• I’m an American who’s traveled to 18 European countries throughout my life.
• Although I love exploring capitals, some of my favorite trips have been to smaller European cities.
• Two of my favorites are Cassis, France, and Tarragona, Spain.

Throughout my life, I’ve visited a total of 18 European countries.

That number climbed quickly when I moved from Chicago to London for college and spent four years living in my favorite city, thrilled by my newfound proximity to so many bucket-list destinations. Jumping on a two-and-a-half-hour train ride to Paris or a 45-minute flight to Amsterdam never got old.

As I’ve explored big and small cities, I’ve been increasingly drawn to destinations beyond the major capitals that feel intimate and uncrowded. The more I’ve traveled, the more I’ve wanted to slow down.

Here are five underrated destinations in Europe I’d return to in a heartbeat.

Cassis, France, is a postcard seaside town with access to a national park.

When I stopped in Cassis during a December 2025 Mediterranean cruise, I was immediately charmed by the fishing port’s cafés, bakeries, and wine bars.

The natural beauty alone is a draw. Part of Calanques National Park, which stretches between Marseille and La Ciotat, falls in Cassis. Approaching the towering limestone inlets feels like being in the middle of a canyon, and I desperately wanted to plunge into the impossibly blue seawater.

Plage de la Grande Mer, a family-friendly public beach, is in the center of Cassis, and it was brimming with locals during my excursion. Although I didn’t get a chance to summit Cap Canaille, one of the highest sea cliffs in Europe at over 1,300 feet, visitors can climb it for panoramic views over the Mediterranean.

Whether you decide to embrace the town’s nature-based activities or bask on its restorative beaches, it’s an unassuming, slow-paced spot to immerse yourself in the South of France’s magic.

Tarragona, Spain, is perfect for a relaxed beach day away from Barcelona’s hustle and bustle.

A little more than an hour’s drive or train ride south of the Catalan capital along Spain’s Golden Coast, Tarragona is a fascinating mix of historic Roman ruins, stunning beaches, and vibrant culture.

During one visit, a friend and I stopped in Tarragona for lunch at Osteria del Lab, where we indulged in the five-course tasting menu. Every dish was excellent, but the standout was a fresh shrimp-and-octopus salad drizzled with balsamic vinegar.

We walked around and stopped at the Catedral de Tarragona, a Romanesque and Gothic church built between the 12th and 14th centuries located in the center of the historic city.

Of course, we couldn’t skip the beach. I visited Playa el Miracle, which is within walking distance of the train station. Even when I was there in July, the middle of summer, I didn’t see many people.

If you’re in search of a peaceful day by the water, Tarragona is worth a trip.

I skipped the summertime crowds in Skiathos, Greece.

I’ve been to several Greek islands including Rhodes, Crete, and Naxos, so I decided to check out Skiathos, which is tucked away in the Sporades island chain.

I went in the fall, hoping that the summer crowds would have dispersed by then. Luckily, they had.

The island was an easy 40-minute flight from Athens, and once I arrived, public buses made it easy to hop between beaches —Skiathos has 60!

I recommend Achladies Beach, a laid-back beach just a 10-minute drive from the main town, or Koukounaries Beach, a 22-minute drive south, for its natural beauty.

Wine lovers should stop by Phàos World to try natural wines. When I was there, I sampled a curated selection based on my palate and received a detailed tasting sheet with notes about each wine.

Lucca, Italy, is a picturesque city in the Tuscany region, known for its fresh pasta and scenic views.

After a 30-minute bus ride from Pisa, I arrived in Lucca and walked through the city’s Renaissance-era walls into the historic center.

I found it to be the perfect place to wander in December, and because many roads were blocked off to cars, it felt very peaceful.

Within the walls, there are Romanesque churches and striking medieval towers. I started at Guinigi Tower, where visitors can climb to the top for panoramic views of terracotta rooftops and rolling Tuscan hills.

Afterward, I wandered along the city walls, where I admired colorful murals, and dined at Osteria da Pasqualino, where I enjoyed fettuccine with cream of zucchini and prawns with lemon, along with an afternoon glass of wine in a beautiful courtyard.

Clothing shops and gelaterias surround Lucca’s charming squares. When I was there, there were hardly any crowds, and the city felt cinematic.

