Experienced international travelers have become used to periodic disturbances, including acts of violence in foreign lands, and typically factor such considerations into travel plans. Most are also philosophical about the fact that, on occasion, foreigners traveling overseas are also victims of such acts. This reality, however, does not deter most travelers from their chosen explorations. This is because, in terms of risk/reward assessment, basic common sense prevails.

Catastrophic...

by Jay Brunhouse

Over the flat farmland of Germany’s Thüringen (Thuringia) state, my ICE TD, a 5-carriage train, sped to 125 mph with its tilting mechanism mastering the curves beautifully.

I was on the trail of the Bauhaus school, from Weimar, where the school began, to Dessau, where it blossomed, to Berlin, where the most important and influential school of design that combined crafts and the arts met its ultimate death at the hands of the Nazis.

On the 90th...

Travelers get a wonderful chance to witness European history in the making. Years ago when I got my history degree, I said to myself, ‘I’d better get a business degree, too, so I have something useful.’ But I’ve learned over the years that if more people knew more about history, our world would be better off.

Whenever I see the restored Reichstag building in Berlin, I’m reminded of my visit in 1999, when it opened to the public. For travelers unaware of...