By Laurie Baratti, TravelPulse

With the massive heat waves we’ve witnessed over the past few summers, both in the U.S. and abroad, it comes as no surprise that travelers appear to be shifting their focus away from traditionally warm European hot spots and turning toward cooler destinations for the summer of 2025.

According to leading travel insurance comparison platform Squaremouth, there has been a notable increase in the popularity of “coolcations” — trips to regions known for their milder climates and outdoor appeal. Countries such as Iceland, Norway, Canada, Scotland and Ireland are seeing a surge in visitor interest, drawing travelers away from sun-drenched destinations like Spain, Italy and France.

Rising interest in cooler destinations

Iceland has emerged as the front-runner in this travel trend, experiencing a year-over-year growth of more than 30%. The country’s accessibility, particularly for East Coast travelers, has made it an increasingly attractive option.

Norway follows closely behind, witnessing a 27% increase in travel insurance purchases compared to the previous summer. Its “right to roam” policy, which allows visitors unrestricted access to the country’s breathtaking fjords, mountains and coastlines, continues to appeal to adventure seekers and those in search of nature’s splendor.

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Canada and Scotland have also seen significant growth, with Canada up by 25% and Scotland experiencing a 21% increase in popularity. Rounding out the top five, Ireland has climbed in ranking among Squaremouth travelers, moving from the 12th most desirable destination last year to breaking into the top 10, with a 17% rise in interest.

“With an increasing number of travelers seeking unique coolcation experiences this summer, the demand for travel insurance is growing as well. Whether you’re exploring outdoor adventures or immersing yourself in local traditions, travel insurance provides peace of mind for increasingly expensive trips, ensuring your summer getaway remains as stress-free as possible,” said Ned Tadic, manager of public relations at Squaremouth.

Travelers embarking on either cool- or warm-weather international vacations this summer can benefit from the peace of mind that comes from investing in comprehensive travel insurance plans to safeguard their trips.

Coverage options should include:

Trip cancellation: Protection for non-refundable travel expenses in case of unforeseen cancellations or interruptions.
Medical coverage: Reimbursement for unexpected healthcare expenses while traveling abroad.
Travel delay: Compensation for costs incurred due to significant, uncontrollable travel delays.
Luggage protection: Coverage for lost, stolen or delayed baggage.
Hurricane and weather protection: Reimbursement for cancellations or interruptions caused by adverse weather conditions.

And, for travelers planning adventurous activities, such as hiking Icelandic volcanoes or skiing in Norway’s alpine regions, selecting a policy with specialized adventure coverage is crucial.

The coolcations trend isn’t the only one currently gaining traction among today’s travelers. According to a Harris Pool survey conducted on behalf of cash-back platform Rakuten, “dealcations” are also the order of the day. Dealcations indicate that travelers are increasingly selecting destinations and experiences based on how much money can be saved and the ability to use cash-back rewards to help pay for the trip.

©2025 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By JESSICA DAMIANO, Associated Press

If you’re a human living on this planet, you should get to know Doug Tallamy, the entomologist and University of Delaware professor whose groundbreaking 2006 book, “Bringing Nature Home,” supercharged the native plants movement.

Tallamy made a case that our native birds and insects evolved with native plants, so they recognize them as food. The loss of these native plants and habitats to development poses an existential threat not just to wildlife, but to us.

Since then, Tallamy co-founded Homegrown National Park, a grassroots movement whose mission is to “urgently inspire everyone to address the biodiversity crisis by adding native plants and removing invasive ones where we live, work, learn, pray, and play.”

Tallamy chatted with The Associated Press about his decades-long research, his new book, “How Can I Help?” and what he’s planning next.

This book cover image provided by Timber Press shows “How Can I Help? Saving Nature with Your Yard,” by Douglas W. Tallamy. (Timber Press via AP)

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

AP: What initially inspired you to focus on native plants and their relationships with insects?

TALLAMY: I am an entomologist, so I always think about insects, but it was when my wife, Cindy, and I moved into our home in Oxford, Pennsylvania. The developer had mowed the land for hay, and when you do that, what comes back is all the invasive plants from Asia, so we ended up with 10 acres of invasive species. Watching the insects interact with those plants showed very clearly that our native insects do very poorly with them.

