gold lettering ”˜true unique vintage’ Heritage & Rare Madrid lives up to it’s word. In the trendy neighborhood of Malasaña there is no shortage of vintage stores, but Heritage & Rare located just a few streets away from the main drag is worth turning a few corners for. Once inside, vintage clothing and accessories for men and women hang from floor to ceiling and on every available surface in this…

Homemade Strawberry Fruit Leather is almost shockingly easy to make—right in your oven or dehydrator! All you need are three ingredients—strawberries, lemon juice, and sugar—to make stretchy, pliable, fun-to-eat fruit roll-ups that taste bright, fruity, and delicious.  Strawberries are one of our very favorite fruits for dehydrating—they retain so much of their signature berry flavor even when dried. In the past, we’ve shared how to make dehydrated strawberries, and now it’s time to share another way we love to prep strawberries—by transforming them into homemade fruit roll-ups.  Fruit roll-ups are such a nostalgic snack… Who doesn’t remember the feeling of…

Before I first went traveling in 2006, I had these expectations in my head based on nothing but my imagination and popular culture. My trip was going to be a nonstop adventure filled with colorful and exciting people. Crazy things were going to happen to me. I’d make friends everywhere. I’d be talking to strangers on buses. Locals would invite me out for drinks. I’d be sipping a latte, strike up a conversation with my beautiful waitress, and then the next thing I’d know, we’d be at a wine bar, staring into each other’s eyes while she taught me French.…

For me, one of the great joys of travel is having in-person encounters with great art — which I’ve collected in a book called Europe’s Top 100 Masterpieces. Here’s one of my favorites: Jesus Christ sits on a throne and solemnly cradles something very important — a book, the holy word of God. He has a lush head of curly flaxen hair and a thoughtful expression. Seated under an arch, he’s surrounded by a labyrinth of colorful, intricately woven designs. This illustration from an old Bible tells the story of Jesus. This particular drawing came right at the point in…

A father-daughter journalist team reports from Tbilisi, where nearly every night since protests broke out in October, the pioneering chef Tekuna Gachechiladze has been ladling out soup to demonstrators fighting for their country’s future. It has been more than a month of nonstop nightly protests here in front of Tbilisi’s Parliament building, the stage of every mass demonstration since 1989, when Soviet forces shot 19 people during a rally for independence. If the winter cold is taking a toll on us, you’d never know by the polyphonic songs people are singing, by the traditional dances, noisemaker hornsaand whistles. The frigid…

Posted by Monique Kawecki on Monday, January 14, 2019 · Leave a Comment  There’s no doubt the fine art of winemaking, and its enjoyment, has been perfected by winemakers at Bird In Hand Winery. Located in the stunning Adelaide Hills, the winemakers have preceded their nationally renowned reputation with a solid international following of loyal connoisseurs. THE WINERY Named after the Bird in Hand gold mine, which operated on the land in the 1800s, the winery prospers from rich red soil on the estate surrounded by beautiful Australian gum trees. Founded by South Australian Andrew Nugent whose grandparents were farmers, his pathway…

These pear fruit leathers are a fun snack to have on hand for hikes and lunch boxes. With just a few simple ingredients and some patience, you’ll be treated to homemade fruit roll ups that could last for weeks (but we guarantee they will be eaten before that!). One of our favorite simple snacks for hiking is fruit leathers. They are nostalgic and fun, provide a quick hit of energy, and we love that we can make them ourselves. We have some great apple ginger and strawberry fruit leather recipes on our site, and we decided that pear would make…