The castle of Vlad the Impaler. Any visit to Romania would not be complete without a little sideline to check out all things Dracula.

Go to Peles castle to see the painting done by Gustav Klimt when he was still an unknown. Great scenery.

A pretty interesting little town. We some time here using it as a home base for exploring the nearby areas. Worth a stop.

Right on the water. The food is what you would expect, but the fun part was playing in the ocean outside the restaurant. They have trampolines and a slide that goes straight into the ocean.

Gorgeous clear water and we saw a ton of sea turtles! The schools of fish were also really impressive.

Beautiful and great snorkeling to be had here! We saw 6 sea turtles when we snorkeled off the beach.

You must see the wall if you are in Berlin.  I loved seeing the portion where artists have taken over and reclaimed this monument to a time gone by.

I liked this zoo and it started a family tradition of visiting zoos around the world!

I still found this to be a fun place to visit. Very historic and artsy all at the same time.

Such a fun thing to go and see and it is in a cool area of Prague to check out. A two-fer!

Such a crazy fascinating place.  I agree, a bit morbid, but so artistic and with a really interesting history!!

Gorgeous old city and lots to do and see.  The areas surrounding the city are also great to visit (there are lots of day trips).  Highly recommended!!

Beautiful bridge, but the best part are the artists and musicians that are lining the bridge.  It felt so alive!

Loved this place.  Great views, beautiful architecture. Well worth a few hours.

Beautiful views and a very beautiful church.  A must see if you are in Lyon.

Very fun to walk along and people watch! 

Is it bad that my favorite part of visiting the Eiffel tower was watching the old men playing bocci ball below it?  IT was so picturesque with the tower in the background. Well worth checking out.

There will never be another chance in history for a museum to accumulate the kinds of antiquities and art that the Louvre has within its walls.  The collections are amazing and it is like taking a journey through time and around the world when you visit this museum. 

One of the few places to see the kauri trees that used to cover New Zealand. It is fascinating to step into the forest here and feel you have been transported to another time when the trees were enormous and moa still roamed the land.  Tane Mahuta, the biggest of the trees is awe inspiring.

We went on this trail at a slightly off time of year and were rewarded by having almost the whole hut to ourselves.  The hut is huge, so if you pick a high season you may end up surrounded by school kids.  This hike takes 3 -4 hours up to the top and you are rewarded with fantastic views in all directions.  The old kauri forests that were here have been completely logged out and it is so sad and fascinating to see how they did it and hear the legends.  There are places you can get inside an old stump of a kauri tree and really feel just how large these trees really were. I highly recommend this trail.

This area is unlike anywhere else in NZ.  It has the most amazing beaches and taking a dolphin watching trip into the bay is a must. Also has a fascinating history of whaling. You can hike out to an old whaling station which is pretty crazy to see.

This is such a cool place to spend a day wandering around. And be sure to stop in at the old Siam plaza and get some freshly made sweets, they have so many kinds.  For 20 baht you can sample any of them, but I recommend sampling lots of them!!

Oh debauchery why are you so fun?? This was unlike anything I have ever done...and it was so crazy! A must do once in your life.

The whitest sand and bluest water. Exploring these in a longtail boat is so amazing and its fu to get out there and snorkel too!

Touristy, but great fun. A nice place for a beach break.

I had not been here in years and recently went back. The temple itself is beautiful and it is incredible to walk around the Grand Palace. The architecture and the details are amazing.

This place was completely fascinating. It is one of only 2 in the world, the other being outside Sao Paulo in Brazil.  I have visited both and this one is really well set up and informative. Fascinating to watch the venom extraction technique they use and the museum is really informative.  Well worth and afternoon. But, beware the prices listed in Lonely Planet are completely out of date, Thailand has raised fees on many of its attractions.

Watching the moon rise form the dunes, walking the dusty streets this town is so friendly and just, well, cool. Great place to get lost for a little while.

