One of my favorite things to do when I visit a new city is to take a tour of the city, by someone who knows it a lot better than I do. I’ve taken tours in London, Paris, Dublin, New York, Toronto, and Montreal, and all of them gave me a great overview of the cities, and a quick glimpse of things I wanted to go back and visit more.

Trusted Tours and Attractions is one such tour company, and they offer tours and discounted tickets to attractions in Key West, San Diego, and Savannah. Enjoy a discounted admission ticket to the famous San Diego Zoo, or a fun Old Town Trolley tour. I love this type of tour, which allows you to hop on and hop off at 8 destinations. It’s like having a private driver to take you to all of the highlights of the city, but you get to see everything on YOUR schedule. The Old Town Trolley tour in San Diego stops at:

• Old Town
• Seaport Village
• Balboa Park
• Horton Plaza
• Coronado
• San Diego Zoo

If we went to San Diego, we’d have to pick a tour or tickets that included a stop at San Diego Legoland - my son wouldn’t have it any other way!

Right now, you can enter to win 4 free tickets to tours in the city of YOUR choice, just by signing up for the Trusted Tours and Attractions e-newsletter. Sign up by Friday, December 14th, 2007, because that’s when this contest official ends!

I’ve flown a LOT this year. In June we were off to Canada (via the Detroit airport), in July it was Pittsburgh, in September it was Boston, and with November came a trip to Las Vegas. I had a trip to New York City in the works for next week, but it never came together, and I’m honestly thrilled. I love traveling, until I take one too many trips, and I’ve officially reached my travel limit for the year. I could never travel for work and be on the go constantly.

And with that said, our next trip is in January. However, we’re not flying, and we’re spending a relaxing week in the mountains. Very low key.

Growing up in a small town founded by Greek fisherman and spongers, I saw a lot of things that most people in suburbia don’t. It wasn’t uncommon to see lambs tied up in the yards of homes before Easter, because they’d become the centerpiece of a traditional Greek Easter meal. I know all about Epiphany, because it’s a huge event in my hometown, with young men jumping into the waters of the bayou to retrieve a blessed cross. I visited stores where fresh Greek bread and cookies were sold, and old Greek men smoked from a Hookah, or Arghile in the corner of the store.

If you have the opportunity to travel to the Middle East, or a place like Greece, you will no doubt see people gathering around for some hookah smoking and socializing. Just like the British gather at neighborhood pubs, and Americans get together at sports bars, people in the Middle East gather to share stories of their day and relax with the hookah. It’s as common as drinking coffee is in the US! There are hookah cafes where you can select specialty tobacco and relax with a hookah, meet new people, and pass the time. Shisha tobacco flavors are as varied as coffee varieties, and you’ll even find fruit or dessert flavors.

The hookah is growing in popularity here in the US as well, and you can even buy a hookah online!

After a flight to Vegas last week that took over 5 hours, I’m rethinking my desire to go back to Europe. I had forgotten how painfully long flights could be! 4 hours into the flight, I had finished my book, exhausted my laptop battery, and my legs were cramping up from being crammed into such a small space. We were stuck in the very last row of the plane, thanks to Southwest’s cattle call boarding, and our seats didn’t recline. And, NO MOVIE!

What a contrast to the delightful flight I took on JetBlue!

(At least no one got kicked off the flight for wearing suggestive clothing!)