For many people, travel consists of marking off a checklist of famous places. I can’t count the number of times I’ve observed people driving up to a beautiful or thought-provoking site, snapping a photo, and driving away. I’ve done that myself a few times.

Experience the extraordinary stories of children who have made and are making a difference in this world at the Power of Children exhibit in the Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

When I arrive at Healing Farm, I have an overwhelming sense that I’ve come home. This 18-acre organic farm on Vancouver Island’s Saanich Peninsula is everything I love about this part of the world, where I grew up.

With oceanfront suites, a hammam-anchored spa, and an intimate rum room, Anguilla's Zemi Beach House has five stars — and nearly 3,000 solar panels. Installed this past winter, a solar farm runs adjacent to the Caribbean resort and powers the property from dawn until dusk. The resort ranks as Anguilla’s first five-star hotel that’s completely solar during the day, indicating a bright future for green travel. 

Every day is a new day that offers many new travel opportunities so before you start packing for your next trip take a look at these budget-friendly travel essentials we’ve found. Each of these travel accessories—most $15 or less—can save you time, money and help make your travel more comfortable.

When Allen Bartimioli planned a trip to his ancestors’ homeland, he never imagined he would find himself face-to-face with a cousin he didn’t know he had. Like many Americans, the Arizona pastor and his wife, Ellen, had done some genealogical research and had taken a 23andMe DNA test. Allen’s showed Italian and Sicilian ancestry—no surprise, given the family stories. According to Bartimioli lore, Allen’s paternal grandfather returned to his roots in Italy after World War II.

Being well traveled doesn’t prepare you to live in another country and/or study abroad. In addition to learning a new language there is subtle cultural differences that require some adjustment.

As travelers, one of the most exciting aspects of visiting another country is experiencing a new culture. We get the opportunity to learn about the history of places around the globe, participate in local events, and experience traditions and cultural practices first-hand. But, we also have a responsibility as global citizens to travel ethically and only participate in socially responsible tourism. 

Someone who hits the trails with my uber-fit husband (nine years my junior) to embrace all that nature has to offer. As you read this description, I can’t help but wonder how you would picture me. Perhaps, if you’ve never met me, you’d assume I’m fit and ready for anything. Well, if that’s your perception of me, you’re wrong. Although I may exude confidence on the outside, on the inside I struggle with self-doubt and body image every single day.

I marvel at the cavernous interiors of the room, chiseled from the soft tuff rock, formed millions of years ago by the eruption of the volcanoes that once dominated the landscape of Cappadocia.  The lava flows formed tuff rock, which the wind and the rain sculpted into winding valleys of craggy cliffs and conical fairy chimneys dotted with pockmarked caves and towering ravines. The earliest settlers in this part of Central Anatolia curved their humble homes in these caves – a tradition followed to date. And many of the Cappadocian homes, like that of my host Okhtai, have been converted into boutique cave hotels. For my 3-day sojourn in Cappadocia, I am staying at such a cavern hotel in the small town of Goreme, which has a history that is as fascinating as its landscape.

  Swimming with whale sharks was something I had never contemplated until visiting La Paz, Mexico, a few hours north of Cabo San Lucas in southern Baja California Sur. My immediate response was “no way” until I learned the name “whale shark” is quite misleading. Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish and are not known to nibble on humans. These gentle giants filter plankton and fish from the top of the ocean like a baleen whale and eat eight percent of their body weight per week. After extensive online research, I soon realized that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to swim with this misunderstood creature that scientists just started studying in the 1950s.  Donning a wetsuit with some sort of swimmable life jacket plus a mask, snorkel, and fins, I dangled off the side of our small boat that comfortably carried about six. Our crew of ladies already [...]

While many of these train activities are rooted in nostalgia, there are still plenty of modern-day travelers who not only enjoy trains as a means of transport but also the object of entire vacations.