Innsbruck, Austria, is a dreamy mountain town brimming with history.

Innsbruck is situated in the heart of the Austrian Alps, about two hours from Munich, Germany, by train or car. When I arrived during a December road trip with my aunt, I felt like I was stepping into an enchanted snow globe.

We wandered the many cobblestone, shop-lined alleyways, embracing the slow magic of winter in the Alps.

During our visit, we rode the Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen cable cars to ascend Hafelekar, a mountain peak known as the “Top of Innsbruck.” In less than 30 minutes, we were looking out at panoramic views of snowcapped peaks.

For a bit of culture and history, we toured Schloss Ambras, a Renaissance castle that houses an impressive armory and glass collection. It was the perfect way to end our day surrounded by centuries of art, all set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Alps.

• Caitlin Kalinowski, OpenAI’s head of robotics, said on Saturday that she had resigned.
• In an X post, she criticized OpenAI’s deal with the Pentagon.
• The deal raised concerns over the use of AI surveillance and lethal autonomous systems.

Caitlin Kalinowski, a hardware executive who joined OpenAI from Meta in 2024 and leads its robotics division, said she is resigning from the company.

In a post on X on Saturday, Kalinowski criticized OpenAI’s recent deal with the Pentagon.

“AI has an important role in national security. But surveillance of Americans without judicial oversight and lethal autonomy without human authorization are lines that deserved more deliberation than they got,” she wrote.

She called her resignation a matter of principle, and said she still deeply respects OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and is proud of the company’s robotics work.

A spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed Kalinowski’s resignation and defended its deal with the Defense Department.

“We believe our agreement with the Pentagon creates a workable path for responsible national security uses of AI while making clear our red lines: no domestic surveillance and no autonomous weapons,” the spokesperson told Business Insider. “We recognize that people have strong views about these issues and we will continue to engage in discussion with employees, government, civil society, and communities around the world.”

OpenAI struck a deal with the Pentagon last week, allowing the Defense Department to use its AI products. The agreement came after its rival Anthropic refused a similar deal over concerns that the technology would be used for mass surveillance and autonomous weapons.

Washington has since effectively blacklisted Anthropic. President Donald Trump described the company as “radical woke” in a Truth Social post and demanded federal agencies stop using Anthropic’s technology. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth then designated Anthropic a supply-chain risk and said Defense Department contractors would be barred from working with the company.

OpenAI’s decision to strike a deal with the Pentagon caused an immediate backlash. Some users ditched ChatGPT in protest. Anthropic’s chatbot, Claude, is now the No. 1 free app on the Apple App Store, unseating OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Claude’s US downloads increased 240% month over month in February.

Kalinowski’s exit is a setback for OpenAI’s robotics ambitions.

Over the last year, the company has quietly built a San Francisco lab that employs about 100 data collectors. Teams are training a robotic arm to do household chores as part of a broader push to build a humanoid robot. The company told employees in December it also plans to open a second lab in Richmond, California.

A source with knowledge of OpenAI’s plans also previously told Business Insider that the company is exploring several early-stage hardware initiatives — including robotics — but none are considered central to its core mission at this point.

• Luana Ribeira has been with her partner since 2017, and they share a son.
• They lived together initially, but moved into separate houses earlier this year.
• She says the arrangement allows each family member to have time to themselves.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Luana Ribeira, founder of Dauntless PR. It has been edited for length and clarity.

Little about my relationship with Al is traditional. For starters, Al was my former husband’s best friend. After my husband and I divorced, I moved to Portugal, where Al was living. I was planning on spending time with Al as a friend, but the second time we hung out, he called my ex to say, “There’s something here.” Luckily, my ex gave his blessing.

I started dating Al soon after, in 2017. In 2020, we moved to the UK, where I’m from. That’s when we decided to have separate bedrooms. We both were having trouble sleeping at the time, and enjoyed having our own space. We had a spare room, so Al started sleeping in there.

Eventually, we wanted even more space from each other. At the time, my two teenage daughters were living with us, and the house was loud. Al craved quiet, and that was fine with me — I wanted him to take care of himself. He converted an existing warehouse on our property into a bedsit (similar to a studio apartment). He slept there and used it when he needed quiet time to create art or watch TV.

