Columns

(2nd of 3 parts on Brazil)

The inclusion of the amazing Pantanal was one of the primary reasons I chose to travel to Brazil on a 20-day, September 2014 tour operated by the small-group adventure tour operator and longtime ITN advertiser ElderTreks. 

Even before our nighttime arrival at Pousada Aquapé farm, reached by road from the ecological paradise of Bonito, which I reported on in last month’s column, I sensed that our group of 12 was in for a very special...

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I'm all about traveling efficiently -- and a great way to do that is by savoring local cuisine as you soak up the splendor of the place you came to see. While view restaurants often come with a steep price tag, I've learned to find scenic places to eat where the food is delicious, affordable, and memorable.

You might call taking in the view while you eat "killing two birds with one stone," but in Scandinavia, it's "killing two flies with one swat."...

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A port city on the Baltic Coast of Poland, Gdansk is truly amazing -- and amazingly historic. From its medieval Golden Age to the headlines of our own generation, big things have happened here.

Gdansk is the place where World War II began, and as any proud resident of the city will explain, it is the home of Solidarity, the workers' movement that brought about the beginning of the end of the Cold War.

Many people imagine this hardworking city to be a...

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I love it when I convince people to engage with the Europe I show them. But when they become engaged with each other in Europe ... I like it even more.

Recently I heard from someone who took his girlfriend on one of my recommended hikes near Muerren, Switzerland. "I convinced Emily to get one last photo of the view together before it got dark, even though we were both tired and hungry -- and she very much wanted to relax and have a nice meal. I set up my tripod and...

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If there's an industrial wasteland where a great European city hits the water --London, Berlin, Amsterdam, you name it -- it's slated for a major makeover. Derelict areas on the wrong side of the river -- what we in the USA might call "the wrong side of the tracks" -- are being rejuvenated with modern buildings and fresh greenery.

My pick for one of Europe's most impressive urban overhauls is London's Docklands. In the...

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Eastern Europe has experienced more change in the last generation than any other corner of Europe. With war-era grandpas now gone, across the former Warsaw Pact zone new museums and memorials deal candidly with the dark side of communism -- and fascism before that. And now that the economy is perking up (with European Union help), impressive renovations and infrastructure improvements are springing up across the region. Here's the latest:

In Prague, the ...

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Dear Globetrotter:

Welcome to the 468th issue of your monthly foreign travel magazine. That’s one issue per month for 39 years! We must be doing something right.

Ken Wadland of Albion, Rhode Island, thinks so. That’s him in the above photo proudly holding a copy of our November issue… in Croatia.

Judy Serie Nagy of San Francisco, California, is another fan of ITN. She wrote, “I do believe that ‘Adapting to a Change in Plans to Explore the...

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Last month, I presented the second installment of my report on import duties. This month I complete my review, covering “gifts you bring back and gifts you mail to the US.”   GIFTS Bringing gifts back for others Below are the rules that apply to gifts you bring back from abroad for others and gifts you mail to the US, etc.  A. Gifts you bring back — In your personal exemption of $200, $800 or $1,600, you may include gifts which you received and those which you are bringing back for others....

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