Columns

Ditch the selfie stick to better enjoy the place you came to see. Photo by Rick Steves

The ugly tourist (and how not to be one)

I’m going to be brutally frank. Many Americans find their trips to Europe suffer because they’re treated like “ugly tourists.” But those who are treated like ugly tourists are treated that way because they are ugly tourists. They aren’t bad people, just ethnocentric (and there are plenty of tourists from other countries who also qualify as “ugly”).

Even if you believe American ways are superior,...

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An Inuit carving on display in the Museum of Civilization in Québec’s Lower Town. Photos by Julie Skurdenis

Québec, capital of New France

Long before Samuel de Champlain founded Québec in 1608, Native Americans inhabited the area that was destined to become France’s toehold in the New World and, eventually, capital of New France. Among others, Algonquin, Huron and Iroquois lived in this area of eastern Canada beside the St. Lawrence since at least 5000 BC. 

When Jacques Cartier arrived three-quarters of a century before Champlain, an Iroquois village occupied the site. By...

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Left: Dining at the lolo Sky’s the Limit in Grand Case, Saint-Martin. Right: A smoking oven in use at Sky’s the Limit. Photos by Randy Keck

Exploring Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin

(Second of two parts)

On our March 2017 visit to the Caribbean island of St. Martin, comprising the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten and the French Saint-Martin, my wife, Gail, and I had to choose how best to explore the island.

Touring options

Because of the traffic gridlock resulting from the Heineken Regatta, taking place during our entire stay, we opted not to rent a car. This proved to be a wise decision. Other options...

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Dating from 1900, this water tower sits above the Old Town in Bydgoszcz, Poland. It once provided water to the city’s upper terrace, but today it’s a museum and visitors can tour its observation gallery at the top. Photo: ©rognar/123rf.com

Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 495th issue of your monthly foreign-travel magazine.

If this is the first time you’ve held a copy of International Travel News (ITN), I hope you like what you see: candid reports on tours, hotels, airlines and destinations written by our subscribers, people with a love for travel.

In ITN, we print no news or information about places in the United States. However, we cover everywhere ELSE,...

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A visitor admires Lorenzo Ghiberti’s “Gates of Paradise” in Florence’s newly refurbished Duomo Museum. Photo by Rick Steves

ITALY, with more culture, crowds and chaos per square kilometer than anywhere else in Europe, is most enjoyable when you're up to date on its sightseeing and infrastructure news.

• As in other European cities, Florence is beefing up security these days. Visiting some major museums — such as the Accademia (with Michelangelo’s “David”), Uffizi and Bargello — will require a little extra time and patience as metal detectors and x-ray machines for...

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Zura Shev­ardnadze, the owner of Gardenia in Tbilisi, Georgia. Photo by Yvonne Michie Horn

My taxi awaited below the tall column topped with the gilded statue of St. George slaying the dragon in Tbilisi’s Freedom Square. 

Freedom Square is how it is known today. Before St. George towered over the square following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, it was known as Lenin Square, with Lenin holding forth as its centerpiece. Before that, Theatre Square, as it was the site of the city’s first opera house. Before that, and as laid out by czarist Russia...

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Miramar Ocean View rooms at Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort — Sint Maarten. Photo by Randy Keck

(First of two parts)

The need for a dose of relaxation following a heavy work schedule resulted in a March 2017, 6-night visit to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, comprising Sint Maarten (Dutch) and Saint-Martin (French). 

It had been well over a decade since my wife, Gail, and I had visited the island, and much development had occurred, especially on the Dutch side. In terms of size, the French portion of St. Martin is 21 square miles and the Dutch, 16. 

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Mount Logan, Canada’s highest mountain, located in Yukon territory’s southwest, was named for Sir William Logan, founder of the Geological Survey of Canada.

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