Editors’ Picks

Often described by Greeks as the country’s “second capital,” Thessaloniki is a city where history and modern creativity coexist effortlessly. Ideal for a city break or short stopover, it offers a rich tapestry of experiences and unforgettable memories in less-visited northern Greece.

Tonya Fitzpatrick shares the creative and personal writing journey behind Destination Stewardship, a tourism business book shaped by storytelling, family artwork, legal discipline, global interviews, and the urgent need for stewardship as an antidote to overtourism.

After spending a week traversing the jungle and savannah in one of the most biodiverse countries on earth, I felt that nothing in Guyana could surpass what I had already experienced: encountering anteaters in the wild, swimming with capybaras, spotting rare birds in the rainforest, and searching for jaguars at night.

I almost deleted the email that led to Destination Stewardship. Looking back, it wasn’t just about writing a book—it was about something I had been noticing in destinations for years.

Night had fallen when we pulled into the Izamal train station. Awash in a golden yellow, illuminated by gentle lighting and the glow of the night sky, I could already tell that this ancient Mayan town was something special.

Sometimes, I can’t pinpoint a place’s resounding sense until the end of a trip. But on my first night in Serbia, I discover its song immediately. I’m having dinner at Restoran Velika Skadarlija, a traditional tavern—known as a Serbian “kafana”—that’s deceivingly spacious, with white tablecloths and a bright interior. As I settle in for dinner, the folk band Tamburica 5 forms a semi-circle around my table, and I hear Serbia’s trademark tamburica before I learn its name.

I met Lily one early January morning at a donut shop off the highway, about a 30-minute drive from Oaxaca City. Lily introduced herself to our small tour group — me and a family of four from Minnesota. She would be leading us for the day, as we visited some of the "must-sees" of Oaxaca. This included the scenic mineral springs and waterfalls of Hierve el Agua, the Zapotec archaeological site of Mitla, lunch at a local spot for memelas, and a visit to a locally owned and run mezcal distillery.

Aaron Kellum gestured toward the Colorado River sliding past the banks of Camp Eddy, a collection of vintage Airstreams and custom tiny homes perched on the water's edge in Grand Junction, Colorado. The general manager and former raft guide could have been describing the whole Western Slope when he said, "To be in a place where we get to share that with other people is something I'm never going to take for granted."

You can barely see the roads within Lanzarote's Timanfaya National Park—and that's intentional. When local architect and artist César Manriche designed projects for Lanzarote, one of Spain’s eight Canary Islands, in the 1960s, he homed in on nature, with a clear aim to preserve the island’s landscapes.

The red on the thermometer crept past 30°C. In Chiang Mai, temperatures remain volatile, chilly in the morning and sweltering by afternoon. I was in an air-conditioned restaurant and had a bowl of khao soi before me, its turmeric-gold broth steaming a rich coconut bisque. The chanting of monks from the nearby temples, fading in and out in an ethereal cadence, was backdropped by the tinkle of the wind chimes.

America has a heartland. So does the Philippines. It has 7,600 islands organized into three major island groups, with the midlands comprising the welcoming Visayas region. My ninth trip there delivered an adventurous medley of down-to-earth pensions, a luxe island resort, and a perfect lifestyle mix of everything in between. I explored six different islands where one tune always sings true: this getaway means hospitality on steroids.

The tagine lid lifted with a soft clink. Steam rose up in slow, fragrant ribbons of salt, citrus, and warm spice. After a morning of shopping at the market and cooking side-by-side with Chamsi in her Casablanca home, I tasted more than a great meal. I tasted how Moroccan hospitality works. I chase culture through real experiences as a seasoned travel writer and photographer. I’ll show you what this Casablanca cooking class taught me about flavor, table manners, and belonging.

Dharavi, in central Mumbai, is considered one of the largest slums in Asia, but deep within this neighborhood, below the shanty grey roofs, loosely comprised of scavenged, upcycled metal, lives a resourceful and innovative community that plays an imperative role in Mumbai’s city-wide waste management.

The best way to travel with the intent of exploring diversity is to ditch the touristy places. Sometimes, tourist attractions bring people from all over the world — the Grand Canyon or Disneyland, for example.

The Maldives islands are home to more than a thousand coral reefs, vibrant ecosystems that provide a home for marine life.

In 1917, a group of women was forcibly shoved into freezing prison “punishment” cells, brutally injured by male guards, and left to survive the night without medical treatment—simply because they wanted to vote. While many people take this privilege for granted today, the battle for women to represent themselves at the ballot box was hard-fought and hard-won—yet can still easily be taken away. 

Although dwarfed by Manila’s staggering 28 million people, Cebu City, the second largest urban center, and its one million proud citizens, have something to say about what’s cool in the Philippines.

This is not your average hotel lobby. This is where presidents have plotted, where the Beatles hid from screaming teenagers, and where Dwight D. Eisenhower maintained his Western White House. And on this particular trip, it's where I found myself standing in the same suite where Ike once practiced his golf swing.