Two travelers who made moves abroad for a second chance

04.13.24

This week in travel news, we bring you hidden Edens and overlooked islands, the secret history of favorite foods, plus the men who survived job loss and marriage failure – and started wonderful new lives on the other side of the world.

By Maureen O'Hare

❤️ New horizons, second chances

Casa Rectoral and Maricel Museum in Sitges. (Emmanuele Contini/NurPhoto/Getty Images)

Life was looking pretty good for Stefano Ripamonti in 1969. Then his new wife left him for the designer who decorated their Rome apartment.

By 1970, he had a new life and a better-paid job. Then a work trip took him to New York for the first time. That's when he met a Chicago woman in the lobby of the Plaza Hotel. Read on to find out how that's going.

And then there's the case of Robert Webber, who was 60 when he lost his job in the United States as a facilities manager in 2018. So he and his partner moved to Spain, where he unexpectedly found a new vocation in Sitges.

To quote a wise man who found fame in Webber's new industry, "If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it."

🌴 Destination inspiration

Planning your next getaway? Here's a hidden Eden that won't stay undiscovered forever: Mexico's La Huasteca Potosina is a lushly forested mountainous region that's rightly becoming an outdoor adventure hot spot. Plan a visit if you like turquoise rivers and sparkling waterfalls.

But maybe this overlooked island with 260 miles (420 kilometers) of coastline and more than 50 beaches is more your style. For seaside inspiration, check out our guide to Trinidad and some of the purest shores in the Caribbean.

African big-hitters such as Mauritius and the Seychelles are on most tourists' radars, but to escape the crowds, consider these beautiful paradise islands in Madagacar, Mozambique and beyond.

🪶 Food and drink

Could your taste buds be tickled by gourmet food made from feathers? Our intrepid reporter tried a six-course tasting menu by a London-based company that turns discarded chicken plumage into edible proteins. Here's what it tasted like.

The feather-protein concept is just a few years old, but for a foodstuff with an impressively ancient lineage, try polenta. Italy's much-loved cornmeal dish has a surprising secret history that goes back to Roman times, via the Americas.

Finally, do you know your IPAs from your APAs, your DIPAs and your NEIPAs? Don't panic – they aren't tax codes for the returns you need to file for Monday's deadline. They're all delicious types of beer. Here are some facts to impress your friends at the bar after you've submitted those pesky forms.

✈️ News from the air

TSA sign in Miami International Airport. (Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

Don't take your guns to town, son – and that goes for airport security checkpoints, too. More than 1,500 firearms were intercepted at US airports from January to March this year — and the vast majority were loaded. For the lowdown on TSA's gun rules, read here.

Dynamic pricing has now reached checked bag fees. The cost of putting a case in the hold on a JetBlue flight now varies depending on the day of departure, with prices hitting $50 a pop on peak dates.

While air travel remains the safest method of transport, the recent spate of harrowing air travel incidents has made some plane crash survivors and victims' loved ones scared to fly again after years of travel. Here are their stories.

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👀 In case you missed it

Last letters from young kamikaze pilots reveal their final thoughts.

They offer rare insights into Japan's feared special attack unit.

They moved from the United States to cook food in deepest Italy.

Here's what happened next.

Alcohol was only decriminalized here in 2020.

Now this city has Champagne dreams.

When's the next total solar eclipse?

Depends on how far you want to travel.

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