The man sitting next to me on the flight to Madrid from Tenerife was reading an e-book. I asked him how he liked it and he said fine, that it had been a recent gift. He smiled at the book in my hands. E-books are suddenly everywhere; real books just weigh you down. Everyone says so.

When movie locations were being scouted for The Help, Greenwood, Miss., was the obvious choice.
“Greenwood still looks like it did in 1963,” says guide Paige Hunt, “whereas Jackson – where the book takes place –has changed. That’s Skeeter’s place [the writer played by actor Emma Stone],” Hunt announces, pointing out a white-columned house familiar to the fans of the smash-hit film.

Seven years ago, when I first visited Buenos Aires, a single word – “smitten”– written on a wall expressed everything I felt about this absurdly beautiful city, where faces seemed Southern European, tango music was in the air, and steak was on the menu. I vowed to return.