A Taste of the Garden Island of Kaua’i The pilot on the Jack Harter Helicopter tour glided the chopper through the lush green valley of Waimea Canyon. Coined “the Grand Canyon of the Pacific,” you could smell the gentle fragrance of the Kaua’i laua’e ferns, alluded to in many Hawaiian chants and traditions.

A Scintillating Steam Safari in Saxony It could have been the opening for a James Bond movie, or even one of those wonderful black and white mystery movies of the 30s or 40s. The station was deserted. The mountain air was crisp and biting, and there was a slight hint of rain, as dark clouds scudded across the grey and leaden sky.

A Love Story in Marble: The Taj Mahal By Julio Natividad "Tell the world about your love for me." Legend has it that these were the dying words of Mumtaz Mahal to her husband, the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The latter had been fighting a campaign in the Deccan Plateau in 1631 when his favorite wife suddenly succumbed after giving birth to their fourteenth child.

An American Student in Thailand: I Followed My Heart to the Land of Smiles (Part 2) By Lindsey Koro Before coming to Thailand, I was feeling guilty about my amazing life (hehe). I thought that coming here would be my chance to be challenged and work hard to give back to the world without having everything handed to me.

An American Student in London: Down the Rabbit Hole and Across the Pond (Part 2) Story and photographs by Stephanie Keats One of the perks of going to an overpriced institution of higher learning like USC and going abroad is that they organize free trips for you to go on so you can “experience” more of the UK... So Friday I traveled to Stratford-upon-Avon for my all inclusive weekend of fun.

The Big Boat: Mystery on the Oasis of the Seas The world is a big place. And it's easy to get lost. Particularly when you want to. All I had to go on was that she had a spark for the ocean, rock climbing, zip line trekking, Central Park and all-you-can-eat donut bars. It took me all but five minutes to figure she had to be on the RCCL's new Oasis of the Seas...

My Newly-found Oasis on the Sea Oasis: something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast (from Miriam Webster). I have found my oasis in the sea of cruise vessels. The most beautiful, harmonious ship that I have ever sailed on, Royal Caribbean’s “Oasis of the Seas” debuted last month out of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

New York, New York: A Wonderful Town! New York's recently reelected Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced 44 Million tourists visited his city in 2006, more than any other city in the U.S. attracted.

Memories of a Rock and Roller: Mick Taylor It's not everyday you run into a man who was both a Bluesbreaker with John Mayall and a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist with the Rolling Stones. But I did just that, turning around to face Mick Taylor a few years ago, backstage at the Long Beach Blues Festival.

Inside Cozumel: A Different World Cozumel, just off the Yucatan's Mayan Riviera, is Mexico's top tourism island. Throngs of visitors arrive by cruise ship and ferry in all seasons, boosting the island's economy, enjoying its cuisine, crowding its beaches, diving, snorkeling, and seldom venturing even a mile inland.

The Kingdom of Dirt Just last month, much to my satisfaction, I was approved to go to Afghanistan by the Army Public Affairs Office (PAO) for a media embed via Regional Command East at Camp Hughie near Jalalabad. My buddy from bull-riding school, Dave Disi, had sort of casually invited me to come to Afghanistan sometime during the summer...

Augsburg Casanova called Augsburg the “freest, most illustrious town in the world.” That may be just over the top (or perhaps apocryphal), but who wants to argue with Casanova’s tips about the pursuit of pleasure? Besides, Augsburg is one of the most delightful places in Germany.

Yorkminster, England: History Writ in Stone York is a famous Middle Ages city in England, with a history easily explored on foot. That's fortunate because parking surely is a problem, as is becoming the norm in any developed city in the world. But many park and ride locations surround the city.

Laundry Man One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?" "It depends,' I replied. 'What does it say on your shirt?"

Ireland: Magical, Mystical, Delightful, Enchanting It is safe to say that one cannot visit Ireland too many times. This was my second trip and I was just as deeply taken by the beauty of the landscape, as well as the wonderful, joyous, fun-loving spirit of the Irish people.

A McDreamy McMeel Celebrity Irish chef Noel McMeel is a charmer --- self assured, boyishly good-looking, and positively exuberant about food. It's no wonder he's caught the fancy of television audiences throughout the UK, cooking at the forefront of an edible revolution blazing across Ireland.

A Bavarian Odyssey It wasn't my German heritage that stimulated my desire to travel to Munich, nor my Alpine expertise to see Innsbruck or love of everything Mozart to see Salzburg. My admiration of the art produced in those regions and the renowned art museums were the initial inspiration for our journey.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Exploring the Baltic Sea Nations As the years pass my door at an all too frequent rate, I am reminded of my BUCKET LIST of things that I need to see and do. I know that someday I really will get around to reading Moby Dick, but to see the nations of Finland and Estonia, now that was an entirely different matter.

Subscribe to the Traveling Boy newsletter and keep abreast with the Boitano family and friends' latest adventure travel articles and stories, photographs, travel deals and other additions to Traveling Boy.