We wanted different settings for our home

Last June, we moved back to Portugal, with our 4-year-old son, Celyn. By that point in our relationship, Al and I recognized that we live completely opposite lifestyles at home. I like creature comforts and wanted my dream lakeside home in Portugal. Al was interested in becoming even more self-sufficient, living off-grid if possible.

Al already owned about an acre of land in Portugal. He put a yurt on the land, and now lives there without running water and with only limited solar power. The one modern amenity I insisted on was wifi, so I can get a hold of him and Celyn.

I meanwhile rent a two-bedroom home with a pool. I can see a nearby lake from my windows. I’m still in a rural area, but nowhere near as rural as Al.

We follow a strict weekly schedule

We have a family schedule that might look familiar to separated parents, though Al and I are very much together. On Sunday nights, Al and Celyn go to the yurt. I work long days on Monday and Tuesday, and also have time to swim and make any appointments I need to.

On Wednesday morning, I pick Celyn up. That’s my favorite part of the week, seeing him run down the lane toward me. I have Celyn on my own until Friday night, when Al comes to spend the weekend with us. That family time always happens at my house, since it’s more comfortable.

Our weekends as a family are sacred to us. It’s also nice to have one-on-one time with our son and to have alone time built into the week.

This arrangement lets us be ourselves

Our homes are about 50 minutes apart right now. If something pops up with work, I can’t just send Celyn to his dad’s on a whim. Sometimes I feel like I’m driving all the time, so I’ll probably move closer to Al in the future.

Financially, there’s not a huge expense involved with having two homes. Al already owned his land. I’m the sole earner in our relationship, so I bought the yurt, and I finance projects on the land as they come up. Luckily, there are a few bills with an off-grid homestead.

I know this isn’t for everyone, but I’m glad that Al and I can do what’s right for us. We want to support each other, and don’t want to ask our partner to change who they are. Living apart gives us the space we need to be ourselves, while still being a family.

• A new counter-drone system with a proven record defending Ukraine’s skies is headed to the Middle East.
• The US Army is deploying the Merops system, which has scored over 1,000 Shahed kills in Ukraine.
• The propeller-driven interceptors are reported to cost about $15,000 each.

The US Army is deploying an American-made counter-drone system that has intercepted more than 1,000 Shahed-type drones in Ukraine to the Middle East, two defense officials confirmed on Saturday to Business Insider.

One of the US officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military developments, said that the Merops system will arrive in the Middle East within a week. Once it arrives, it’ll be ready for combat in a matter of days.

They declined to say how many systems the US is sending to the Middle East, only that the deployment will include a large quantity of interceptors.

The Associated Press first reported the Merops deployment.

The counter-drone system, which uses a roughly $15,000 interceptor, would give US and allied forces a much cheaper air defense option against Iranian drones, compared to expensive surface-to-air missiles.

The weapon’s deployment to the region comes as Iran has launched thousands of cheap attack drones at the US military and its allies across the Middle East after the US and Israel began Operation Epic Fury on February 28.

The Shahed drones, which cost roughly $20,000 to $50,000 according to available estimates, complicate the air defense picture.

In significant quantities, they can overwhelm even advanced air defense systems, or at the very least force Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) crews to expend millions of dollars in interceptors to defeat a threat only a fraction of that cost.

How the Merops works

The Merops counter-drone system launches a propeller-driven drone called the Surveyor, which is a few feet long, can be carried by a single soldier, and uses artificial intelligence to navigate in jammed environments.

The overall system includes the Surveyor interceptor, a ground control station, and launch stations — all operated by a four-man crew with a commander, a pilot, and two technicians.

Its developer, the American initiative Project Eagle, says the Merops is tailor-made for taking down propeller-driven and jet-powered drones like the Shahed. So far, it’s logged over 1,000 kills against such uncrewed aircraft.

The Surveyor can fly at speeds of over 175 mph, meaning it’s more than fast enough to catch Iran’s commonly used propeller-driven Shahed-136, which flies at around 115 mph. Jet-powered versions of the Shahed reportedly fly as fast as 230 mph and are more challenging threats.

If the Surveyor, which can be mounted with a small explosive warhead, fails to hit its target, it can deploy a parachute to allow retrieval and relaunch of the drone.

