Taken on a cold winter morning in late December 2009, this photo shows the statues of Saints Cyril and Methodius, two Byzantine Greek brothers who introduced Christianity to the Slavs and invented the Cyrillic alphabet. Prague Castle can be seen in the background.

Situated on the west bank of the Nile across from Thebes (modern day Luxor), the Valley of the Queens is the final resting place for the wives of Egypt’s Pharaohs (who themselves are buried in the nearby Valley of the Kings). The Valley of the Queens contains over seventy tombs from the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties, including that of Queen Nefertari, wife of Ramesses the Great. In addition to the queens, various princes, princesses and members of the nobility were also laid to rest in the Valley of the Queens. Unfortunately, when we visited, hardly any of the tombs were open to the public, so most of what we saw was exactly what is displayed in the above photo. Many of the tombs have also been ransacked by robbers, so some contain hardly anything.

I visited Egypt in 2005, when I was living in London and it was much easier to travel to the Middle East. I would like to return to the Middle East someday, perhaps to Jordan (Petra looks amazing), Lebanon (I hear Beirut is a fun city), or the United Arab Emirates (Dubai trips are quite inexpensive, especially if you live in Europe). I would probably choose to go in the winter, though, when the temperatures are milder.

The above photo was taken at Playa Avellana, during our last full day of our Costa Rica trip in February 2010. Amazingly, however, I almost did not make this trip to Costa Rica due to an airline mishap. Thankfully, however, I had purchased a travel insurance policy when I booked my trip, so that salvaged a bit of the trip.

Basically, the night before I was scheduled to fly to Costa Rica, American Airlines canceled my February 13th flight and notified me that they could not get me to Costa Rica until February 15th. They had also scheduled me for a 13 hour overnight layover at the Miami airport. As you could imagine, I was rather pissed off, but a quick call to my insurance company Cover-More confirmed that my $70 policy covered trip delays and interruptions, so I could expect to get some of my hotel and food expenses covered. When I arrived back in the U.S., I filed my claim and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the company was reimbursing me for my hotel and food expenses in DC and Miami as well as the two days of pre-paid lodging and surf lessons that I missed due to American Airlines’ inability to get me to Costa Rica on time. So, lesson learned, if you are traveling abroad, make sure you have travel insurance!

Kim Il-Sung, sporting the red scarf of the Young Pioneer organization, watches over the youth of North Korea in this large roadside propaganda painting.

Here is another photo from January’s West Coast road trip, when we drove 1500 miles up the coast from Southern California to Seattle using a discount car rental we snagged online (here is a small bit of advice, though – if the rental agency gives you a Chevy HHR as your rental car, ask for a different car. It is horribly uncomfortable).

While Central California’s Big Sur seems to grab all the glory when it comes to panoramic ocean vistas in California, I think the coast of northern California is just as beautiful (and certainly far less crowded). Sonoma Coast State Beach is located just off Highway 1 approximately 80 miles north of San Francisco. If you are lucky, you may be able to spot the gray whales, harbor seals and California sea lions that live in this area. Just be careful of the cliffs and don’t enter the water unless you are a strong swimmer, as the rip current can be deadly (also, the water is incredibly cold up here).

As much as I loved this place, we didn’t spend much time here, just stopping briefly at this spot to take a few photos before continuing 100 miles northward to Fort Bragg, where we had a delicious dinner of beer and fish and chips at the North Coast Brewing Company. I would definitely like to return to the Sonoma Coast sometime in the future to explore it further.

During last September’s trip to the Outer Banks we traveled to Ocracoke Island, a remote island that can only be reached by ferry. We didn’t originally plan on going to Ocracoke, but rather made a last-minute decision that morning, when we arrived at the end of Hatteras Island. After a series of security questions, we were assigned a lane, and then watched in amazement as an army of SUVs, cars, trucks, and motorhomes (most piloted by cross-country travelers who were no doubt carrying a good motorhome insurance policy) drove onto the ferry. I couldn’t believe how many vehicles they managed to fit on such an unassuming ferry.

