You’ve had an amazing time in Switzerland and now it’s time to pack up and head home. But before you do, you want to make sure to go souvenir shopping. You want to get something that Switzerland is known for. It’s plentiful and readily available, but how do you buy chocolate thoughtfully in a country that has so much variety? As a Level 1 certified chocolate taster (yes, that’s a thing!) living in Switzerland, I’ve made it my mission to uncover irresistible local shops and brands.

My husband and I have a strongly held belief that we look to often in our marriage: Gelato calories don’t count. 

No, I am not a dietician and no, I’m not interested in how incorrect that statement is. As we travel around Europe, we’ve sampled, seen, and learned a lot about gelato. No matter if you’ve spent one summer day in Europe or every summer, gelato is just part of the experience.

For a recent milestone birthday, I decided I wanted to schedule a flying dress photo shoot. A popular women’s travel Facebook group had seduced me with the idea: nearly every day, I saw photos of women draped in gorgeous, flowy jewel-toned dresses with impossibly long trains smiling demurely or posing magnificently in front of a dreamy backdrop of blue-domed white structures. The comments section was agog with Yes Queens and You Go Girls.

I must have those photos, I thought.

It’s one of those things you might not think is so impactful until you’re strolling through a European city and realisation hits. It’s noticeably more quiet. I don’t smell any exhaust. I can cross the street without worrying about drivers or traffic patterns. I sense more of a peaceful vibe.

I love visiting cities, and I enjoy the contrast quieter escapes provide, so when I visit a car-free city, I feel right at home.

Despite having flown since I was 2 years old, – I recently developed a fear of turbulence. After a very bumpy ride to Florida on the tail end of an electrical storm, I was filled with nerves, sweat, and sometimes tears (I’m not proud).

My brain knew that turbulence is a normal part of flying and isn’t usually dangerous, but apparently, my body didn’t.

Let’s take a little Italian thought vacation. Imagine your next adventure to Italy. The sun is warm, you’re sitting in a piazza that is older than the modern history of your home country, and you’re having an absolutely blissful afternoon. There’s a drink in your hand. What is it?

If it’s an Aperol Spritz, we’re going to find you a new one for your next tour of Italy. 

The Olympian Artists Programme, a collaboration between the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Museum, will display the artistic talents of Olympic and Paralympic athletes at the 2024 Games through commissioned works focusing on community engagement. This group is heading back to the Olympics. This time, as Olympian Artists.

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For Nerissa Cannon, America’s national parks have always been her door to adventure.

“A lot of times when someone has a disability, there's a lot of emphasis put on the limitation, the barrier. Instead of focusing on someone else solving that problem, someone else putting in that ramp, someone else opening that door, I look for ways to open it myself,” says Cannon.

International Women’s Day is just one day a year, but it shouldn’t be. After all, the challenges women face—from systemic discrimination to everyday microaggressions—don't disappear on March 9th. To truly honor the spirit of International Women's Day, we must integrate its core values into our daily lives, transforming it from a yearly observance into a continuous commitment to equality.