Byers Lake (pictured above) is the kind of place you imagine when you think of the Alaska wilderness. It’s tranquil, pristine and beautiful. It’s not one of Alaska’s most spectacular sights — it’s no Yannert icefield, Glacier Bay National Park or even Mendenhall Glacier — but it’s quiet beauty is spectacular in its own way.

Vancouver has the third largest Chinatown in North America, next to NYC and San Francisco. I was only in Vancouver for two days following my Alaskan cruise, and it was on my agenda. Being that my time overall was limited, I didn’t have too much time to spend in Chinatown (and we didn’t have the [...]

On the Fairbanks Riverboat Discovery Tour, I got my first glimpse of sled dogs when the boat went by Trail Breaker Kennel, which was owned by the late four-time Iditarod winner Susan Butcher. It was fun to watch the demo, but I wanted to see the huskies up close. Enter the Musher’s Camp and Sled [...]

When I made Switzerland a stop in my post-college backpacking spree 10 years ago, I was immediately impressed by how clean, beautiful and orderly it is. I went to Leysin, Interlaken and Lucerne. I didn't make it to Zurich, which is apparently so lovely that on Sunday a circus elephant escaped just to take a [...]

Inspired by the tales of Robin Hood, most people visit Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire to see the legendary Major Oak. While the gigantic oak tree is indeed a sight to behold, there are plenty of other lovely hollow oaks, too, as well as other kinds of trees, including silver birches and pines. Based on the [...]

Legend has it that the Major Oak in Sherwood Forest was a hiding spot for Robin Hood and his band of Merry Men. The Major Oak has a major reputation to live up to, and I'm pleased to report that it did. That's a good thing, because Sherwood Forest National Nature Reserve's 400,000 visitors per [...]

(photos by Rachel Sterling and Jeremy Sharff) My friends Rachel Sterling and Jeremy Sharff have just returned from a trip to Singapore and and have come home singing the praises of the awesome Singapore Zoo, which is a top tourist attraction that they say is a must-visit for any first-timer to Singapore.

I've always enjoyed watching the Westminster Dog Show on TV, so this year I decided to go see it live at Madison Square Garden. I got a ticket for day one (yesterday), which entitled me to attend the show from 8 AM—11PM. Only the evening part, the group judging (pictured above), is broadcast on USA; [...]

(Barton Creek Cave, photos by Amanda Lobell) I put Belize on my list of top 10 trips I wish I had taken in 2009, so I was very excited to hear all about Amanda Lobell and Neil Roach’s recent vacation there. They had a fantastic time dividing their week between the jungle and the beach, [...]

Poor stingrays. They have such an ominous-sounding name yet they're such gentle creatures. At least the ones in The Cayman Islands are. They glide along, gracefully flapping their wings. OK, there is a stinger, but it's not that lengthy tail you see. The stinger has its base near the tail, and it's just a few [...]