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Iceland gained its independence from Denmark on June 17, 1944.

Farmers’ market in Nevesinje, Bosnia & Herzegovina. Photo by Rick Steves

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe an occasional dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories in what was a part of Yugoslavia — a reminder of the adventure that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

Looking for a change of pace from Croatia’s touristic Dalmatian Coast, I’m driving east from Dubrovnik to the city of Mostar, in...

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Welcome to another edition of readers’ On-the-Road Travel Tips. Little did we know that this COVID-inspired undertaking over a year ago would take on a life of its own. We greatly appreciate all of the positive feedback about it that we continue to receive, and please keep sending in your tips related to anything that enhances the travel experience while actually traveling. Keep in mind our 125-word (or close) limit.

As a future primer, I wish to invite readers to especially...

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Siena’s main square and gathering place, Il Campo. Photo by Cameron Hewitt

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from Siena — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

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...

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Don't be afraid to join a dance in Turkey: Just snap your fingers and shake your shoulders. Photo by Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from Turkey — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

I’m in northeastern Turkey, the world’s top hazelnut-producing region and home of the Laz people. It’s located along the Black Sea coast, where it rains 320 days a year. Yet I’m enjoying an...

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A flag-flying perch above Bergen, Norway. Photo by Rick Steves

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from the land of my forefathers, Norway — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

I’ll never forget my first trip to Europe. I was a gangly 14-­year-­old, dragged to the old country by a conspiracy of grandparents and parents solely to visit strangers who...

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Buckled up as we embark on the via ferrata. Photo by Rick Steves

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here are a few of my favorite European memories from the Swiss Alps — reminders of the thrills that await us at the other end of this crisis.

Dangling from a sheer cliff a thousand feet above the Lauterbrunnen Valley floor, I pause and look down at my boots, each numbly clinging to a rebar step — which, like giant staples, are tacked across...

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Milan’s main square and cathedral. Photo by Cameron Hewitt

As we’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one of my favorite European memories from Milan — a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.

They say that for every church in Rome, there’s a bank in Milan. Indeed, the economic success of postwar Italy can be attributed, at least in part, to this second city of bankers, publicists, and pasta power-...

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