When Business Insider observed a demonstration of the Merops in Poland last year, one of the launchers was mounted on the back of a pickup truck.

A push for interceptor drones

According to one of the defense officials Business Insider spoke with, US forces in the Middle East are to be trained by Army soldiers from Europe to operate the Merops. The system is also being sent to countries in the region where US troops are not deployed.

The second defense official said that Merops’ use in Ukraine has provided the Army with air defense information that has already proven valuable in Eastern Europe and will now be useful for the Middle East.

US Army soldiers in Europe have taught NATO allies how to operate the Merops system, which was deployed to the alliance’s eastern flank following Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday that his country had received a direct request from the US for help with countering Shahed drones.

Zelenskyy shared that he “gave instructions to provide the necessary means and ensure the presence of Ukrainian specialists who can guarantee the required security.”

Over the past year, Kyiv has focused heavily on building and deploying an arsenal of cheap interceptor drones to counter Russia’s versions of the Shahed, which the Kremlin launches in hundreds-strong waves at times.

Ukrainian interceptor drones cost around $2,500 each, and Zelenskyy has said that his country makes 1,000 of them a day.

All of these broader developments come amid the backdrop of President Donald Trump saying in an early morning TruthSocial post on Saturday that Iran had agreed to stop attacking US allies in the region.

“Iran, which is being beat to HELL, has apologized and surrendered to its Middle East neighbors, and promised that it will not shoot at them anymore,” he wrote. The president also threatened additional action against Iran, warning that the US is going to hit it harder.

• Traveling extensively with my kids changed my approach to parenting for the better.
• I learned that kids don’t need much to thrive by observing children in Marrakesh and India.
• Traveling also made me more flexible with food and schedules, both at home and abroad.

I love showing my kids the world and learning alongside them. It’s one of my greatest joys as a parent, and the ability to do so is a privilege I don’t take for granted. So far, I’ve taken my children to 26 countries across six continents.

Over time, traveling with my kids has changed the way I parent, whether we’re at home or thousands of miles away. Here are six ways traveling has influenced the way I parent.

I realize how little my kids actually need

I used to be obsessed with getting my children the right type of toys to promote learning and development. I wondered if they had enough layers for playing in the snow and the best shoes for climbing at the playground. Through traveling, I saw firsthand how little children really need to be happy and thrive.

In Marrakesh, my son played soccer in the winding streets of the ancient medina with kids wearing worn, off-brand Crocs. They barely stayed on their feet, but the game went on, full of laughter. In India, I saw children in threadbare clothing happily playing with no special toys required.

I realized that, despite my incredible fortune to be able to get my children nearly whatever I wanted, they would be fine with the basics. I now know that my entire family is better off free from the pressures of always chasing more things and wanting more.

I’m not as hung up on what my children eat

Travel often involves unexpected cultural differences that require my family to adapt on the fly — especially when it comes to food. For breakfast in South Korea, we found ourselves with bowls of soup rather than cereal. In Egypt, we ate spaghetti mixed with lentils, rice, and chickpeas instead of meatballs. In Japan, our pizza came topped with honey.

Traveling has taught me that many of the food rules I once accepted as gospel are really arbitrary cultural practices. I no longer care if my children want grilled cheese for breakfast. If they want to experiment in the kitchen and mix items that don’t seem to go together, like putting jelly on samosas, I let them try it. I still care about nutrition, but I’m a lot less hung up on what they eat and when.

I’m more flexible with my children

I used to be hung up on strict bedtimes and mealtimes. While traveling, I witnessed parents around the world following very different rules than I did.

In Europe, I saw children out to dinner at 10:00 at night with even later bedtimes. These children were happy and thriving. I realized that the sky wouldn’t fall if I allowed my kids to stay up past their bedtime or if we didn’t eat lunch exactly at noon. Letting go of strict schedules has been incredibly freeing.

I handle stress better

When it comes to travel, changes in plans are par for the course. Trains get canceled. Attractions may be sold out. Kids still get sick, even far from home. Traveling with my children has forced me to keep a level head as I navigate these challenges.

At home, I put these lessons into practice. If I have to deal with a last-minute change in plans because my son gets the flu or a playdate is called off, it’s no longer a big deal. When I am on the verge of panic, I remember the time I discovered the train I had planned on taking out of Venice wasn’t running. It could have been a catastrophe, but with some creative thinking, I got us to our next destination on time.

