Fall 2020

“Oh, this sounds good—and it’s got bread crumbs in it. But what about this? Oh, it’s got cheese and milk.” As someone with wheat, corn, and dairy allergies, this is my thought process—even when I’m at a completely familiar, safe restaurant. It’s hard enough to deal with these struggles when you’re close to home, but how do you combat these feelings when you’re in a place that’s completely new? A place with not only different dishes but also different allergy laws and different words for food? To help ease your mind, I’ve compiled a list of tips for worry-free eating when you’re traveling both in the United States and abroad. ResearchResearch is the number one step when you’re traveling to a new place, especially if that new place has a different language. While it’s usually safer to start your travels abroad in a country with a familiar language, researching your destination’s common food and allergy laws can give you a leg up even if you can’t read the menu. Staying in a place where you have access to a kitchen is also a great way to avoid allergens. Shopping and cooking for yourself ensures that the food you are eating is allergy free. CommunicateWaiters can be your best friends when you have allergies. If you can, calling ahead and telling the staff about your allergies will make for a smoother experience. When you arrive at a restaurant, make sure to tell waiters (and other staff) about your allergies. They may be able to direct you to menu items you can eat. Also, don’t forget to keep your allergy information on a chef’s card (a simple card with a list of allergens you react to and some common foods that they are found in). If you are traveling to a country where you don’t know the language, take the time before you leave to translate your chef’s card. Figure Out Go-to’sPacking snacks in your suitcase—especially your carry-on—means you don’t have to try to traverse the airport or train station to find somewhere to eat. Prepackaged food is generally fine going through security, but remember that liquids have to be under 3.5 ounces (1 kg). Once you arrive at your destination, do your best to quickly establish what restaurants near you offer food that you can eat safely—bonus points if it’s similar to a safe restaurant back home. It is a lifesaver to have a taste of something normal when traveling; it establishes a base for you to always return to. And, once you feel comfortable enough, it may allow you to try local cuisine! Traveling with allergies can be daunting, but your dietary needs don’t have to prevent you from fully enjoying your trip. With a little research and planning, you can sample local cuisine without having to worry about having an allergic reaction. So pack your bags for your next adventure!—Kathryn Taylor

Communities around the world come together to celebrate animals in these fun festivals. Pied Piper Duch Show Sydney, AustraliaDolled-up ducks waddle down the runway in Sydney during the Pied Piper Duck Show. These ducks, dressed from head to toe in haute couture, are a tribute to the stylish Abigail and Amelia from Disney’s Aristocats. Local farmer Brian Harrington has been working with professional dressmakers to outfit lucky ducks and geese for over 30 years, creating a unique event that parallels New York Fashion Week.www.webarchive.org/ Velas Turtle Festival Maharashtra, IndiaThe most important day of a turtle’s life is the day that it hatches and crawls toward the sea. At the Velas Turtle Festival, spectators gather to watch tiny turtles emerge from their eggs and make their trek to the ocean. The festival is a celebration of the once-endangered olive ridley turtle. Those who wish to attend this festival are advised to spend several days on the beach so they can be sure to witness the hatching process.traveltriangle.com/ Woolly Worm Festival North Carolina, USA Picture of a woolly bear caterpillar (woolly worm). The furry black and orange caterpillar is the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger moth.You might be familiar with Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-forecasting wonder of a groundhog, but have you ever heard about the meteorological abilities of woolly worms? When the woolly worm’s back is mostly brown, the winter will be mild. When the worm’s back is mostly black, the upcoming winter is predicted to be harsh. During the festival, worms participate in races. The owner of the fastest worm wins the honor of their woolly worm predicting the state of the upcoming winter.www.woollyworm.com Alpabfahrt Lucerne, SwitzerlandEach September, Switzerland is flooded with clopping hooves as 380,000 cows descend from the Alps and take to the streets in preparation for winter. Adorned with flower crowns and clanging cowbells, they parade in front of tourists and locals. The cows begin their trek at the top of the mountains at dawn. Along their path, local vendors sell goods and parade-goers celebrate with music and dance. At the end of the day the cows take a well-deserved rest in the local stables.www.swissclubnsw.com/ Monkey Buffet Lopburi, ThailandOnce a year in Thailand, residents throw a feast for an unlikely population: monkeys. In the days leading up to the festival, locals distribute party invitations (complete with a cashew treat) to the monkeys. On the day of the celebration, performers don monkey costumes and lure the macaques out of the forests with a dance. The monkeys are met with several tons of food on banquet tables inside the ruins of a thirteenth-century templewww.ripleys.com/ Festival de Aves Viña del Mar, Chile If you want to see a beautiful array of tropical birds, look no further than the Pacific coast of Chile. Each fall, professional birdwatchers and novices alike gather in Viña del Mar to catch a glimpse of more than 140 breeds of birds in their natural environment. Festival attendees can embark on guided excursions, attend lectures given by ornithologists, or set off on their own to see what birds they can find.festivaldeaves.cl/—Sarah Helzer

