ArcaMax

Travelers who have been been waiting to fly in and out of Haiti’s volatile capital ever since international flights were canceled on March 4 shouldn’t make any travel plans before May. U.S.-based commercial carriers are still staying out of Port-au-Prince.

American Airlines, which had announced it would restart its daily service on ...Read more

Helsinki and Tallinn are two great capitals in Northern Europe. Just 50 miles and a two-hour ferry ride apart, these two cities – facing each other across the Baltic Sea from their respective countries of Finland and Estonia – are not only neighbors, but soul sisters.

Finns and Estonians share a similar history – first Swedish domination,...Read more

Six years after she won critical acclaim for her debut novel “If You Leave Me Now,” Crystal Hana Kim has published her second book “The Stone Home” (William Morrow). The novel centers on a homeless mother and daughter who, in the 1980s, are sent to live in a South Korean reformatory center designed to break down their will to survive. ...Read more

Ready to take the challenge? Earth Day is coming up April 22 and EarthDay.org is urging all of us to join the #plasticdetox challenge and reduce plastic use.

That’s easy to do when you travel. Use reusable water bottles. Encourage the kids to slap stickers on them from the places you have visited. Carry ...Read more

I used to think of Athens as a big ugly city with obligatory ancient sights, fine museums, the Plaka (an extremely touristy old quarter), and not much else. “The joy of Greece is outside of Athens,” I wrote. “See Athens’ museums and scram.”

But while updating my guidebook one summer, I enjoyed the city more than ever before. I ...Read more

Babs Olusanmokun is having an incredible year. After returning to the “Dune” franchise as Jamis in “Dune: Part Two,” the actor will next be seen in Guy Ritchie's “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”, which opens in theaters on April 19. The Nigerian American actor is also a cast member of the “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” ...Read more

Different strokes for different folks. That certainly applies to the Caribbean Island of Barbados, which we explored recently. It’s famous for its African/British heritage and history (it gained independence from Britain in 1966), white sand beaches, food, and adventures from caving to surfing.

I ...Read more

Whenever I’m in Santiago de Compostela, in the northwest corner of Spain, I have a three-part agenda: See pilgrims reach their goal in front of the cathedral, explore the market, and buy some barnacles in the seafood section – then have them cooked for me, on the spot, in a café.

I make a point to be on the town square facing the towering ...Read more

Writer, filmmaker and actress Ashley Versher said she has tackled many interesting jobs in the past. But working with Jennifer Lopez on the Amazon original film “This is Me…Now” remains a highlight. “I think my favorite scene was the intervention scene, which we shot in a beautiful Bel Air mansion,” said Versher, who splits her time ...Read more

Mark your calendars! There will be a rare solar eclipse on April 8. People plan to travel to see the moon’s shadow totally block out the sun — for less than five minutes in the afternoon.

In the U.S., the path of the eclipse will run in an arc from southwest Texas to northern Maine. You can see it if you are in the path on this homeandleisure/travel/takingthekids/s-3181511">Read more

I can't think of any big city in Europe where you wake up literally at "cock crow." In Tangier, Morocco — right across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain — the roosters, even more than the minaret's call to prayer, make sure the city wakes up early. I spent a recent birthday in Tangier, and started my special day with the roosters.

I ...Read more

Born and raised in Massachusetts, entrepreneur Sahra Nguyen was inspired by her Vietnamese heritage when she founded Nguyen Coffee Supply ( https://nguyencoffeesupply.com/ ). “Vietnam’s coffee industry specializes in the robusta coffee species, which is very different from arabica coffee – the ...Read more

Let’s hear it for women who make change happen! March is Women’s History Month and the 2024 theme is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”

I know March is nearly over but there are plenty of opportunities now and throughout the year to learn about women who have made a difference throughout history, as well as today....Read more

When Mai Whelan beat out 455 competitors to win $4.56 million dollars on “Squid Game: The Challenge” – the reality competition series based on the award-winning Netflix K-drama … minus the deaths! – she had all kinds of options to go away to luxurious destinations. But she surprised fans with her choice. “I asked my husband, Jay, to ...Read more

The Appian Way, begun in 312 BC, was the engineering wonder of its day. It connected Rome with Capua (near Naples), ignoring natural contours and running in a straight line for much of the way. Eventually it stretched 430 miles to Brindisi – gateway to the East – where Roman ships sailed for Greece and Egypt.

While our modern roads seem to ...Read more

It was all in the wrist. And I learned this the hard way at Ireland’s School of Falconry. The school is the oldest in the country — at Ashford Castle in western Ireland. The castle dates back to 1228 on the shores of Lough Corrib, the largest lake in Ireland, and the River Cong, which is reputed to have the best salmon and trout fishing in ...Read more

Copenhagen is known for happy people and hygge (pronounced HEW-geh), which means enjoying the cozy simplicity of everyday life, like walking along the beach, or sharing a picnic of smørrebrød (open-faced sandwiches) with a friend. Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue, and lovingly decorated open-face ...Read more