Summer 2014

As my eyes travel around the room, I am both terrified and fascinated by the USSR propaganda lining every inch of the otherwise barren space. Each item feels like a jab in my side.

When you hear the word “Bulgaria,” what comes to mind? If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you probably think of Viktor Krum. If you’re not a Harry Potter fan, you should put this article down and start reading the series.

In the Heart of the Volcano

If you’re one of the growing number of people with allergies and asthma, then traveling might be a little intimidating. It can be easy to think only about what could go wrong. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can take a chill pill instead of a Benadryl, thanks to these tips and tricks for your next adventure.

“Sound it out. Sound it out.”

What happens when the beautiful is abandoned? Sometimes it’s demolished, and sometimes it decays beyond recognition. But if we’re lucky, sometimes just enough of the beauty remains for us to see why we thought it was beautiful in the first place.

Imagine this: you’ve finally purchased your plane ticket to Vienna, Austria, and you’re leaving on your dream trip in a few months. But before you go, you want to learn a little bit of the language to help you get around.

Dr. Adams’s Antarctic Research

It's the middle of May, and you're being awakened by snare drums pounding outside your window. Tut . . . Rut tut tut . . . Rut tut tut tut tut.

When you think of the Australian outback, images of dusty plains and heat-scorched tundra are probably your general expectation. However, the vibrant continent can provide travelers with more than just contrived expectations of crocodile wrestling and kangaroo chasing. Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, Australia, is the perfect stop on a tour of the Southern Hemisphere. Sandra Bradshaw, summertime explorer and adventure seeker, claims that Sydney, Australia, is one of those places where you can get the best of both worlds. “It’s more of an off-the-radar vacation, because people tend to go to Europe,” she says. “You get the city life and the outback here. It’s a two-for-one special.”

Above: While you're catching the sun in San Francisco, make sure you check out the Aquatic Park Bathhouse for a gorgeous example of WPA-era craftsmanship. “We are definitely in an era of building, the best kind of building—the building of great public projects for the benefit of the public and with the definite objective of building human happiness.”

Summer road trips are a favorite American pastime. Many people choose to spend their vacation exploring and relaxing at one of the country’s 59 national parks—or at one of the 18 National Preserves and 18 National Recreation Areas in the nation.

It’s midmorning. The sun hovers just above the trees, and the air is crisp with island humidity. Down a dirt road thick with mud and glistening from the water left by last night’s rainfall stands a 12-by-8-foot building. It is a tiny school in a village called Vunato at the edge of Lautoka, Fiji.

Every July 4, the United States celebrates its independence with barbecues, fireworks, games, and parades. Here’s a look at other independence days around the world.

It may surprise you to learn that eggplant is not what it seems: this native Indian plant is actually a fruit! Eggplant has had many uses throughout history; for example, women in ancient China created a dye out of eggplant skins to polish their teeth to a shiny gray. As more than just a tooth dye, however, this fruit is used in recipes all over the world. Here are four delicious examples.

There’s something about fondue that keeps people coming back for more. Maybe it’s the fondue forks (endless entertainment), or the ability to mix and match your favorite foods (apples and cheese, anyone?), or simply the chance to gather around a pot with a group of your favorite people to talk, to laugh, and most importantly, to eat!

The Overseas Highway connects Florida’s mainland to the Key Islands. The highway itself is impressive, spanning more than 100 miles and including 47 bridges. But beyond that, it’s a great way to see some of the best sights Florida has to offer.

When people want to learn more about a foreign country, they usually ask someone who grew up there—someone who has breathed the air for decades, who knows the country inside and out, who looks upon the country with respect and love. This type of person is the key to learning more about the country than any book or Wikipedia page could ever tell you.