Destinations

Come explore the fabulous French capital on a guided tour of the arrondissements with Rick Steves associate Steve Smith.

By Carrie Whitney, Ph.D.

Whether to deepen faith or just to have some time for personal reflection, thousands of people walk, ride or bike el Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrim's route, every year. Want to join them?

By Valerie Stimac

Saudi Arabia is launching a massive theme park located on an offshore oil rig. You read that right. The country that dominates the petroleum industry is now building a theme park around it.

By Allison Troutner

Made of glass, the harrowing Coiling Dragon Cliff Skywalk will test the mettle of anyone brave enough to challenge its heights.

By Carrie Tatro

All roads on the Pan American Highway end in the Darién Gap, a dense jungle that separates Panama and Colombia. What makes trekking this area so dangerous?

By Allison Troutner

The Republic of Nirivia, an imaginary micronation comprising a group of islands in Lake Superior, was founded in the mid-1970s mostly in jest, by a small group of Canadians who wanted to see a pristine natural area preserved.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Some call it an artists colony, others a squatters' paradise. Either way, it attracts lots of visitors, billing itself as the last free place in America. So, what's it really like?

By Dave Roos

If you've always wanted to drive a high-end sports car for a day, there is no shortage of options and experiences open to you. But how do you pick the right one?

By Rebecca Treon

If light pollution has obscured the night sky over your head, check out one of 178 designated International Dark Sky Places in 21 countries on six continents around the world.

By Katy Spratte Joyce

Utah's Great Salt Lake has been in the news in 2021, but for all the wrong reasons. It's at its lowest level ever, and some say it could eventually dry up.

By Mark Mancini

It's located in the Pacific and part of the Northern Mariana Islands, and played a major role in WWII. Here are seven things you need to know about stunning Saipan.

By Suzie Dundas

A 9-foot bronze Statue of Liberty cast from the original plaster model is coming to America. It's in honor of the long friendship between France and America, and will be a highlight of New York City's Independence Day celebration.

By Sarah Gleim

Scattered all over the globe in oceans, lakes and seas, are fascinating underwater ruins that once thrummed with the daily lives of the people who inhabited them. So how did they end up underwater?

By Mark Mancini

One of the largest caves on the planet, Hang Sơn Đoòng houses a forested space called "Watch Out for Dinosaurs" because of its primordial appearance.

By Mark Mancini

According to an 1885 pamphlet, a man named Thomas J. Beale buried a treasure somewhere in Virginia, and left behind what appeared to be coded messages about its location. But was it all just a hoax?

By Patrick J. Kiger

Perhaps best known as the last home of Elisa Lam before her mysterious death, the Cecil Hotel has a sordid past full of murders and mayhem. Care to step inside?

By Nathan Chandler

Crater of Diamonds State Park is the only public diamond mining site in the U.S. Thousands of people have dug up their own gems over the years. Some even struck it rich.

By Caroline Eubanks

This huge hunk of metal has been perched on a hilltop in the Mojave Desert for decades. No one knows who put it there nor why. Was it the U.S. Air Force, pranksters — or aliens?

By Nathan Chandler

There are 20 different types of "national parks" that fall under the protection of the National Park Service, including national monuments and actual parks. But what makes them different?

By Sharise Cunningham

Here's an Australian town where you can eat, sleep and play, all below the surface. Not surprisingly, it's starred in many movies too.

By Caroline Eubanks

It's only 180 square miles, but it packs a lot of personality. In fact Andorra is the only country in the world that's ruled by co-princes from different countries.

By Valerie Stimac

What's nauseating and inedible to one man is ambrosia to another. The cultural differences people have around food are the reason for Sweden's Disgusting Food Museum.

By Stephanie Vermillion

Serious chocoholics can't get enough of their favorite treat and are always looking for ways to get more of it. These chocolate-themed attractions should help satisfy their sweet teeth.

By Caroline Eubanks

The Happiness Museum in Copenhagen explores happiness across the globe, including how it varies across regions, and why some countries, such as Denmark, are happier than others.

By Stephanie Vermillion

President Lyndon Johnson signed the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act into law in 1968 to protect U.S. rivers for future generations. Here are seven fabulous rivers you should check out.

By Katie Carman