How to escape the era of ‘TikTok tourism'
Tourism to the United States has dipped in response to the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and uninviting foreign policy positions. Meanwhile, the president's tariff agenda is making some Americans too anxious about their finances to travel. The world might start seeing a lot fewer American tourists — but is that all bad? On the latest episode of 'Impromptu,' Post Opinions writers Drew Goins, Molly Roberts and Catherine Rampell discuss how shifts in international travel could alter life at home and abroad.
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Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
These Michigan places have French names. How they got them
While traveling through Michigan this summer, you may notice locations with names that sound more like they belong in France, rather than an American state. The area that became present-day Michigan once was settled by French immigrants beginning in the 17th century, including Catholic missionaries and fur traders, according to Northern Michigan University. They established settlements like Fort Michilimackinac in present-day Mackinaw City and Fort Pontchartrain du détroit in present-day Detroit, and engaged with Indigenous peoples. "More than three centuries ago, Europeans from France came to the Great Lakes region. They made the long trip across the Atlantic for many reasons," Central Michigan University's Clarke Historical Library stated. "Merchants came for fur. Missionaries came to convert Native Americans to Christianity. Soldiers came to forward the French government's agenda. All three groups of Frenchmen interacted with the Native Americans already living in the region, often hoping to achieve very different ends." While that era is long gone, Michigan's French influence remains, most notably in place names: Cities, roads, rivers, lakes and counties maintain French-language names, including Detroit, Au Sable and Charlevoix among others. Here's what to know about a few of Michigan's French names. The city's name comes from the French words "détroit," meaning strait. French settler Antoine de la mothe Cadillac, a prominent military leader and trader who lent his name to a car brand, established Fort Pontchartrain du détroit in present-day Detroit in 1701, according to the Detroit Historical Society. The area's Indigenous names include the Anishinaabe name "Waawiiyaataanong," meaning where the river bends. This lighthouse near Gulliver in Michigan's Upper Peninsula has a French influence. The name is French for "only choice," chosen because the small cape that juts into Lake Michigan and curls to the east offers some of the only protection from storms blowing from the west. Potential origins could also trace to the Ojibwe word Shashoweg, meaning straight line, Seul Choix Lighthouse Friends notes. The name for a northern Michigan town and county is after French settler Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix, a Jesuit priest, according to the Charlevoix Historical Society. He traveled near present-day Charlevoix city while searching for the Pacific Ocean in the early 18th century. The county was previously called "Keshkauko," after an Ojibwe chief from the Saginaw Bay. The village of L'Anse borders the L'Anse Bay, leading into the Keweenaw Bay and Lake Superior. The French name translates to the bay or the cove, in reference to its position on Keweenaw Bay. In Detroit, a prominent road holds another French name. Livernois Avenue is named for French settler François Benoit dit Livernois, an 18th century farmer, Livernois family history says. This area lies along the northeastern coast of the Keweenaw Peninsula on Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The French name translates to gray beast, according to Visit Keweenaw. The name comes from the the bay's white sand, known to sing when pressed down with the palm of your hand or to bark when struck, local tradition says. The area was previously known as "Baie de Gres," French for Sandstone Bay. The Indigenous name is Baghidawiiing, meaning the bay where nets are set. This northern Michigan river, running 138 miles from Grayling to Oscoda, is the nation's best for fly fishing, according to USA TODAY readers. The French name means river of sand or sand river, chosen for its sandy environment, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources says. This area west of St. Ignace features historic sites and nature preserves along the coast of Lake Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. The French name translates to big cape, named by Canadian travelers as the high area appears to jut out from the shore when viewed from the lake, per the North Country Trail Association. Indigenous names for the area include Gichi-Neyaaganiing, meaning place of the big headland or cape, and Nednong, or high place. Just west of the famed Cut River Bridge along U.S. 2 in Michigan's Upper Peninsula is Epoufette. The crossroad's name mean's place of rest, according to various sources, including the unincorporated community's welcome sign. At the east end of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Grand Marais offers restaurants, lodging, a marina and more. The name is French for big marsh, which, the Grand Marais Chamber of Commerce notes, is puzzling because there is no marsh nearby. "Historians believe that French mapmakers confused 'marais' with another, similar-sounding word found on old maps, 'maré,' which means 'sheltered body of water.' The early voyageurs definitely sheltered here on their way to the western end of Lake Superior," the chamber says. The village is nestled on the western shore of the St. Mary's River, where freighters and private vessels alike pass by. "Since ships and canoes made a turn to go west to Mackinac or southeast to Detroit, the name DeTour was given, which means, in French, 'the turn,'" the village says on its website. The Chippewa name for this area is Giwideonaning, meaning point which we go around in a canoe. The Lansing State Journal contributed. Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A look at the history behind Michigan's French names
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Traveling in the Trump era: No, you don't have to apologize for being American
President Trump's return to the White House has revived a familiar media genre — columns lamenting how 'ashamed' Americans supposedly feel when traveling abroad. USA Today's recent headline blared, ''I didn't vote for him': How American tourists are navigating global perceptions.' It tells the story of how a couple actually canceled their overseas vacation out of fear they'd be mistaken for Trump supporters. The BBC followed with, ''People might treat us differently': Trump era leaves U.S. tourists in Paris feeling shame.' A Boston Globe columnist also chimed in: 'Trump's behavior makes me embarrassed to be an American.' To quantify the hand-wringing, a recent survey found that 72 percent of 'experienced' U.S. travelers worry they might feel unwelcome abroad. The underlying assumption is clear: Foreign distaste for Trump taints every U.S. passport holder. But that anxiety reveals more about the worldview of those making the claim — usually progressive, elite, Western — than it does about how Americans are actually received overseas. It also reveals how media narratives shape public expectations. Of course Americans fear being unwelcome — after all, the media keep telling them they will or should be. In the time since Trump won last November, I have spent significant time in Greenland, Vietnam, England, Panama and Mexico — countries that have all been in Trump's crosshairs in some way. Not once did I experience hostility. After traveling through dozens of countries on five continents under both Republican and Democratic presidents, I have found the fretting about being American abroad to be wildly overstated — a projection of domestic political angst, not a reflection of global reality. Yes, most foreigners know who our president is, especially when he is as headline-grabbing as Trump. And yes, they often have opinions — don't we all? But the idea that everyday Americans are routinely shunned, judged, or made to feel unwelcome abroad because of Trump is a fantasy born of our own political obsessions. In truth, Americans are generally welcomed abroad. And when we aren't, it has less to do with politics than with other things — for example, our cultural obliviousness, our sheer numbers traveling, or the pressure that affluent travelers inevitably place on their local housing markets. Sure, some people abroad dislike Trump and may judge Americans accordingly. But most are preoccupied with their own politics, lives, and problems and understand that a president doesn't define his entire population. Yes, Trump is a globally recognized figure — so are Lebron James and Taylor Swift. Recognition is not reverence, nor is it revulsion. If you include the entire population, about 23 percent of American citizens voted for Trump. The odds are good that any American you meet abroad did not. And more to the point, most foreigners — like most Americans and even most Trump supporters — hold nuanced views about Trump. Last month in Nuuk, Greenland, I met an EU bureaucrat who said she had been alarmed by Trump's 2016 election, since his 'rocket man' tweets about North Korea initially had her fearing nuclear war. But after watching his unexpectedly cordial summit with Kim Jong Un, she reconsidered. 'Don't just look to where Trump is hitting the ball,' she said of Trump's approach to foreign affairs. 'It will ricochet a couple of times and then perhaps fall in the pocket.' She, like others I have met abroad, holds a view of Trump that is simultaneously skeptical and strangely admiring — a nuance absent from the editorial pages of most American newspapers. In Greenland, I met some who despised Trump and some who genuinely admired him. Most responded to Trump's talk of purchasing Greenland with wry amusement. Some even gave a grinning, shrugging acknowledgment that at least he'd put their country on the map. All the while, a thousand think-pieces back home were insisting that everyone in Greenland loathed him. In Hanoi, a woman told me she initially admired Trump's unconventional approach to adversaries. She said she has grown more skeptical as his tariffs have hurt her country. That's not blind praise or a knee-jerk rejection — it's nuance, the kind many reporters fail to register even among Americans. Just as often, the response is indifference. When I asked a Peruvian friend in Lima what