We have all seen the viral videos lately. The massive cruise ship crowds completely clogging up the Amalfi Coast, the hours-long wait times just to walk down a set of stairs in Santorini, and the hundred-dollar plates of mediocre pasta. American travelers are completely exhausted by the suffocating crowds and the logistical nightmares of peak-season …

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a pretty offbeat destination as it is, but if you’re part of the 0.1% of Europe-bound American tourists who end up coming here, chances are it’s the national capital Sarajevo, or the bridge-famous Mostar where you’ll be headed. We’ve covered those Bosnian hotspots numerous times before, and though tourism has definitely …

Not Amalfi and its overpriced, celeb-frequented beach clubs. Nor Nice, anchored by the French Riviera and the jet-setting Cannes. Definitely not Mallorca, either: if anything, Spain’s Mediterranean hotspot is actively chasing tourists away. The fastest-growing Med destination right now is tucked away in the lesser-explored Balkan Peninsula, where it’s less about overpolished resorts and influencer-packed …

Whenever I am sitting at my desk in Louisville looking at flight routes and skyrocketing hotel rates, it’s easy to get cynical about the current state of travel. It feels like every popular destination is suddenly charging premium prices for a deeply mediocre experience. But after spending years exploring different destinations, my wife Liz and …

Ever get that creeping feeling you just are not welcome? If you have stamped your passport lately, you know exactly what I mean. It is the eye roll from a waiter, the endless headlines about European cities cracking down on tourism, or the sudden barrage of new fees, curfews, and actual protests telling visitors to …

There is an unspoken rule in European travel right now: if a destination has stunning turquoise waters, ancient architecture, and towering mountain peaks, it is going to completely empty your wallet. When I sit down to map out our summer travel budget, I run into the exact same ridiculous roadblock. You look at the cost …

Dreaming of long, lazy afternoons sitting by a trattoria by the pier, people-watching as you sip on that rosé wine? Or then driving down winding coastal roads that lead right down to glassy, endless seas? The Mediterranean’s calling—literally at like, every 2 reels you scroll past—and it’s time you answer. If you’re a bit taken …

It’s a story as old as time: European countries are super laid-back, refreshingly practical, and wonderfully uncomplicated… right up until they join the EU. For nearly a decade now, Albania has been a beacon of freedom for travelers, especially digital nomads looking for hassle-free ways to extend their time in Europe. As you probably know …

It’s another European summer of tourists making a beeline for Italy’s Lake Como or France’s Lac Léman, all chasing that glamorous, old-money European lakeside lifestyle… and happily shelling out upwards of $500 a night on a waterfront villa. What if we told you there’s this quieter, still relatively-unknown lake town just across the Adriatic Sea …

Forget the crowded beaches of Albania or the overpriced tourist traps of Western Europe. Vilnius is a wildly affordable, virtually uncrowded European capital where the streets are safely frozen in time, the medieval magic is real, and a beer costs just $3. But with international tourism to this $60-a-night Baltic gem surging nearly 19% in …

This is rich coming from someone who’s always banging on about nipping down to Italy every chance they get for a bit of sunshine and their beloved pistacchio gelato by that stone jetty, but I’m not sure if you’ve been following the news lately, but Europe is going bonkers with their EES rules. The (now) …

National Geographic has long been a standard-bearer of travel and a staple in my mailbox, which I pretend doesn’t receive bills. Even if you’re the type who steers clear of lengthy paragraphs and simply finger-flips pages to see what awesome destinations they’re showcasing, Nat Geo never disappoints. While I may be old-school with snail-mail mags, …