I came across a fascinating account of a trip to North Korea this week online. An American Tourist in North Korea, 2007 gives a great deal of information about how North Korea wishes to be portrayed by those who visit, and the country has easily earned itself a spot on my “Places I Never Want To Visit” list. While the site is a bit lacking in pictures, the information presented is amazing. It’s very rare that American tourists are ever let into the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and when they are, the list of rules and regulations to follow is long. I don’t ever wish to visit a place where I could be arrested for folding a newspaper across a photo of Kim Jong-il, but reading about it was simply amazing.

Read the site, and be thankful to be living wherever you call home. Things could be much worse.

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!

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!

I’m going to be making my 2nd trip to Arizona in just a month. I went to Phoenix in 1997, and when my husband and I go to Las Vegas next month, we’re planning a side trip to Arizona so that we can visit the Grand Canyon. Did you know that the Grand Canyon is 227 miles long, 1 mile deep, and has an average width of 10 miles? I can’t wait to see it in person. (I guess I need to look at Grand Canyon hotels!) I only wish the kids were going to be with us, but that means we’ll just have to plan another trip someday. The sun shines in southern Arizona 85% of the time, so no matter when you plan a trip there, you’re practically guaranteed a sunny day!

Speaking of interesting facts about Arizona, did you know that the state never adopted Daylight Savings Time. I hope that doesn’t mess with my head when we’re traveling. Nevada is in the pacific time zone, and Arizona is in mountain time - add in that one state follows Daylight Savings Time and the other doesn’t - sounds like a recipe for disaster, doesn’t it? LOL! I can just see us being late getting back to the airport in Las Vegas due to the time change!

Have you heard of a new tour company called Adventures By Disney? The Walt Disney Company started this line in order to offer guests a Disney vacation away from the parks. The company offers a guided vacation to some atypical family vacation locations - like boating to Capri! In 2008, Adventures by Disney will be adding 8 more trips, giving families the chance to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef, hike Machu Picchu, kayak to the Pont du Gard in France, or explore the Great Wall of China.

An Adventures by Disney vacation includes family activities, as well as special events just for the children - like pizza parties and scavenger hunts - so that the adults can enjoy some alone time. Each group has 2 adventure guides who act as your mobile concierge. You’ll do more than just SEE the sights - you’ll be able to learn local arts and crafts or dances or go behind the scenes for special tours.

You may pay a bit more money for one of these tours than a traditional tour vacation, but having been on a Disney cruise, it’s worth every penny. Disney pays attention to details and really does a great job of engaging the entire family.

Our family ski trips have been to North Carolina so far, because it’s easy for us to get to. However, I’d love to take the family out west some year for skiing in Lake Tahoe. I know it’s more of a “resort” area than we’re used to, so before planning a trip out there, I’d use every bit of information I could find online to make our plans and figure out a budget for our trip. Tahoe360 has information on Tahoe restaurants, snow reports, and maps of the ski resorts too. What a great resources for Lake Tahoe and Reno vacationers!