Travel

Ari and Brad Nicholson settle for the night in the most luxurious setting they’ve enjoyed anywhere. Their penthouse is lit by chandeliers and includes opulent touches like a martini bar and hot tub.

An uphill climb can transport you from an Amazon-like jungle to an alpine woodland. Dry stretches of forest and pockets of verdant wetlands lie in the shadow of volcanoes.

I also relived the mastery, and mystery, of the great Mayan civilization. I hiked hidden paths, enjoyed gentle canoe paddles and explored the jungle, rain forests and rivers that encompass inland Belize.

By Victor Block, Travel Writer Elizabeth and Andy Beyer’s drive along California’s Sonoma Valley Wine Trail was a lifelong dream. They satisfied their love for the...

Some vacationers soak up sun on beaches with white, black and even green sand. Nearby, skiers speed down snow-covered slopes of a dormant volcano. Other people check out a surreal moonscape of hardened pitch-black lava and hike through a lush tropical rainforest. If this sounds like a continent-wide choice of activities, it’s because the island of Hawaii in ways resembles a miniature continent. Since it shares its name with the state, it’s often referred to as the Big Island to avoid confusion, and with good reason. It’s almost twice the size of the other Hawaiian islands combined.

My first stop was the Eiffel Tower, where I ooohed and aaahed over views from the observation deck 50 stories above ground. Next I wandered among splashing fountains and graceful statues reminiscent of ancient Rome.

We arrived in Juneau on the second day of the cruise. Standing on deck as we pulled into port, we spotted a large American eagle perched on the ship’s gangplank. We weren’t in the “lower 48” anymore. We had arrived in a part of the country where even the best superlatives are inadequate.

Mardi Gras World By Victor Block Quick quiz: Think jazz and blues played in music clubs and by street musicians outside. If you guess that describes...

Old San Juan echoes with centuries of history, dating back to the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the island in 1493 and the massive 16th-century Spanish forts overlooking the sea.

In Chester, England, guests at a medieval inn often claim they see the ghost of a woman looking for her lover who was killed during a 17th-century battle.