I absolutely love these waterfalls.  I prefer the Argentinian side, but the Brazilian side is really cool also. I have never seen so many different types of butterflies, swirled and patterned and brightly colored! And the walks amongst the falls are amazing. Give yourself several days to just explore both sides of the falls.

we accidentally ended up here after hopping on the wrong bus.  You should be very careful about walking without someone local through the favelas, as it can be dangerous.  But, if you can find a local to take you it can be a really rewarding experience.  I experienced it in some of the small towns and people really did seem quite happy and friendly.

The country of Costa Rica has so so many beautiful places, but San Jose is just a biggish city. I recommend getting in and getting out to the countryside.

The area is beautiful and you can canoe through the park.  Also, the beach has nesting sea turtles which just kinda rules!!

I was so excited to see the lava flows, unfortunately it was cloudy when I was there and you couldn't see anything.  I have seen photos of it on clear days and it looks amazing!

Great wildlife viewing and a beautiful beach! I loved this area!!!!

Fun day on the water, though someone told me it has gotten pretty touristy in the last couple of years. 

I thought this market was good, not the best in SE Asia, but good. I preferred the night market in Luang Prabang or the markets in Bangkok.

I haven't been here in a few years, but I absolutely loved the town when I was there. The area is so rich in history and the night market was great!

A great little town to wander around. There are a ton of tourists, but they are primarily Chinese, so somehow it doesnt feel like a tourist trap.  The old city is quite beautiful, stone paths and gorgeous old buildings.

Beautiful area, but beware of scams. If you are going to rent bikes or boats do it from your hotel. Trust me.

This place was fascinating.  We were there in the morning and they were doing the feedings, which was great to see.  They are doing a lot of breeding work and research. Go watch the crazy video of a panda giving birth, it is amazing these animals have survived as long as they have!!  The mother is swatting at the newborn baby like it is a toy!!

The best time of day to be there (in my opinion) is early in the morning when the city is just waking up.  The children flying kites, the hazy morning sunshine, the city just starting a new day. Magic.

Drive from Queenstown to this little gem.  Great mt. views and a perfect place to have a meal and head out on a hike!

If i could live anywhere in NZ this would be it. I absolutely adore this town. Near Abel Tasmen and Blenheim (yummy wine!) and with a cool artsy vibe and the most sun of anywhere in the country. Nelson is amazing.

An unbelievable amount of water flows through here at any one time. The water is absolutely the bluest and the roar of the falls is pretty darn fantastic.

we stayed in an old hunting lodge (mansion) turned into a guesthouse and had a roaring fire and lots of great conversation. That made the sideways rain seem ok somehow.

I wondered if he was still around. He was there hanging out near Dingle when we visited 10 years ago!

Oh Aran Islands, how do I love thee? They are so relaxing and a bit removed from the modern world of Ireland. I would go back in a heartbeat.

lovely spot to have a wander or a rest while touring around.

Fun to walk around and explore, but I really preferred the smaller towns in Ireland.

We saw a teaching by the Dalai Lama here and it was so so unbelievable.  I really like this monastery.  Very Tibetan feel and a very active place of worship.

A fun walk up from town. We met a lot of interesting folks on the way up.  I really like that a lot of the tourists that we met here were from India. The falls are ok, but it was a great little outing.

If you truly want to learn about the Hindu culture this is a good place.  It is really important to be respectful of the fact this is a family with someone they loved. I felt like a lot of people forgot that as they took photos or gawked.

Pushkar is good to visit, but we stayed a little longer than I would have liked.  It has a very hippy backpacker flare which for some means they want to hang out here for weeks.  For me, I would rather see the smaller villages.

Absolutely loved this area!!! It is so beautiful, the people are friendly and you can hike into here.  Plus how stinking fun is it to see people ZORBing in the center of everything? They roll down the hills in plastic balls while the horses and dogs mill around. It made for an entertaining afternoon of watching it all happen!

A huge city.  It has some fascinating history and definitely a bit nicer for being on the shore, but a huge city.  I prefer the smaller places in India.  From Chennai you can easily get to Pondicherry, which is a really cool colonial town or mamallapurum (sp??) to see the rock carvings.

A great business that helps support locals by giving them jobs at fair wages.  I bought a few lovely handmade paper stars that I have hanging in my office and they make me smile whenever I look at them.