So we put the plants that they require back. Ever since, I’ve been measuring the number of bird species that have bred on our property — 62 — and the number of moth species — 1,337 — that produce the caterpillars that those birds need to reproduce. And that tells me it works.

This 2023 image provided by Doug Tallamy shows the University of Delaware entomologist and father of the modern native plants movement posing with native Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica) growing in Oxford, Pa. (Cindy Tallamy via AP)

About 80% of the plants in our residential landscapes are non-native plants. They don’t have to be invasive to wreck the food web. So that led me in a whole new research direction to find out what is happening to the food web.

We got the numbers that supported the argument that native plants are essential, insects are essential, insects are declining, the birds that need them are declining.

AP: How has public awareness of native plants and biodiversity evolved since you wrote “Bringing Nature Home”?

TALLAMY: I have been talking about it for 20 years and can measure the public response. I get three or four speaking requests a day. Interest is going through the roof.

My message is that you can be part of the solution instead of contributing to the problem just by how you landscape your property. You can reduce the area that you have in lawn, you can put in powerful plants that support biodiversity and you can watch it come back to your own yard. And that empowers people.

AP: What are the biggest misconceptions that people have about insect conservation and native plants?

TALLAMY: A common one is that native landscaping is essentially the lack of landscaping and you just stop doing anything. That’s not true at all. They think all native plant landscapes are wild and messy, but they don’t have to be, by any stretch.

Another misconception is that if you use native plants instead of crape myrtle from Asia, it’s going to lower your property value. These are the talking points of homeowners’ associations. If you don’t have most of your property in lawn, you’re not a good citizen.

AP: How do you respond to people who fear that “wild” look?

We do have lawn as a status symbol. So, I don’t suggest we get rid of lawn. Instead, reduce the amount of area that’s in lawn.

You should use lawn where you walk because it’s the best plant to walk on without killing it. Line your sidewalk and your driveway with lawn, and have swaths of grass going through your property where you’re going to walk.

Keep it low and manicured to show you understand what the culture is and that you’re intentional and taking care of your yard.

And when you do that, nobody even notices. You don’t get cited. You get cited when you try to put a big meadow in your front yard because nobody’s used to that.

AP: What simple actions can homeowners take to make the biggest impact on their local ecosystem?

TALLAMY: There are two.

First, reduce the lawn. Every property has to support pollinators, every property has to manage the watershed in which it lies and every property has to sequester carbon (plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere). That’ll help combat climate change. And every property has to support the viable food webs of the animals associated with the property.

Lawn does none of those things.

If you have a lot of lawn, you get a lot of runoff, and you’re polluting your watershed with the fertilizers and the pesticides you put on the lawn. When you have a well-planted property, it keeps the water on site, cleans it, helps it soak into the ground and recharges your water table.

AP: What’s the second action?

TALLAMY: Choose plants that are going to support that food web, the ones that will share the most energy with other living things. That’s the problem with plants from other continents; our insects can’t eat them. So, there are no insects for the birds, and the food web stops.

This Nov. 11, 2024, image provided by Jessica Damiano shows New England aster, a keystone native flowering plant, blooming on Long Island, N.Y. (Jessica Damiano via AP)

In 84% of the counties where they occur, oaks are the No. 1 plant for passing along that energy. If you’re going to plant a tree, that is the best plant to choose.

AP: In your new book, “How can I Help?”, you answer 499 questions you’re most frequently asked and address the importance of ecological balance. How would you explain that to homeowners who may not be familiar with the science?

TALLAMY: I included chapters like that because we were never taught these things. How can I expect somebody to understand that conservation is important when they don’t know what biodiversity does, when they don’t know how much we depend on it totally? Or what evolution or natural selection is.

So, it’s a little primer to basic ecological knowledge that will help you understand how important these issues are.

AP: What upcoming projects are you excited about?

TALLAMY: Well, I’m getting closer to retirement, but I just graduated a master’s student who is looking at how we landscape underneath our trees.

We talk about the importance of trees in creating the caterpillars that drive the food web. But those caterpillars drop from the tree and they pupate in the ground. And how we landscape under those trees determines whether or not those caterpillars will survive. So, that’s really an important addition to our landscape management tools.

