Ming, the Siberian-Bengal tiger is gone. Antoine Yates, Ming’s owner, once said that the tiger was his ‘only friend, really'... For every national park swarmed by visitors, dozens of state and federal preserves, parks, and monuments go relatively untraveled. Here's a list of 10 crowd-free alternatives.

Beth Whitman is the founder of WanderTours and your (mostly) fearless leader... Not everyone is happy about Roman Polanski having a new film in competition in Venice — especially since the festival only has two women directors competing this year... Think the plastic straws you gave up sipping from are bad for our oceans? It’s time to consider the same about the sunscreen you use.

Beth Whitman here. I’m the founder of WanderTours and am your (mostly) fearless leader. I escort groups on most of our trips – the exception being photography trips and yoga retreats where professionals are there to guide and teach you. After my first book was released, Wanderlust and Lipstick: The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo, women started asking me to bring them along on my travels.