I love the mountains, and I love a quiet lake in a woodsy spot. But I’m definitely a summer person and a water person, so when people ask me about the best places I’ve travelled I almost always answer with an island destination, such as isolated Lord Howe Island in Australia. With that in mind, and given it’s the time of year when people start thinking about their top places to travel for the next year, here are some top islands to visit in 2027, with no particular order or ranking in mind. JIM’S TOP TEN ISLANDS TO VISIT PONZA, Read more
Ponza
Summer means European vacations for many North Americans. As great as it is to explore the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and other areas of the continent, many of us grow up yearning for a trip to Europe to see the Eiffel Tower and the Colosseum and Big Ben and other icons. Editor’s note: I took my first trip to Europe after graduating from college in California (UCLA) in 1979. I saw many wondrous things, including Stonehenge, The Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the Mona Lisa in Paris, The Vatican, the canals of Amsterdam and the Swiss Alps. Better still, I Read more
The crowds are gone. But the weather’s still pretty good. Fall is a fabulous time of year to explore European cities and villages. Here are some of my favorite places to check out in Europe in autumn, including Portugal, Italy, France and Austria. WESTERN ALGARVE, PORTUGAL We stayed in the village of Burgau, Portugal a few years ago with friends, and absolutely loved it. It’s a small, huggable little town with several nice restaurants, but it’s not as well-known as other villages on the Algarve and never seemed crowded with visitors. You’ll find fabulous hiking along the cliffs in both Read more
