In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, the mythical Greek character Odysseus builds a raft and attempts to return to his home island of Ithaca. But Odysseus' enemy, Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, unleashes a storm and the raft is destroyed. Half-drowned, Odysseus washes ashore on the island of Corfu. He staggers into an olive grove and collapses.

Just because we can’t travel during the Covid-19 pandemic, doesn’t mean we can’t still explore the culinary traditions of various countries from the comfort of our own kitchens.

Here are insider tips on the travel destinations where your dollar goes furthest in 2018 as well as the world’s most popular travel experiences, according to TripAdvisor..

Soothing trade winds caress the landscape. Palm trees sway in the breeze. Gentle waves blanket the golden sand. Please forgive this stilted attempt to be descriptive – but I’m feeling a bit of the pre-holiday stress, and I thought it was fitting to emotionally escape to some of my favorite island destination. Come to think of it, they’re not all …

Here are insider tips on the travel destinations where your dollar goes furthest in 2018 as well as the world’s most popular travel experiences, according to TripAdvisor..

Costa-Gavras’ Z predisposes one to admire it, as the first film to indict the brutal military regime in Greece; in fact, the music by the long-imprisoned Mikis Theodorakis had to be smuggled out of the country. From the bitter opening title card (“Any similarity to actual events, or persons living or dead is not coincidental. It is intentional”) our sympathies are engaged.

I have Greece on my mind these days. I am revisiting both Zorba the Greek and Henry Miller’s Colossus of Maroussi. A few recent conversations with a few different friends, brought those books back into my consciousness and how they should be required reading for the herds of tourists who invade the country on a regular basis. Hence, the conversations also brought back a …