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When I created the It’s Still a Big World series a few years ago, the major challenge facing the travel industry was overtourism. Places like Venice, Barcelona, Tulum, Santorini, and Bali tended to be overrun and as a result, incredibly hard to enjoy. So we focused our series on getting people to underrated places to help balance things. Unfortunately, post-pandemic, we’re back to overcrowding. This week’s lead feature is an entertaining, albeit troubling, essay from Nick Hilden. He recently visited the always iconic Banff area with the gorgeous Fairmont hotel, scenic lakes, and mountains, and found all the wonder sucked out of it.

As for me, I’m off to Spain today for a month. I’ll be calling Madrid home, and just a head’s up I’ll also be taking some time off so if something is time sensitive drop me a note soon!

After Spain I’m planning to pop over to London and put a recent piece we ran to good use. Loic Cardinal criss-crossed London in search of the best stores–from luxury to emerging to vintage–for us travelers to check out while there. After all, he argues, “we always talk about living like a local, but with shopping it’s almost cosplay.”

Cheers to Liza Weisstuch’s ode to the Caesar—the national drink of Canada—and the bars in Calgary whipping out creative iterations. 

Lastly, if you want a peek at the hell behind the scenes of a Parisian restaurant, don’t miss our excerpt from Edward Chisholm’s new book explaining how the difference between what you see and what you don’t while enjoying your meal is as vast as an ocean!

Enjoy!

–William O’Connor, Travel Editor

If You Love the Great Outdoors, Don’t Go to Banff

The landscapes of Banff National Park are about as stunning as they come, but good luck experiencing them without overcrowding.

Where to Shop in London, From Great Vintage to Chic Boutiques

One of the best ways a traveler can learn about a place is to shop like the locals, and as every dedicated follower of fashion knows, London has some very cool clothing stores.

Canada’s Version of the Bloody Mary Is Serious Business

The Bloody Mary is a drink that serious bar-goers write off as a brunch staple. Not so in Canada where the Caesar, a Bloody Mary with clam juice, is the national drink.

The Other Side of a Paris Restaurant Is Hell

The restaurant, much like the city, runs on appearances. The difference between what you see and what you don’t is as vast as an ocean. The restaurant, in reality, is a con man.

“Stargazers around the world commented on the extraordinary celestial event, but Europe fell strangely silent. As far as contemporary historians were concerned, it never happened. Some have speculated that it was deliberately erased from history for religious reasons.”

—historian Candida Moss takes a closer look at a recent coin discovery that sheds light on this potenial historic coverup.

Whistler, Canada (Vrbo):  Get a jump-start on your Winter holiday plans, or your next ski trip and check out this chalet within walking distance to all the Whistler hot spots, Whistler Village, and Lost Lake.

While the price tag is a little hefty, if you invite your 25 closest friends, it becomes downright affordable!  

Whistler is an active person’s paradise, what with all the mountain sports at your warmly gloved fingertips. But if your style is more taking advantage of your holiday home’s meditation area and barrel sauna, not only will we not judge, we will deliver a bottle of bubbly to you and leave you alone to find your zen.

Whenever anything ridiculous happens in the U.S.—and, let’s be honest, that’s quite often—everyone always talks about running away to Canada. If we can have these outdoor accommodations and this view for the rest of our lives, then count us in for the Great American Exodus.

Book Your Stay: Mountain Chalet, Whistler, Canada $2,200/night via Vrbo

Don’t miss previous OMG, I Want to Rent This House posts, which spotlight the most spectacular and unique homes that you can actually stay in.  Check out the full archives. 

Travel to the World’s Coolest Postmodern Buildings With This Book

Only Brutalism comes close to the universal disdain many reserve for a lot of Postmodern architecture. Lovers of classical architecture as well as those who adore the stripped-down intensity of modernists bemoan the ill effects of this architectural style dominant since the 70s. And yet, as the completely wonderful new coffee table book from Phaidon, Postmodern Architecture: Less is a Bore, shows, the style is full of some of the most joyous, exuberant, outlandish, and fun works on the planet.

Flipping through, it’s impossible not to be mesmerized by the interiors of Robert A. M. Stern’s Llewelyn Park residence or charmed by Fat and Grayson Perry’s house in Essex. 

Don’t miss our other selections for our series on gorgeous travel-related coffee table books, Just Booked.

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