This April 9, 2007, image provided by Bugwood.org shows a Northern red oak in Hinsdale, Ill. (Richard Webb/Bugwood.org via AP)

You want uncompacted areas where we’re not walking, which means beds around our trees. If you’re mowing or walking under it, you’re squishing all those caterpillars.

So, we ranked all of the plant genera in North America in terms of their ability to support caterpillars and keep that food web going. We haven’t published it yet, but now we’ve got that data for every country in the world.

AP: Anything else you’d like to share?

TALLAMY: I always like to convey a sense of responsibility. It’s not just the job of a few ecologists or conservation biologists. It’s everybody’s responsibility because we all need it.

You can do that by voting properly. You can do that by not hindering conservation efforts, or you can actively do it right on your own property. But everybody has a responsibility to do it.

Jessica Damiano writes weekly gardening columns for the AP and publishes the award-winning Weekly Dirt Newsletter. You can sign up here for weekly gardening tips and advice.

For Passover, the holiday of springtime, it is customary to showcase vegetables, especially green ones, on the menu. This year we’re preparing an aromatic broccoli and cauliflower tajine and a variety of salads, including a colorful green salad with papaya and pecans.

Wheat flour is strictly forbidden during this eight-day holiday, which begins Saturday, April 12. In many households, like those of our families when we were growing up, noodles, rice and other grains are also not allowed. Today, however, there are kosher for Passover alternatives to grains.

Instead of rice, we use quinoa, a grain-like seed that’s permitted during the holiday, or hearts of palm rice, which is derived from a vegetable. Shirataki noodles, made from the flour of konjac, a root vegetable, offer a satisfying alternative to traditional wheat noodles and are very low in carbohydrates and calories.

Some of our favorite Passover desserts are no-cook sweets like our date and chocolate balls. For a light finale to the Passover Seder dinner, we enjoy a refreshing treat such as a hibiscus and chia seed pudding with sour cherry preserves.

Green salad with papaya and pecans is shown with grapefruit segments. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Green Salad with Papaya and Pecans

Make this lively salad with sweet cocktail grapefruit when it’s available. The Italian-style dressing is based on a recipe in “Olive Oil for Dummies” by Amy Riolo and Simon Poole.

Yield: 2 or 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4 to 5 cups romaine, torn in bite size pieces

1 1/2 cups papaya cubes

1/2 cup jicama sticks

3 mini cucumbers, diced

Pinch of pico de gallo seasoning (chile salt)

1 cocktail grapefruit or other small grapefruit, divided in segments

1/2 cup pecans, lightly toasted if desired

DIRECTIONS

1. For dressing: Whisk olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl.

2. For salad: Combine romaine with half the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning.

3. Top romaine with papaya, jicama and cucumber pieces and with rest of dressing. Sprinkle papaya and vegetables with pico de gallo seasoning. Add grapefruit segments and pecans and serve.

Beet apple walnut salad is served with tahini yogurt dressing. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Beet, Apple and Walnut Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing

I dress this salad, which is based on a recipe in “Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce” by Cathy Thomas, with lemony tahini and Greek yogurt instead of blue cheese dressing. For the best flavor, make the salad with freshly toasted walnuts.

Yield: 2 or 3 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice (divided)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon tahini (see Note)

1 small shallot, minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/2 crisp unpeeled red-skinned apple, cut in thin wedges

4 cups coarsely chopped romaine

4 cooked baby beets, cut in bite-size cubes

1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts (see Tip)

1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Dressing: Reserve 1 tablespoon lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil for flavoring lettuce.

2. Combine remaining lemon juice, remaining olive oil, yogurt, tahini, and shallot in a small bowl. Whisk until well blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Set aside 7 or 8 apple wedges for garnish. Dice remaining apple.

4. In a medium bowl toss romaine with reserved lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

5. In another bowl combine beets, diced apple, half of walnuts and half of parsley. Stir in tahini dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning. Spoon mixture on top of romaine. Garnish edges of mixture with apple slices. Top beet mixture with remaining walnuts and parsley.

Tip: Toast walnuts on a baking sheet at 300 degrees for 5 minutes or until very lightly browned. Remove to a plate.

Note: If your family avoids sesame on Passover, omit the tahini.

