By Brian E. Clark About 25 years ago, in the midst of yet another mind-numbing marketing session at Apple in the San Francisco Bay Area, Joe Nevin had an epiphany: “I told myself, ‘I’m never going to sit through another stupid meeting like this,’” recalled Nevin, who now resides in

Story & photos by Deborah Loeb Bohren According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a best-kept secret is “something very good that not many people know about.” That definition fits Spain’s Extremadura region to a tee. Nestled between Madrid and the Portuguese border, it is the country’s least populated and most often

By Everett Potter This year, forget the tie, the bottle of Barolo or the joke underwear. Instead, give him what he wants for his next trip to the slopes. Ski gear has gotten a lot slicker, high tech and stylish. Here’s a look at some great ski gear ideal for

By Ann Abel One reason that I book a flight to Italy whenever the opportunity calls is the newish wave of fairy tale, historic places to stay. Young members of aristocratic families are embracing the value of heritage and patrimony (and beauty, of course—always beauty), something that’s weirdly easy to

By Julie Snyder Part One It was, I’ll admit, an ambitious itinerary. Five Nordic countries in 17 days. 1,524 miles by plane. 611 miles by ship. 465 miles by train. 72 miles on foot. Rather like travel speed dating. I called it a Scandinavian Sampler. My husband, Joe, called it

By Josephine Parr Known for its fascinating history, gorgeous architecture and Old Town Square, Prague is brimming with tourists from around the world. Almost all of them travel across the famed Charles Bridge to explore the Prague Castle, set up on a hill overlooking the neighborhood of Malá Strana or

by Mark A. Thompson When you grow up in a plant seed nursery, perhaps it’s only natural that your creative dreams pulse with polka dots and pumpkins, as is the case with artist Yayoi Kusama. Raised in Matsumoto, Japan in the shadow of World War II, Kusama found solace in

  By Everett Potter For a small country, Ireland has a remarkable wealth of dramatic sites, hidden corners, and amazing discoveries. The problem is that left to your own devices in a rental car, a GPS and an itinerary on your iPad, you’ll have a great time but you’ll only