What an amazing place. Right in the center of Delhi's craziness here is a moment of calm and beauty.  You do have to pay if you want to bring in a camera, so if you don't intend on taking pictures leave the camera in your bag.

Highly recommended for a glimpse of India's unique culture and rituals.  But, be prepared for the craziness that is Varanasi.

Fascinating in India to see such detailed erotic temples.  The carvings are so well wrought and the stone is beautiful.  But, I agree a guide is a must!

I really liked visiting the temples in Khajuraho.  They were very different than other temples I had seen and the preservation work is excellent. But there are millions of touts outside, so prepare yourself!

I like Connaught Place. It is a good area of Delhi to stay in because it is very easy to navigate, there are lots of places to eat and great people watching (especially on the weekend).  It is also fairly close to some of the area attractions like museums, the India gate, the Gandhi museum (free!). 

I was so excited to visit this "tiger reserve" only to find out all but ONE tiger has been poached from the reserve.  The government has plans to reintroduce some tigers from other areas of India, but still so so sad! We did see a lot of other wildlife, including multiple kinds of deer, monkeys, tons of birds, etc. but still wish they didn't bill it as a tiger park!

I absolutely loved this fort.  It is a bit out of the city, so be prepared to haggle for transport.  But, well worth the effort.  We hired a local guide outside the gates and that turned out to be really worthwhile, he had a lot of knowledge and it really enriched our experience. It is great fun to watch the parade of elephants carrying tourists to the top. They take photos of everyone and then try to sell them when the people head back down.  We walked both directions, but they still tried to sell us photos...just of someone we didn't know!! Gotta love it!

Beautiful place and from the top of the palace you get really interesting views down to the town of Jaipur.  We had a great time interacting with the staff who were doing some construction/reconstruction here.

For a look at the real India the train is a wonderful place to be.  It can get frustrating when you are constantly harassed, but it is a great place to meet locals and to watch the scenery passing by.  The overnight trains are actually reasonably comfortable, but I recommend going at least 2nd class if you want to have a comfortable bed!

I absolutely loved visiting this temple.  It is stunningly beautiful, especially around dusk.  And, everyone was so open and friendly.  For a really special meal be sure to head to the far side of the complex and partake and in the free meal they offer to anyone who is hungry. They feed thousands of people every day and the whole operation is volunteer staffed. 

Great roller coasters and something for all ages.  A really fun place to spend a day!

A nice city, but just a city. Get out and see some of the further out parts of the island for a more classical Mallorca experience.

Hot springs with swim up bars? Now that is just good fun.  We had a blast going from pool to pool and hiding under the waterfalls!

A good cause and excellent Thai food and instead of a mint, a condom! This restaurant is great fun and with good enough food to merit a return trip!!

They claim 100% satisfaction or you don't pay at this restaurant.  My first night there I had a lovely veg thali served on a banana leaf with little extra chutneys and was really happy. So, I came back a few nights later with 2 friends in tow and we again had thalis.  But, this time the food was average or below average. So, I would call this one hit or miss.

A more expensive option ($20-25 US) in Yangon, but the location can not be beat.  It is right across the street from the bogyoke market and near lots of restaurants and attractions.  You can also walk from here to the main pagoda.  The rooms are fine, very clean and they have tv with a few english stations.  Breakfast is included and is a really good buffet. 

A fine place to stay, no bells and whistles but at $17 a night a good midrange option in Mandalay.  They provide breakfast on the rooftop terrace, the rooms are clean and the staff was friendly and helpful.  There is one computer that can sporadically be used to check email. 

I loved this museum.  They have a great variety of artwork, the displays are well organized and the cafeteria has unbelievable food!!

I agree that you either love or hate Varanasi and the Ganges. I am in the latter category. It was so so dirty and the river water is so polluted.  It was fascinating to see the ancient cultural practices still in play here, but I think there is something really odd about being a tourist in an area famous for funereal cremations.

I had always wanted to go and see a muay thai fight, but had never made it.  The last time I was in Bangkok I finally made it and it was really really fun. Not nearly as violent as I thought it would be and the stadium is fairly tiny. We sat in the third class seats with the riff raff and the bookies. i loved watching the chaos and betting.

