Niche brands and craft producers in the wine, beer, and spirits segments have gained a loyal following of passionate consumers who want to connect with the people and places behind the product.

 

“We’re still the place that people stop through on their way somewhere else,” said Antonio Guzman, the manager at Lu Cocina Michoacana. We're sitting across from the plaza, having coffee and talking about tourism in Michoacan's capital city, Morelia.

The most expensive city in Europe is Stockholm, Sweden. The glam capital was the obvious destination on my recent trip through Scandinavia but I instead chose to visit Sweden’s second largest city, Gothenburg. As I’ve found with many second cities, Gothenburg is naturally less congested, less expensive, and less touristic than Stockholm or other famous capitals. Over the course of a 72-hour stay, Gothenburg proved to be a very pleasant surprise for my eyes, wallet and palate.

The cost of living in Oakland, California is 45 percent more expensive than in Madrid, Spain (www.expatistan.com). Such a large difference in cost is not surprising to people who’ve visited Europe, which is a great vacation value in many ways (See: Europe is a great adventure and a great value). In cities and towns across Europe, we continue to see lower prices on hotels, food, drink and entertainment compared to popular travel destinations in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.