Blog Posts by TravelandLeisure.com

These exotic fruits look wonderfully strange, and they taste of adventure.

By Allison Kade

"I ate a whole lemon, raw, and it was delicious," says Katie O'Neill, a Philadelphia-based medical student. No, she wasn't on drugs, but her perception was chemically altered: after eating miracle fruit, nearly everything tastes (temporarily) sweet. The experience is so psychedelic that many have dubbed it "flavor tripping."

Miracle berries, native to West Africa, are a trendy example of the weird world of exotic fruits. A sure sign that you've landed somewhere new, such fruits intrigue and challenge us, whether by their unfamiliar size, shape, texture, or smell. The stinky durian fruit, for instance, has become infamous among travelers to China and Southeast Asia.

Such crazy, beautiful, and above all, natural fruits are a vivid reminder of the planet's incredible, if precarious, biodiversity. As many farmers mass cultivate the same breeds of common fruit over and over again,

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Feed the wanderlust of your favorite travelers with these affordable gifts sure to inspire-and improve-that next trip.

By Colleen Clark

Travel has gone to new heights in 2012: a daredevil leapt from a hot-air balloon near the edge of space, another walked a tightrope across Niagara Falls, and the U.N. projects that a record one billion people have traveled internationally.

The shaky economy hasn't kept travelers down for too long, and it shouldn't prevent you from spoiling your globetrotting friends and relatives. Start by browsing these affordable travel gifts that have soared to the top of our holiday wish list-each under $50 and available for purchase online, whether from a living room or hotel room.

Slideshow: Best Travel Gifts Under $50

Ineke Perfume

Ineke Deluxe Perfume Collection

This gift set features seven travel-size perfumes perfect for throwing in a carry-on, purse, or backpack. Fragrances incorporate international inspiration from France to England to Japan (

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6 Fashion Tips for Fall TravelBy Joshua Pramis

Can you look chic and be comfortable on an 8-hour flight? Should you pack everything you might possibly need, or just a small carry-on? What are your best shoe options for sightseeing? Travel + Leisure's fashion director, Mimi Lombardo and other experts chatted recently on Twitter to debate these questions and swap advice for how to pack and travel in style.

#1: What's your go-to travel outfit? Why?

@MimiLombardo: Mine is my favorite Rag and Bone Knit DB blazer, and Hermes scarf, and always MZ Wallace bag.

@KateBetts: Huge Goyard bag and Fay travel jacket and lots of magazines. A good scarf is key, planes are freezing, never know when you'll need it. I love the Louis Vuitton animal print scarf.

@RealSimple: Mixing a few wardrobe basics like skinny jeans, & simple top mean you'll look good & be comfortable.

@RedLightPR: Jeggings, ballet flats, a simple tank & colorful scarf! This will keep you comfy while still looking chic.

@UrbanDaddy: For fellas:

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Best Travel Hand CreamsHere, Travel + Leisure editors' favorite hand creams for keeping moisturized in the air and on the ground.

Jurlique Rose Hand Cream ($49): "The scent of this Australian product is addictive. It makes me feel pampered no matter where I am." -Nilou Motamed, Features Director & Senior Correspondent

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve ($13): "I am not a fan of products with heavy fragrances-especially when I'm traveling. This revitalizes my skin without overwhelming." -Jennifer Barr, Executive Editor

Aveda Hand Relief ($20): "The travel size ($8) is perfect on the go, and I love the eucalyptus scent. Aveda's points program is also a big plus." -Laura Begley Bloom, Deputy Editor

Ahava Mineral Hand Cream ($20): "I always keep this in my travel kit: it's the only cream that actually heals my skin and doesn't feel thick or oily." -Nikki Goldstein, Editorial Assistant

Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate, Argan, and Grapeseed Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy ($22): "Not only does

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Let them eat cake. You've got these wonderfully bizarre desserts to try instead.

This piece is reprinted from Travel + Leisure // By Lola Akinmade Åkerström

Dessert doesn't get more traditional than American pie-unless you've ordered cherpumple, which stacks layers of apple, cherry, and pumpkin pies within a spice cake that's sealed in cream cheese frosting. An L.A. humorist invented it in 2009, and a year later, a Philadelphia bakery introduced the similar 1,880-calorie-per-slice Pumpple Cake.

These after-dinner sweets were no afterthought. Chefs increasingly push the boundaries of what qualifies as dessert, experimenting with savory, spicy ingredients and radical presentations. Other strange desserts draw on centuries-old, culturally specific recipes that can require days of preparation work.

The kitchen staff at Istanbul's five-star Ciragan Palace Hotel-an elaborate compound that the last sultans called home-needs 72-hour notice to prepare the $1,000 Sultan's

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To give you a taste of the best chocolates around the world, we culled our favorite flavors from these new sweet shops.

By Nikki Goldstein

Paul A. Young Fine Chocolates

If you think a box of chocolates is a bland Valentine's cliché, then you're not shopping at the right places. Chocolatiers have elevated the sweets into an art form and are opening appealing shops that cater to both locals and tourists.

The finest new truffles and bonbons often reflect local tastes and unexpected pairings. Consider the white peach and apricot caramel chocolates sold in Mexico City's artsy Condesa neighborhood or the Blanc de Noir ganache covered in gold dust available at a Basel shop also known for its wine tastings. These bite-size treats are an easy, affordable luxury-a satisfying treat in the moment and a souvenir to savor long after your travels.

Whether as souvenirs or exercises in virtual travel, these spots satisfy the urge to indulge, bridging a familiar medium with the essence of a destination-and what

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By Taylor Bruce

The all-American dish is much more than Colonel Sanders. Whether in L.A. or Atlanta, it's the essential soul food.

Blue Ribbon Fried Chicken in New York City.

America's sweetheart dish is apple pie, but its savory counterpart is most certainly fried chicken. A piping-hot platter of floured-and-fried chicken is the Bruce Springsteen of foods. Golden breading, flavor-packed skin, and fall-off-the-bone meat-this is the workingman's filet mignon. Brought over by British pilgrims, and seasoned to higher stature by African American cooks in the Deep South, fried chicken has its origin in country kitchens. But to say refined gourmands don't relish a steaming bowl of drumsticks is foolish.

From coast to coast, fried chicken is a craving that has withstood centuries of supperdom, never waning in the country's tastes, while simultaneously allowing room for creative evolution. In Los Angeles, the popular Roscoe's is a pioneer of the blended-meal tradition of chicken and waffles. (One fan is Larry King, who once showed up

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By Shane Mitchell

From traditional New York pizza parlors to next-generation California pies, the best slices in America.

Famous Joe's, NYC

According to Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana-the Naples, Italy-based trade group that promotes and certifies Neapolitan pizza-there are only two truly authentic styles: marinara and Margherita. Both have to be hand-kneaded and baked in a wood-fired oven. But since these archetypal napoletanas were introduced to our shores by Italian immigrants in the 19th century, pizza has become as American as, well, another type of pie.

And, like the U.S.A., pizza has adapted, with different regions giving their own spin to this Old World staple. Chicago has deep dish; California skews gourmet. Sicilian pies in Detroit (home to the Domino's and Little Caesars chains) are square. New Haven, CT, has a thin-crust pizza that's a type all its own. And even though no-name pie shops can be rigorous about crispy crust and the right distribution of sauce versus toppings, in the

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