This is a really small area, but really cool to see.  I had a guy grab me and run me through the alleyways to show me all of the different steps that go into making the bowls.  It is quite a process! Don't be fooled into thinking you have seen the whole area by the person who has set up shop on the corner outside the alleyways, keep going...it is well worth it!!

A great place to see what kinds of crafts and jewels are available in Burma.  Also, fabulous for people watching.  If you have a chance have lunch in the middle of the market.  The food is good and we had a lot of fun watching the world go by from our seats!

The temple was amazing in the early evening, just at sunset and right after.  It felt like being in a small town there were so many locals there praying and hanging out.  Unfortunately it is under construction right now, but it is still really wonderful!!

The temple was amazing in the early evening, just at sunset and right after.  It felt like being in a small town there were so many locals there praying and hanging out.  Unfortunately it is under construction right now, but it is still really wonderful!!

The sisters are what make this guesthouse something special. they are so sweet and man can they cook! Eat dinner in the restaurant and you won't be disappointed.  The rooms are basic, but clean and more than adequate.  I would give it 5 stars, but it is on the canal so the mornings can be a bit noisy.  The sisters can arrange anything you want to do in town, boats, canoes, bikes, laundry...you name it! 

An important show to see, if only to hear the only people in Myanmar that will criticize the government.  They present the shows nightly in the front room of their home.  It includes political humor, jokes about their long-term incarcerations (2 of the 3 have done major jail time for their humor), and traditional dance.  Surreal to see the photos of Aung San Suu Kyi all over the walls, also the only place in Burma you will ever see that. 

So beautiful and the canals that surround the lake are so serene.  It is fascinating to watch people go about their daily lives on the water, paddling between homes and fishing in the most beautiful traditional ways.  Plus, as a bonus, where else can you go to a monastery where the cats jump through hoops?

The food here is fantastic.  The restaurant has an old-fashioned diner feel, with fun decor.  I highly recommend the macaroni and cheese with bacon!  And great spaghetti and meatballs!  They also have a big drinks menu.

This market is great.  It is like an indoor farmer's market (and in the spring-fall they have a weekend farmers market outside the building, which is really affordable and features some great produce and flowers.)  You can buy bread, veggies, cheese, honey, homemade ice cream and any number of other things here.  They also have food stalls selling prepared foods if you need a snack, last time I was here there was a Mexican stall, Indian, Greek, pasta, Vietnamese and more.  Highly recommended especially on a Saturday morning.

Great food and quite lovely, especially in the summer when you can sit outside next to the river.

The ruins at Tulum are not very big, but they are interesting and very easily accessible.  There is a tiny beach tucked into the ruins with the bluest water and iguanas roam everywhere. In fact, I saw a guy sleeping on the beach and an iguana was walking right between his legs! We woke him up and his immediate reaction was (as any good tourist would) to grab his camera, not to move!

I liked visiting Soweto because I felt like I got much more of a sense of Jo'burg and those that live there.  I also really liked seeing Nelson Mandela's old house.  the history in this township is rich and fascinating.

I can spend hours wandering around this book store.  There are 32 rooms each with a different theme in a rambling old house.

I love the atmosphere at this restaurant.  There is a cool garden out the back with a ger and the interior decorations are fantastic.  The food is good.  Though some meals I have had here have been better than others.  They offer sushi as well as lots of other dishes.

When my cat was lost, they were so wonderful, posting his picture and keeping in touch. they do great work.

If you can get a group together, rent a houseboat and spend a few days cruising the lake. It is so fun.

A cute little town and a great ski resort.

One of the best festivals I have ever attended. I saw so much music it was mind numbing! The music/happenings go all day and almost all night.

Once upon a time you could camp right next to these pools, now it is down the road.  But, still amazing.  The pools have ledges to jump from and empty into the ocean at the bottom. Really fun.

Never more beautiful than when the cherry trees are blooming. Quintessentially Washington, D.C.!

Some of the best mt. biking in Moab! I am too scared to do it, but my husband loves it!

Great place to have a meal.  Good views and good food.