There is something about the dismal and depressing happenings of this world that oddly captures our attention. Look at some of the most popular TV shows and movies on Netflix over the last several years; from serial killers to stalkers, we find it interesting to observe these troubling matters. Frankly, I am not sure why these things are so alluring to us. Whatever the reason, we also find it interesting to visit unsettling places with shadowy pasts. This type of tourism is increasingly becoming known as “dark tourism.”

Religious tourism is the oldest form of planned travel in the world. Even now, it remains a prevalent industry, with around 300 to 330 million tourists visiting religious sites every year. Religious tourism has two different forms: visiting a religious site just for the sake of tourism or seeking spiritual strength through the visit to a religious site.

Some borders lie along physical barriers, like mountain ranges or large bodies of water, while others are solely based on treaties, purchases, and wars. These types of borders don’t always take into account the people living at the new edge of a country. Regardless of how a border came to be, it often produces a unique situation for those living around it. Here are five cities that have dealt with being split by international borders in different ways

Mark Twain wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”

160 rooms. 2,000 doors. 10,000 windows. 24,000 square feet.

Stretching from France to Slovenia and covering 1,200 kilometers (750 miles), the Alps are a prominent foundation for European culture. Travelers today, like those of the past, are inspired by these beautiful and imposing mountains. Over the years, stories of legendary travelers who traversed these breathtaking mountains have been passed down from generation to generation. Under the UrdenseeCenturies ago, a feeble old woman made her way to a humble hut in a valley. She begged for some food and drink from the sneering farmer. The farmer turned her away, refusing to feed a beggar. Despite her pitiable protests, he bid her to leave.

The smell of chocolate fudge filters through the air carried by the breeze down the main street on Mackinac Island (pronounced Mack-i-naw). The smell of fresh fish frying just around the corner mixes with the scent of chocolate and sweets. There is just a hint of lake water floating in from the docks. And to top off the miasma of fried food, sweets, lake water, and people is the wonderful stench of … horse manure.

Ecuador, a small country on the west side of South America, is full of rich history and beautiful landscapes. There are so many places to visit and experience, but here are three attractions that should be at the top of your list:

Tucked away in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina, Lake Jocassee is one of the best-kept secrets of Appalachia. This man-made lake boasts cool, crystal clear water fed by the chilly rivers of the Appalachian Mountains. Where the rivers meet the lake, you can find several beautiful waterfalls, some of which are accessible only by boat. Because of the daily cap on the number of boaters allowed, a private, magical experience on this serene lake is a guarantee.

“It’s a cross between Hawaii and Ireland;” that’s how the Azores (Os Açores in Portuguese) are commonly described. Owned by Portugal, these nine volcanic islands sit in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean about 1,500 kilometers (1,000 miles) west of the European mainland. The Azores are filled with typical island features: gorgeous beaches, streaming waterfalls, and natural swimming pools. But next to all this, you can also find lush pastures filled with cows, vast fields of tea plants, and stunning hillsides covered in vibrant blue hydrangeas. The Azores are unlike any place you have been, and once there, you may never want to leave.