How a Middle-Aged Introvert Got His Groove Back

Let me tell you a story about the United Excursionist Perk, the little-known award travel tip even points and miles pros forget about.

What’s the secret to a perfect guacamole recipe? Tequila — more specifically, a fine blanco that adds an earthy, citrusy, peppery zest to the beloved guacamole dip.

On Location is a column that lifts the curtain on the destinations behind the season’s most exciting new releases, from film and television to music.

Traveling to Europe in the summer months is a rite of passage—steamy nights spent in the south of Spain, snoozy days on the most beautiful Greek islands, breezy afternoons sipping rosé on a terrace in the South of France. But as tourism levels continue to rise after a few quiet years, and peak-season temperatures climb from Italy to Croatia, is the appeal of a big European summer holiday dwindling?

Gazing at a map of Colombia, the vast swathes of greenery that make up the roadless Amazon region may seem like one homogenous mass of jungle, but that lack of detail has always drawn me to travel deep into the rainforest.

Most travelers visiting Istanbul for the first time tend to stick to the hotspots like Taksim Square and Sultanahmet when booking a hotel in the city—which makes sense if you’re hoping to check off the most famous attractions in Istanbul. But once you’ve visited the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque, taking a ferry ride over to the Asian—or Anatolian—side of Istanbul is where you’ll find the more local-leaning attractions.

On a recent Monday evening in Manhattan, a flurry of guests in richly embroidered lehengas, sherwanis, and kaftans swirled around Bungalow, a stylish new restaurant from celebrity chef Vikas Khanna—who previously earned a Michelin star at Junoon—for a lavish iftar dinner to mark the end of a day of fasting. “I feel so honored to be cooking for you, especially during this holy month,” he said as he surveyed the gathering.

As a lifelong New Yorker, artist Jill Gill, 91, has watched the city's famous streets transform before her eyes.

A brutish granite ridge soared above us in the moonlight. The snow that should not have been there in July seemed to go on forever. We were already short of breath, and weirdly, there were almost no other hikers. Even though I had trained for this, I felt stupidly out of my depth.

This as-told-to story is based on a conversation with Allie Hubers , a 29-year-old freelance travel writer. It's been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider verified Hubers' expenses.

This is part of Off Season Italy, a collection of guides highlighting the year-round appeal of Italy's most popular destinations, courtesy of our favorite local tastemakers. Read more here.

This is part of Off Season Italy, a collection of guides highlighting the year-round appeal of Italy's most popular destinations, courtesy of our favorite local tastemakers. Read more here.