After a 40 minute ride across the Hatteras Inlet, we arrived at Ocracoke Island, which runs approximately 14 miles in length and features a small village (the village of Ocracoke, population 769) on the southern end. Ocracoke is rich in history, known as Blackbeard the Pirate’s favored hang-out, and is home to the oldest operating light station in North Carolina. Interestingly, a British cemetery is also located in the village. Ocracoke is the final resting place for four British sailors who were killed in 1942 when their ship was sunk by a German u-boat operating off the coast of North Carolina.

In addition to the history that can be found throughout Ocracoke, there are also plenty of activities to partake in. We had an excellent lunch at the Creekside Cafe and then headed to the harbor, where we rented a kayak from a surf shop. We spent the rest of our day kayaking near the banks and estuaries of the island.

If you are ever in the Outer Banks, definitely make the trek down to Ocracoke (the ferry is even free). Of all the places on the East Coast, the Outer Banks is definitely the one I will miss the most!

Taken while driving south on the Reunification Highway towards the DMZ dividing North and South Korea.

Built by the Spanish Empire in 1744, the Alamo (then known as the Mission San Antonio de Valero) was originally a Roman Catholic mission whose purpose was to convert local Native Americans to Christianity. It later became a compound for Texian soldiers and is most well known for the battle that took place in 1836, when Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna launched an assault on the fort’s defenders. The battle lasted twelve days, until the Mexican army finally broke through the fort’s defenses, killing all but two of the defenders. The Texian Army had their revenge a little over a month later, however, when they defeated Santa Anna’s army at the Battle of San Jacinto.

I visited the Alamo several years ago when my organization was holding a meeting in San Antonio. We had considered holding the meeting in Oklahoma City, but at the time all Oklahoma City hotels were booked solid due to a convention, so we ended up in Texas, as usual (most of our member companies were based in Texas, so it was convenient). Since this was my first time in the city, I had to visit this important landmark. I was actually surprised at how small the building is – I had expected it to be much larger. There is a small museum that has a few artifacts on display, but that is about it. If you’re ever in San Antonio, definitely stop by – it is a rather short tour that won’t take up much time, and afterwards you can sample some of the city’s delicious Mexican food.

Despite living in London for a year, I didn’t travel around the United Kingdom very much. There were plenty of trips my friends and I contemplated taking, and we would occasionally research rates for a bed and breakfast in the Cotswolds, a few days at the beach in Brighton, a short trip to Edinburgh, or beachfront hotels in Blackpool. Despite this, we usually ended up either going abroad or, if we did travel around the UK, taking short day trips outside the capital.

One trip we did take was to Bath, a very popular tourist destination in the south west of England, located 97 miles west of London. The city is fortunate to host several natural hot springs that provide 1,170,000 litres of water per day at a temperature of 114.8 °F. Throughout its history, these natural hot springs have drawn many visitors to the region, and the city is most well-known for its Roman Baths that are located in the beautiful city center. The original Roman baths were built around 60-70 AD during the Roman conquest of Britain on the orders of Emperor Claudius and contained three baths (a hot bath, warm bath, and cold bath) enclosed within a wooden barrel-vaulted building. These baths were eventually destroyed in the 6th century, however, after the Romans left and the baths fell into disrepair. The present structures date from the late 1700s, and, although you can no longer bathe in these baths due to the unsafe water, it is still a very interesting place to visit from a historical perspective, especially if you have any interest in Roman history.

Depending on your destination, you may be forced to join a police escorted convoy when traveling around Egypt. We were required to join one when we drove from Luxor to Safaga, a port on the Red Sea. Every few hours, the convoys stop at restaurants and gift shops that were specifically built to sell extremely high priced food, drinks, and knick-knacks to tourists (the average Egyptian is not allowed to stop here, but then again, why would they want to pay $3 for a Snickers bar?). This is one of the kids who worked at the rest stop, charging tourists a few bucks to pose with the camel he was leading around the parking lot. In Egypt, if there is an area where large groups of tourists congregate, there is bound to be a boy and his camel also there.

I would like to return to the Middle East someday, perhaps to Jordan (Petra looks amazing), Lebanon (I hear Beirut is a fun city), or the United Arab Emirates (Dubai holidays are quite inexpensive, especially if you live in Europe).