Fancy fancy area to stay, but there are some really beautiful beaches, all of which are public access.

The water in the lake is the most amazing color of blue.  And it is really cool to see Wizard island where it is forming in the center.  If you camp here be cautious of bears. I heard a story from a ranger a few years back about a guy who took a nap in a hammock with cherry chapstick on and woke up to a bear licking his lips!!

Great museum!! I saw a traveling Ansel Adams exhibit here that was unbelievable! Great Asian art section.

If you love rollercoasters Cedar Point is a blast!  Right on the lake, which is an added bonus.  

Volcanic rock (basalt) that has weathered to form the sand on this extraordinary beach.  There is also a red sand beach, which is really cool.

It was fun to go the top and see the views.  Something you should do once, but don't bother if the weather is bad!

A huge ski resort. This is one of the best places I have ever skiied.  It is a bit expensive, but if you can swing it, well worth it!!

This simple and powerful memorial is so powerful.  I recommend seeing it when you are in D.C. to get a sense of the loss and sadness felt by so many families from this war.

This is my favorite thing to do when I am in Seattle.  There is so much energy here and the food is amazing.  If you are sticking around in Seattle for a few days you can buy bouquets of the most amazing flowers to enjoy!  Watch the fish mongers sling fish at customers and just enjoy!

I spent all day wandering the streets of China town. It is a hive of activity and the food is outstanding. Eating a steamed pork bun and walking the streets was so fun!

A really well put together museum.  It is hard to visit, but really important.

I love Rocky Mt. Me used to come out here as kids and camp.  It is an easily accessible park (not far from Denver) and there is so much to see and do.  Really a beautiful place.

I really liked this place. We stayed here when my parents were in town visiting and they were great to us.  The building is a cool old convent and they have a resident sheep! They had afternoon tea by they fire and one of the owners lived in Bhutan for years and was fascinating to talk to!

We rafted the Kaituna with this group and they did a great job.  We had some pretty nervous rafters in our group and they handled it well.  The waterfall on the Kaituna is the largest comercially rafted waterfall in the waterfall in the world and it was thrilling. But, the trip was pretty short (about 45 mins) which is a little disappointing.

As far as city aquariums (not near the ocean) go this is a pretty good one.  If you have kids it is a great activity.  Besides all of the aquatic species, they also have tigers, which is sort of interesting.  Great for a rainy day!

This is a decent park, but don't head out here at night.  It can be a little sketchy.

A good place to grab lunch and watch the world go by.  This was a great place to be during the Democratic convention. Best people watching I had seen in a while!

I really like the Denver zoo.  There is a lot to see and they really have their stuff together when it comes to education and conservation.  

A little bit gritty, but a fun hangout!  This bar has live music, especially on the weekends.  They have a game room with multiple pool tables and shuffleboard, pinball, etc.  Also, if you are upstairs you don't hear the music, which is sort of nice (you can take a break from it if you want).  Non-smoking indoors, like all of Denver.

Beeeee-u-tiful!!!  I highly recommend spending some time here.

My favorite of the thermal areas surrounding Rotorua/Taupo.  The colors are amazing and there are several paths to take for views of all the different pools.  We took a lot of guests here and they all enjoyed it.

Don't expect big excitement, but very pleasant.  the trout are pretty impressive and you can see baby kiwi here, which is pretty cool. But, very mellow.

This was so stinking fun!! The wet suits are not very warm, so I suggest wearing a layer of thermal underwear underneath.  But, other than that it was a rocking good time!!

I really enjoyed the afternoon I spent at these gardens.  The themed gardens are well done and the roses magnificent.

Beautiful views from Taupo to the mountains.  And there are tons of fun activities around/on the lake.  Taupo is a fun little town with lots of good restaurants and tons of places to stay.

We had such a pleasant time here.  The wine was fine and the atmosphere was fun.  Push a coin into the walls of the local wineries and legend says you will be back. i hope it is true!

We enjoyed hanging out in the warm pools, just relaxing.  A good cultural experience too.

