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...

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.

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.

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.

Small Ship Alaska: Captivated by Captain Jeff The ship Magnum Force seemed miserable restricted to its harbor in 1994 -- like an insufferable teenager confined as a punishment to his bedroom. Yet the ship was strong, fast and obviously most sea-worthy.

The Eichhorn Schwyzerorgelfabrik and Musikhaus By Gary Singh Someone once said a man’s home is his castle, a safe refuge for all. Everyone knows the phrase. But in Christian Greuter’s case, his accordion-fabrication facility is his castle. Especially now that a ridiculous accordion app exists for the iPad, I crave the real thing, just like a drug.

Iceland Looks Better in Spring It's a bit of an understatement to say that I was excited when Icelandair recently began service out of my home city of Seattle directly to the magical jewel of the North which we know as Iceland. Iceland has a je ne sais quoi that some almost intangible reasons makes it my favorite travel destination in Europe...

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.

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?"

Flying Aboard An Aviation Legend! As a connoisseur of beauty, I thought her lines were magnificent, as her curves were in all the right places and you could see - in an instant - that she really was still a world class, truly gorgeous being. Yes, you'll have to agree with me that she'd aged very gracefully, because the lines of her body were, even today, still something to behold.

An Affordable & Relaxing Nature Getaway for Families! I can’t think of a single time in my life when being outside in nature didn’t make me feel instantly better. There is something about being outside around water and trees that make me feel like all my problems are gone and that the world has limitless potential.

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.

Traveling to Cleveland to Meet the Ghost of John Gochnaur It was my boyhood fantasy to grow up to one day play first base for the New York Yankees. Mantle, Maris, Ford... Fallihee. Small problem though; I couldn't hit, run, or throw.

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...

A Moment With Helen Mirren & Sergio Peris-Mencheta When Dame Helen Mirren walked into the pressroom, one was quite tempted to stand up and courtesy as she is undisputedly one of cinema’s most gifted actors and is most outspoken. Mirren is currently starring in "The Love Ranch," the first film she and her husband director Taylor Hackford worked on together since "White Nights" in 1985.

In My Wildest Dreams By Elyssa Davalos Vastly dramatic landscapes pour out of the painted sky. To behold this unique voyage makes you feel like an explorer from another era. There is no better way to see Alaska than under the knowledgeable and guiding hands of The Boat Company.

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.

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.

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.

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