she thought of Trump voters, she replied flatly: 'I don't.' When I visited Peru, I didn't know the name of its president — why should she be consumed with ours? The U.S. wields outsized global influence, but it is narcissism to assume the world is constantly thinking about us. Maybe we should get over ourselves. Many liberals feel compelled to grovel, to disavow Trump the moment they leave U.S. soil. I never have, any more than I expected praise during earlier travels because global media darling Barack Obama was our president. I don't buy into reflected glory any more than I do reflected shame. Americans reluctant to travel while Trump is president should not let pundits and alarmists talk them out of seeing the world. A U.S. passport is one of the greatest privileges of being American, opening nearly every border, often visa-free. Yes, being American might at times make you a target. Far more often, though, you will find respect, curiosity, and kindness. Most people abroad aren't interested in judging strangers for their country's politics. They are more likely to judge you for how you behave. So, to my fellow Americans: Use that passport proudly. Be ambassadors for the best of American values: our openness, our generosity, our eagerness to learn. That is what people abroad will remember most — not our president, but us. Daniel Allott, the former opinion editor at The Hill, is the author of 'On the Road in Trump's America: A Journey into the Heart of a Divided Country.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
The world's most dangerous country revealed in new global survey — and it's probably not where you think
Their national flag is red. As tensions rise around the world, picking summer travel destinations can be like navigating an international minefield. As a service to globetrotters, financial comparison site Hellosafe has ranked the most dangerous nations to travel, revealing that the Philippines is the most unsafe vacation nation on Earth for 2025. They compiled this 'travel safety index' based on 35 different criteria that were boiled down into five categories: the frequency of natural disasters, societal violence, involvement in armed conflict (internal or external), health infrastructure and militarization, per the site. Based on these indicators, nations were rated on a scale from 0 to 100 with 0 representing the safest and 100 being the most dangerous. 5 An iconic Philippine jeep in the streets of Manila. Nathaniel Gonzales – Hellosafe assured readers that 'this index is not intended to reflect the tourist attractiveness of a country, but rather a global index of security and safety based on the largest possible number of objective criteria.' The Philippines ranked first on this dangerous nation decathlon with a score of 82.32 out of 100, which the index attributed to 'high levels of violence within society.' In October 2024, 26-year-old American YouTuber Elliot Onil Eastman was abducted at gunpoint from a small island in the country's south by four masked men masquerading as police officers. He is currently presumed dead. 5 Red Square in Moscow. Helen Filatova – The nation is also home to Muslim rebel groups like the Abu Sayyaf group, a terrorist organization known for kidnapping foreigners for ransom. Despite the alleged danger, the Philippines remains a popular destination for travelers with 5.4 million foreign travelers making their way to the idyllic Southeast Asian isles in 2024. 5 Aerial view of the skyline of Bogota, Colombia. pabloacruz – Coming in at number 2 and 3, respectively, were Colombia (79.21) and Mexico (78.42), which both have high levels of crime and kidnapping, according to the US State Department. In fact, they warn US tourists not to travel to certain areas, such as Michoacan and Sinaloa for this very reason Rounding out the top five list of most dangerous nations were India and Russia with respective scores of 77.86 and 75.65. 5 Pushkar, India. henktennapel – This comes amid heightened fears that war could break out between India and Pakistan following clashes in the disputed region of Kashmir last month. Meanwhile, there appears to be no end in sight for the Russia-Ukraine war, which recently saw Putin launch one of his largest airstrikes on Kyiv since the conflict broke out in 2022. Coincidentally, the US ranked as the 14th least safe country for travel with a score of 59.47 despite an overall downward trend in crime in major US cities. 5 Temple of Kukulkan Pyramid at Chichen Itza, one of the largest ancient Maya cities discovered by archaeologists in Yucatan, Mexico. ronniechua – The top ten most dangerous nations Philippines (82.31) Colombia (79.21) Mexico (78.42) India (77.86) Russia (75.65) Yemen (74.6) Indonesia (72.94) Somalia (70.8() Mozambique (69.69) Pakistan (68.03) Fortunately, there are plenty of perfectly safe nations where people can decamp for the summer, most of which are concentrated in Europe, per the Index. Clocking in at number one was Iceland (18.23), followed by Singapore (19.99), then Denmark (20.05). Meanwhile, Austria (20.31) and Switzerland (20.51) rounded out the top five. The top ten safest nations Iceland (18.23) Singapore (19.99) Denmark (20.05) Austria (20.31) Switzerland (20.51) Czech Republic (21.19) Slovenia (21.44) Finland (21.81) Ireland (22.49) Hungary (22.87)