Exotic mushrooms bourguignon with garlic whipped potatoes features shiitake, chanterelles, oyster and lion’s mane mushrooms (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Exotic Mushrooms Bourguignon with Garlic Whipped Potatoes

Use any selection of mushrooms you like in this dish. It is based on a recipe in “The Vegan Blueprints” by Chef Eileen Elizabeth.

Yield: 2 to 4 servings

12 ounces exotic mushrooms such as shiitake, chanterelles, lion’s mane or oyster mushrooms, cut in bite-size pieces

3 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil (divided)

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

4 medium-size yellow potatoes, such as Yukon Gold

3 medium or large carrots, peeled and diced

1 onion, diced

5 garlic cloves, minced (divided)

8 ounces thin-skinned small tomatoes, chopped

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons dry red wine (optional)

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon potato starch

1 teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, or to taste

3 to 4 tablespoons plant-based milk (optional)

Chopped chives or Italian parsley (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss mushrooms with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper to taste. Roast on a baking sheet for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned.

2. Meanwhile, cover potatoes with water in a medium-large saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes or until very tender. Remove from water, rinse briefly and let cool enough to handle.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add carrots, onion and 4 minced garlic cloves. Saute for 7 minutes or until onion pieces are translucent. Stir in tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes until sauce thickens. Stir in broth and wine and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.

4. Stir water into potato starch in a small bowl. Whisk to blend well. Slowly whisk this slurry into the sauce. Add thyme and oregano.

5. Add roasted mushrooms to sauce. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, over low heat until mushrooms are very tender and sauce is well flavored. Adjust seasoning.

6. Peel potatoes. Mash with a potato masher, adding remaining minced garlic clove, 1 to 2 tablespoons oil, and milk to adjust consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

7. Serve mushrooms in their sauce on or alongside mashed potatoes. Sprinkle mushrooms with chives.

Cauliflower Broccoli Tajine with hearts of palm rice boasts bold flavors popular in Morocco, such as ginger, garlic, saffron and cumin. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Cauliflower-Broccoli Tajine with Hearts of Palm Rice

Bold flavors popular in Morocco — ginger, garlic, saffron, cumin and other spices, as well as lemon pieces — simmer with the broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potato. The recipe is adapted from “The Heart Healthy Plant-Based Cookbook” by Dr. Jenneffer Pulapaka and Chef Hari Pulapaka.

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 cups cauliflower florets

3 cups broccoli florets

1 medium onion, sliced

1 sweet potato (about 1/2 pound), peeled and cut in large dice

2 lemons, quartered, seeds removed

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

4 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced into slivers

1 tablespoon ground cumin, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 bay leaves

Pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 2 tablespoons warm water for 20 minutes

2 cups vegetable stock, more if needed

9-ounce package hearts of palm rice

1/2 cup chopped parsley, cilantro or a mixture of both

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roast cauliflower and broccoli florets on a baking sheet in the oven for 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

2. Add onion and sweet potato to baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes until they soften slightly. Transfer them to a stew pan.

3. Add lemon quarters to stew pan along with ginger, garlic, cumin, coriander and cinnamon. Stir over low heat for 1 minute.

4. Add roasted cauliflower and broccoli to pan. Add bay leaves, saffron and its liquid, and enough vegetable stock to barely cover sweet potato cubes. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat 15 to 18 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let stand for 15 minutes. Remove bay leaves.

5. To serve, prepare hearts of palm rice. Serve vegetables over it. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and cilantro.

Shirataki Spaghetti with Shiitake Mushrooms and Asparagus is made with roasted shiitake mushrooms and shirataki noodles. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Shirataki Spaghetti with Shiitake Mushrooms and Asparagus

Shirataki spaghetti — Japanese noodles made from root of the konnyaku or konjac plant — can be used on Passover because they are made without grains. We flavor the noodles with Asian seasonings — sesame oil, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and white pepper. You can find kosher for Passover soy-style sauce and hoisin sauce at kosher markets.

Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch asparagus (about 3/4 pound)

1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, quartered, tender stems trimmed and halved lengthwise

3 to 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, or to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 eight-ounce packages shirataki spaghetti

2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil or avocado oil

2 teaspoons soy sauce, or to taste

1 teaspoon hoisin sauce, or to taste (optional)

White pepper to taste

Green of green onion, chopped (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut upper two thirds of each asparagus spear in 2 or 3 pieces. (Discard tough bases or use in vegetable stock.)

