In September, I made my first trip to Scandinavia when I took the train throughout Finland, hitting Helsinki, Lapland and a few other towns. In a way, though, it seemed quite familiar; the result of growing up in Minnesota. All throughout my trip, people kept mistaking me for a native Finn, even though I never [...] Fascinating Finland: The Cult of the Sauna is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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I’ve been home for 10 days and, among other things, have spent some time catching up with the fall TV season. And my fave new show, by far, is the retro Pan Am It’s not exactly high drama or great acting. It’s not as well plotted as The Good Wife nor as well written as [...] Layover Diversions: The Pan Am TV series is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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You know how some places give you a bad vibe? I felt that way about my Nile River cruise stop in Edfu, where caleche drivers have essentially bullied tour companies into using their services. Located on the Nile between Aswan and Luxor, Edfu is known for the Temple of Horus, one of the best-preserved along [...] Nile File: Caleche Drivers and Horses in Edfu, Egypt is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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As a lifelong cat lover, I always had a thing for Bastet, the ancient Egyptian cat goddess depicted in art and sculpture. The Egyptian love of the cat looms large in popular culture; it’s the ultimate sign of approval that cats are more regal than their doggy counterparts. So imagine my surprise when I discovered [...] Nile File: Bastet, the Ancient Egyptian Cat Goddess is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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Before I went to Egypt, I had read about the country’s overly aggressive street hawkers. What I didn’t realize is that the country’s downturn in tourism since the Revolution would have the causal effect of making the few travelers who ARE visiting Egypt more prone to attention from street vendors and touts. My first encounter [...] Nile File: Aggressive Street Hawkers & Vendors is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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Today’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos on Twitter) theme is ONE.  Pictured above is Washington State’s big ONE, Mount Rainer.  Chris and I went hiking here about a month ago, and the scenery was breathtaking.  On a clear day, you can see the mountain dominating the horizon southeast of Seattle.  It’s so huge and imposing, it looks [...] Photo Friday: Mount Rainier Photo is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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Last week, I wrote about what is happening in Egypt tourism since the Revolution in January 2011, focusing on the Cairo area. After spending the past week cruising the Nile from Luxor to Aswan (and back), I have a few more observations that might be useful to people thinking about taking such a trip. The [...] Nile File: Tourism in Upper Egypt After a Nile River Cruise is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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The theme of this week’s #FriFotos is Capital, as in capital cities around the world. I’ve been spending the last 10 days in Egypt, including several days in crazy Cairo. This photo is from a walk I took through the Khan el-Khalili bazaar in Islamic Cairo. I didn’t have the best experience here because of [...] Photo Friday: Street life in Cairo, Egypt’s Capital is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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Today’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos on Twitter) theme is CAPITALS.  Pictured above is a boardwalk on the St. Lawrence River in Québec City, the capital of the Canadian province of Québec.  In the background is the historic Fairmont Le Château Frontenac. Photo Friday: Québec City is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road Photo Friday: Québec City is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels o