Once, I was told (incorrectly) that my son needed emergency surgery in Jamaica. I had to make sure he was well cared for in a country with a vastly different medical system than the one I am used to. He recovered in a couple of days with minimal intervention. Having the experience of navigating complex issues in countries where I don’t speak the language and must deal with cultural and administrative differences makes everyday problems easier to handle.

I make more time for fun with my children

My role as a parent is often purely managerial. I drive my children to various activities and pick them up from school. I make their doctor’s appointments and feed them dinner.

When we travel, many of these responsibilities vanish. My children and I spend more time having fun and enjoying each other’s company. We play endless rounds of Uno and laugh at inside jokes. It can be challenging to find time to create joy amid the relentless pressures of everyday life. However, traveling has shown me that doing so is essential to building a strong, lasting relationship with them. It also helps provide moments of respite from the daily grind.

I look for new experiences closer to home

If it were up to me, I would travel full-time. However, I need to work, and my children need to attend school, so that’s not feasible. Instead, I look for more interesting experiences closer to home. I’ve learned that it’s possible to experience something new and joyful just about anywhere.

Even when I can’t travel, I try to act like a tourist in my hometown. I seek out new hikes, museum exhibits, plays, and events every month. This keeps life interesting, even when work and school schedules keep us closer to home.

• I’ve always hated filing taxes, and now it’s even more difficult as a couple.
• To help incentivize us, my husband and I treat ourselves to a date after we file.
• This year, since money is tight, our date night is a simple, home-cooked meal.

My husband and I took over four hours to file our taxes the first time we filed jointly. We each dreaded the task as single adults, but together it was somehow even more unbearable. Not only is there more paperwork to submit, but the vibe can turn tense — and anything but romantic — when it comes to dealing with our finances.

To mitigate this, we each gather our tax documents in advance. We learned the hard way that getting organized beforehand cuts our time spent sitting at the computer by literal hours. When we each take time to gather what we need to file, it only takes us about an hour to file online.

When we finally hit “submit,” we head to our yearly tradition to celebrate.

We hate doing our taxes, so we came up with a reward system

Having something to look forward to after filing really helps us focus on just getting it done with minimal anxiety.

The first few times we did our taxes this way, the reward was takeout from one of our favorite places and a movie night in with “Gilmore Girls“- level treats.

This is not only our ideal date night, but it’s also nostalgic as we started dating during the pandemic. All of our first dates involved a nice takeout dinner or a movie night at one of our places, so our tax reward dates remind us of those times.

This year looked a bit different

I am no longer working full-time due to health issues this year, and so our joint income has been slashed in half. Couple that with the rising cost of nearly everything, and things have gotten tight for us.

We’ve had to reexamine our budget periodically and cut costs where we can. We’ve saved the most money by hardly ever eating out.

That’s why I wanted our reward to look a bit different this year. Instead of takeout, I immediately thought of all the things I haven’t been getting from the grocery store because we don’t “need” them. I wanted the Talenti gelato I never let myself buy. I was also craving my two favorite items from the Publix bakery: guava pastelitos and black-and-white cookies.

My husband, on the other hand, just wanted to make his favorite comfort meal: tacos. After getting stressed out during the filing process, I think the tacos helped us both re-regulate afterward. We eat tacos almost every week, so it wasn’t out of the norm. But I found it really interesting that after cutting back on eating out this year, we’ve each really grown to prefer our home cooking, so much so that my husband’s own tacos were his reward.

We also had to reframe the task of filing our taxes

No matter what our return was this year, we decided beforehand to put it toward the summer vacation we’re taking anyway. This helped us feel like we’re getting a “free” trip, but it also removes any expectation from our return. Whether it’s great this year or not, looking at it ahead of time as a coupon for our summer vacation removes any disappointment if the return is awful, as well as any guilt about the cost of our trip.

Based on my initial experience, filing taxes with a spouse can really suck the love out of a room. Knowing this was something we’d have to go through each year, I felt that we’d benefit from a survival plan.

Our predetermined reward system helps separate the chore of taxes from our marriage and makes us a more effective team.

I wouldn’t say our system is romantic, but it definitely helps in the big picture of our relationship.