Beautiful doesn't begin to describe this drive. Pull off and have a swim in the waterfalls along the way or buy fresh tropical flowers on the honor system all along the roadside.  Take the whole day, bring sandwiches and just enjoy the sunshine.

If shopping is your game, Michigan Ave is your place! Anything you think you might want to buy and more.

Always fascinating.  There is some of the world's great people watching on the Mall.

A nice park, not one of my favorites in the U.S. but still pretty.  Though if you go to any of the easily accessible trails it can be like a superhighway of people.

It is easy to combine a trip here with one to Cu Chi tunnels all in one day.  I recommend skipping this and just going to Cu Chi.  The temple is interesting, but it requires a ton of extra time on the crowded bus and there were other places I would have enjoyed doing more with my day.

Ahhh, perhaps you will see the turtle.  We didn't but it was still pretty interesting. But, it was hot hot hot and pretty crowded and we were there in the morning. Maybe try later in the day?

Really really cool.  It was a rainy, muddy day when we were there and it made it all the better as everyone crowded into the food area and drank lots of rice wine! And the womens clothing is absolutely stunning.  

I agree that a good would be really useful here. On our own it was interesting, but not very informative.

Fascinating.  Crazy to think how people lived and functioned here.

Hard to rate this experience. The temples are beautiful and it was so fascinating to watch the funeral rituals at the ghats, but also hard to watch the families' grief as we were there as tourists.

Quintessentially Kathmandu.  This temple is one of the unofficial symbols of the city and its image can be seen all sorts of places.  The image will stay with you long after you leave.

Great way to immerse yourself in local life. Check out the spices, especially the many hues of Himalayan salt (pink, gray, purple).  What a great way to spend a day, getting lost in the market and spending the afternoon finding your way back. Plus it beats spending all your time in Thamel!

The views can be superior to doing an Everest base camp trek.  The path can be rough going.  The guesthouses are plentiful, if sometimes really basic.  The sense of adventure was able to get me up some of those Nepali "hills".  I loved it.

I absolutely loved visiting the Norbulingka Institute.  It was really neat to see some of the traditional Tibetan arts being preserved.  I had never seen anyone paint a thangka before, nor did I realize how long it takes to learn the skills required to do it.  The cafe is lovely and the grounds are so calm.  Also, you can purchase the crafts/art work created on-site at the gift shop.  Higher prices than in town for sure, but well worth it when you know where the money is headed.

I have never never had a landing on a flight as the one I took into Paro.  The plane looked like it was going to hit the mountains as we banked and turned and swirled our way down.  A small town with some really interesting sites in the neighborhood.  Very chill.

If it is clear out the views are out of this world! Stop and have a look at the stupas and the amazing mountains.

I enjoyed seeing the really old thangkas and other art.  They also have a really interesting collection of old stamps from Bhutan.  They have had some really cool ones, like a whole series of yeti!

A great place to hang out in the summer.  There are some nice little towns as well as amusement parks like cedar point and sea world!

Paradise, at a cost of course, but paradise.  Try staying off the beaten path, in Paia or Wailuku to save some money.  I love this island for its laid back vibe and tropical beauty.  A world unto itself.

Ragged peaks and fantastic vistas.  I love the Tetons because they are not very refined!

Awesome park!! The geology is fantastic and there are so so many of the beaten path places to hike you can spend an entire day without seeing other people.

I love this museum.  It reminds me of my childhood and still has those cool diorama displays many places are lacking these days. Really informative and a heck of a lot of fun to spend time in (if you are a science geek like me)!

A great place for snorkeling (and I imagine diving).  There are tons of fish and the area is protected.  This is a very popular spot, be prepared!

Really fun, really wet experience!  This is really the only way to get up close and personal with the falls!

Beautiful rock outcrops, but you really need to hike a ways to escape the crowds (at least in the summer).  I would recommend checking it out, but maybe go early in the day?

For the non-touristy experience go up for sunrise and then hike down the Sliding Sands trail and across the floor of the crater, taking in the moon-like surroundings and the silver-sword plants.  With a permit you can camp in the crater and hike out at sea level the following day.  You will never ever see stars like you do in that crater! 

Probably the best toy store in the world.  This place is a blast, with or without kids.