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'Excessive and even exorbitant': Chicago Public Schools watchdog urges district to reform travel spending policies
CHICAGO – Chicago Public Schools Office of the Inspector General is urging district officials to reform travel policies amid “questionable, excessive and even exorbitant” spending on overnight trips, according to a report released Wednesday.
CPS travel expenditures, including airfare and lodging, more than doubled between fiscal year 2019...Read more
Celebrity Travel: Go away with Zina Wilde
Actress, producer and wellness entrepreneur Zina Wilde is used to traveling the world. Born in London and raised in Thessaloniki [Greece], she currently splits her time between homes in New York and Los Angeles. Wilde said that one of the things she has learned over the years is to go with the flow. “Plan things, but not too many,” Wilde ...Read more
Rick Steves’ Europe: Warsaw is a resilient spirit carved by a harsh history
Every November 11, local Poles gather in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Warsaw’s Piłsudski Square to honor Poland’s Independence Day. The ceremony itself is filled with somber commemorations and highly-structured military salutes – reminders of the country’s harsh history, and enduring spirit of resilience. Poland’s ...Read more
Rick Steves’ Europe Advisory
The 11/11/25 Rick Steves's column has been revised. Last sentence of graf 5 has been replaced for clarity. Use updated version.
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Taking the Kids: When food is central to the experience
As we are all thinking about all the work Thanksgiving involves, let’s think about the famous Mothers of Lyon.
These extraordinary women, none trained as professional chefs, are credited with turning Lyon, France into a huge center of gastronomy, starting in the 18 th century.
We learned about the ...Read more
Celebrity Travel: Go away with Thurston Moore
Thurston Moore is best known as the singer-songwriter-guitarist for the influential rock band Sonic Youth. But he’s also a critically acclaimed author, whose “Sonic Life: A Memoir” documented his life and time in the group. Touring as a musician is part of the job, but it was his travels with his family that he vividly remembers. “When I...Read more
Rick Steves’ Europe: Carcassonne is the Fortress City of your travel dreams
Sunny, out-of-the-way Languedoc stretches from the Mediterranean to the Pyrenees in southwest France. It shares a balmy climate, winter wind, grapevines, and the sea with the better-known neighboring region of Provence. To me, Languedoc is somehow more “France in the rough.”
I first came here as a teenager, when I visited Languedoc’s ...Read more
Charity helping pay for Michigan Gov. Whitmer's trips draws lobbying complaint
LANSING, Mich. — A business-backed nonprofit organization that's been helping fund Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's overseas trade missions should be investigated for failing to register as a lobbyist, a complaint filed by a longtime lawyer contended Monday.
Bob LaBrant, former general counsel for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce, authored ...Read more
Taking the Kids: Affordable family snow vacations
Snow bunny or adrenaline junkie? Maybe you want to indulge at a slopeside spa, cozy up by the fire with a new novel while the kids are in ski school, or include a cultural experience overseas off the slopes. But will it be an affordable family snow vacation?
However, you envision your getaway to the snow, there have never been more options – ...Read more
United, American CEOs meet Vance as shutdown strains travel
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said a prolonged government shutdown would likely snarl travel during the busy holiday period, as the administration seeks to ramp up pressure on Democrats over the funding standoff.
Vance’s comments followed a roundtable at the White House with aviation industry leaders on Thursday.
Attendees included United ...Read more
Celebrity Travel: Go away with Song Sohee
Many westerners view Korean music as being synonymous with K-pop. However, artists like Song Sohee want to make it clear that her country’s music is diverse, ranging from traditional folk and classical, to pop and rock, to metal and more. On her latest EP “[Re:5],” the singer-songwriter incorporated world, folk and contemporary sounds to ...Read more
Rick Steves’ Europe: Little, little Liechtenstein
Two centuries ago, there were dozens of independent states in the part of Europe that was German-speaking. Today, there are only four: Germany, Austria, Switzerland ... and Liechtenstein.
I like the way tiny countries are defined so clearly by geography. Liechtenstein is a bowl in the mountains – high ridges on the east, milky baby Rhine ...Read more
Taking the Kids: Scottsdale in fall for all ages
Suviche, anyone? We were spending the weekend at the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and having a sunset dinner overlooking the 18th hole at Toro, the resort's newest expansive restaurant in the Clubhouse of TPC Scottsdale. Toro is a collaboration with celebrity chef Richard Sandoval, with a “...Read more
Celebrity Travel: Go away with McKinley Freeman
After growing up in the college town of Champaign, Illinois, “Reasonable Doubt” actor McKinley Freeman didn’t get homesick when he attended college. He chose to study finance at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “Growing up in Champaign was cool,” said the actor, who’s now based out of Los Angeles. “I still keep in touch...Read more
Rick Steves’ Europe: By the book
Getting close to one of the big icons of Western civilization – the Acropolis, the Palace of Versailles, the Colosseum – can be the spine-tingling high point of a European trip. But don’t paper over Europe’s “smaller” achievements. Many of Europe’s lasting cultural contributions are captured on dusty sheets of vellum or parchment, ...Read more
Drone strikes prompt Trump administration high alert for US citizens in Trinidad
The U.S. government is warning U.S. citizens to steer clear of U.S. installations in Trinidad and Tobago, including its embassy in Port-of-Spain, amid the ongoing buildup of its military in the region and drone strikes off the coast of Venezuela.
“Due to a heightened state of alert please avoid and refrain from visiting all U.S. Government ...Read more
Taking the Kids: A magical travel day (not at Disney!)
What was the best part? Ask three people who have shared a vacation – even in the same family – and they will each likely have a different answer.
Maybe it was a superb meal, maybe it was scoring a designer bargain at a vintage store. Maybe it was stunning scenery or doing something completely out of your comfort zone or allowing your kids ...Read more
Celebrity Travel: Go away with JT Habersaat
Comedian and author JT Habersaat is a keen observer of life, which is why a lot of things he hears make their way into his stand-up shows. “I tend to pull from real life quite often,” said Habersaat, who resides in Austin. “I’m a bit of a storyteller. The constant travel of stand-up comedy lends itself well to adventure and insane ...Read more
Rick Steves’ Europe: Rotterdam is where Dutch quaint meets bold modernity
When traveling in the Netherlands – with its canals, windmills, and tulip fields – it all seems so cute and sweet; you may find yourself exclaiming, "Everything's just so…Dutch!" But for another side of the Netherlands, visit the no-nonsense "second city" of Rotterdam.
Mighty Rotterdam has a gleaming skyline and Europe’s largest port. ...Read more
Taking the Kids: Celebrating Halloween all October
Sparkly, spooky or scary? Your preschooler may want to be Frozen’s Elsa, while The Addams Family’s Wednesday is proving a popular choice for grade-schoolers and Beetlejuice characters for teens.
Have you dusted off your witch’s hat yet? (Maybe you can be Elphaba, Wicked’s fantastic Wicked Witch of the...Read more
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