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Looking down the 138 steps inside the Bent Pyramid, I feel a little dizzy. My guide has left me to make the descent into the ancient artifact at Dahshur by myself, and I’m not sure I’m up to the task. A hint of ammonia wafts from the necropolis’ entrance; I’ve been told that the smell [...] A Career Change: Why I’m Speaking at Meet, Plan, Go 2011 is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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I’ve been in Egypt since Sept. 26, hanging out at the Mena House in Giza until I join a Uniworld Splendors of Egypt tour that I’m covering for Cruise Critic. It’s a very posh way to spend a few days, so I’ve been removed from the typical day-to-day life of the Egyptians, many of whom [...] Nile File: What Is Happening in Egypt Tourism As the Revolution Continues is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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 Today’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos on Twitter) theme is ROADS.  In 2006, I drove from Philadelphia to Phoenix and back in a very short three weeks.  Along the way, I took as many deserted back roads as I could to as many of the National Parks during the drive.  This long winding road eventually took me [...] Photo Friday: Texas Road to Big Bend National Park is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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You never know what you’re going to get when you book a bed & breakfast. I’ve had delightful experiences, where I stayed up late with the owners, drinking wine and swapping stories. And I’ve had bizarre visits, such as the one where I watched a cat walk across a table full of food – and [...] Madison County Movie Tour: Anatomy of a Good Bed & Breakfast is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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Proof that you can find fun things to do almost where you travel: On a recent trip to Iowa to visit my husband’s parents, we discovered Madison County, which not only has the famed bridges from the Robert James Waller book/Meryl Streep-Clint Eastwood movie, it also contains Winterset, the town where John Wayne was born [...] Madison County Movie Tour: John Wayne Birth home is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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We disembarked from our Wilderness Discoverer cruise in Ketchikan. While some people on the ship were flying back home that day, we decided to stay an extra night to check out the city. Ketchikan is a mega ship Mecca. We witnessed four huge cruise ships go in and out of port in a single day. [...] Alaska’s Inside Passage: A Day in Ketchikan is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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I had only kayaked once before my expedition cruise on the Wilderness Discoverer – and I hadn’t particularly cared for it. My husband and I had gone sea kayaking on Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast – and I felt that we were going to be flipped into the water at every second. Not what I’d call [...] Alaska’s Inside Passage: Kayaking Misty Fjords National Monument is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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Today’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos on Twitter) theme is STONE.  Pictured above is a church in Sedona, AZ built on stone (literally) – in this case, into the side of a mountainside. Photo Friday: Sedona Chapel Built on Stone is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road Photo Friday: Sedona Chapel Built on Stone is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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Our InnerSea Discoveries cruise on the Wilderness Discoverer was more about outdoor activities than port stops. The ship’s Eastern Coves itinerary does stop in one town along the Inside Passage, the outdoor activity haven of Wrangell. Unfortunately, InnerSea Discoveries told us that there weren’t any more spots on the Wrangell daytrip that we really wanted [...] Alaska’s Inside Passage: Fishing – and more – in Wrangell is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist&#

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Today’s Photo Friday (#FriFotos on Twitter) theme is LUXURY.   In January 2009, Chris and I traveled to the Turks and Caicos island of Providenciales, a much needed break from the cold weather on the US East Coast. When we arrived, I realized that for $350 per night accommodations, we were in the Provo slums. Not exactly, [...] Photo Friday: Turks and Caicos Luxury is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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 My biggest challenge on my InnerSea Discoveries expedition cruise in Alaska wasn’t the extensive kayaking or glacier hiking or even fishing (which I did for the first time in Wrangell). No, I knew I’d have the most trouble with unplugging, in what was about to become a weeklong digital detox.  The InnerSea Discoveries website makes [...] Alaska’s Inside Passage: Can I digital detox for a week? is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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The day after we viewed Sawyer Glacier from a respectable distance, the expedition leaders on the Wilderness Discoverer told us that we’d get a chance to get up close and personal with our next glacier, called Baird, on a glacier trek. I signed up for the slow hike so I’d have time to take plenty [...] Alaska’s Inside Passage: Trekking on Baird Glacier is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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Today’s #FriFoto theme is black and white. Don shot this photo when we were in Winslow, Arizona (after we stood on the corner!). The man in the shot was gardening at La Posada, a Mary Colter-designed hotel that’s truly a one-of-a-kind place in a town that’s fairly pedestrian. Here’s more info about our trip through [...] Photo Friday: Arizona Farmer is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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My InnerSea Discoveries expedition cruise on the Wilderness Explorer embarked in Juneau and went south toward Ketchikan. Which meant that we’d be missing Glacier Bay in the northern section of the Inside Passage. But that’s OK, as the ship’s itinerary took us to Sawyer Glacier in the Tracy Arm fjord. As our ship came around [...] Alaska’s Inside Passage: Tracy Arm & Sawyer Glacier is a post from: Chris Around The World: A Journalist's Travels on the Road

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