One More for the Bucket List

Oh, no… Holly groaned. I have to add this place to my bucket list, too.

Holly is our new managing editor for International Living magazine. And this is her refrain during issue review sessions.

If you have a travel addiction, working at IL only feeds the beast. Just when we start feeling like we’ve “seen it all,” our in-country experts lob another have-to-check-it-out place on our desks. I’m counting on reincarnation to achieve my own bucket list.

It’s easy to think Europe is over-touristed, but so many fabulous nooks and crannies are still unknown… especially by Americans.

This month’s issue highlights these unexplored places, starting with Jeff Opdyke’s feature story on northern Portugal—his favorite part of the country.

Overshadowed by the sunny south, northern Portugal gets little airplay in travel media… which means towns like Caminha, which “looks and feels like a miniaturized version of the best of Lisbon,” are still affordable. Real estate guru Ronan McMahon just purchased a McMansion here by the sea… for an unbelievable price.

Keep reading, and we’ll take you to the French seashore to explore a family-friendly destination beloved by Parisians… and a “perfectly-located” Italian town where you can enjoy a quiet expat life, but within spitting distance of the Alps, the Riviera, and some of the world’s most celebrated vineyards. (If you’ve even heard of these two places, you deserve a gold star for true off-the-radar knowledge.)

One of the most common concerns about relocating to Europe is “high taxes,” so Ted Baumann explains where you can enjoy a European lifestyle… and pay far less in taxes than the average American.

For vacation inspiration, we have four unusual Highland stays—including “the most haunted castle in Scotland” and an iron-age broch with modern comforts. And a Japanese national park known to “evaporate a year of stress in one weekend.”

P.S. If you’re traveling to the UK—even in transit—you must now fill out an application (pg. 3). Pop quiz: What’s Britain’s most popular dish? (pg. 4)