2. Put asparagus pieces in a roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 or 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast for 4 to 6 minutes. Stir and roast for 4 to 6 more minutes or until just tender. Remove from roasting pan.

3. Add shiitake mushroom pieces to pan. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon olive oil, then with salt and pepper. Roast for 5 minutes. Stir, drizzle with another 1 teaspoon olive oil and roast for 5 more minutes or until tender and lightly browned.

4. Prepare shirataki spaghetti according to package directions. Drain well. Add sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and white pepper.

5. Transfer spaghetti to a platter. Top with mushrooms and asparagus. Garnish with green onion.

These chocolate date balls contain almonds, pistachios, pine nuts and dried cranberries. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Chocolate Date Balls

Vary the nuts and dried fruit to your taste when making these fun treats; but bear in mind that, in addition to adding pleasing sweetness, the dates help hold the ingredients together. The recipe is from “The Vegan Blueprints” by Chef Eileen Elizabeth.

Yield: 12 date balls

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup Medjool dates, pitted

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup almonds

1/4 cup pistachios

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/4 cup almond butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut dates in small pieces. Chop in a food processor. Add chocolate chips and process together. Let stand for 3 or 4 minutes so the chocolate softens and begins to blend into the dates.

2. Add almonds and process until chopped fine. Add pistachios, followed by dried cranberries and pine nuts. Chop until all ingredients are in small pieces.

3. Transfer mixture to a bowl. Mix ingredients by hand. Add almond butter and mix well.

4. Roll mixture in golf-ball size or smaller balls, using about 1 tablespoon for each one. Refrigerate them for 30 minutes so chocolate will harden. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Hibiscus chia seed pudding is bright red and spiced with ginger root and tumeric root to make a dessert or breakfast treat that’s easy to be prepare. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Hibiscus Chia Seed Pudding with Cherry Preserves

This bright-red pudding spiced with ginger root and turmeric root makes a light, healthy dessert or breakfast treat that’s easy to prepare and needs no cooking. Make hibiscus tea from a tea bag or from soaked dried hibiscus flowers.

Yield: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons chia seeds

3/4 cup hibiscus herbal tea, cool

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger root

1/2 teaspoon finely grated turmeric root

2 tablespoons Greek yogurt or dried coconut

4 teaspoons sour cherry preserves or jam

DIRECTIONS

1. Spoon chia seeds into a small bowl. Pour tea over them and whisk to blend. Add ginger and turmeric. Refrigerate for 2 hours or until pudding thickens, whisking from time to time.

2. To serve, divide pudding between two small serving bowls. Top each serving with yogurt or coconut, then with sour cherry preserves.

Faye Levy is the author of 1,000 Jewish Recipes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S Treasury Department on Wednesday issued new sanctions targeting Iran’s nuclear program, just days before senior American and Iranian officials are expected to hold talks in the Middle East sultanate of Oman.

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Five entities and one person based in Iran are cited in the new sanctions for their support of Iran’s nuclear program. The designated groups include the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and subordinates Iran Centrifuge Technology Company, Thorium Power Company, Pars Reactors Construction and Development Company and Azarab Industries Co.

“The Iranian regime’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons remains a grave threat to the United States and a menace to regional stability and global security,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to disrupt any attempt by Iran to advance its nuclear program and its broader destabilizing agenda.”

The new sanctions come as President Donald Trump announced earlier this week that he was dispatching senior envoys to hold direct talks with Iran about its nuclear program, while warning the Iranians they would be in “great danger” if the talks don’t succeed in persuading them to abandon their nuclear weapons program.

For its part, Tehran confirmed talks would happen but insisted they would be indirect discussions through a mediator.

The United States is increasingly concerned as Tehran is closer than ever to a workable weapon.

The U.S. and other world powers in 2015 reached a long-term, comprehensive nuclear agreement that limited Tehran’s enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

But Trump unilaterally withdraw the U.S. from the nuclear agreement in 2018, calling it the “worst deal ever.”

Iran and the U.S., under President Joe Biden, held indirect negotiations in Vienna in 2021 aimed at restoring the nuclear deal. But those talks, and others between Tehran and European nations, failed to reach any agreement.