Five-Star Luxury at Family Prices in Sedona
Enchantment Resort (Sedona, Arizona)

Enchantment Resort
(Sedona, Arizona)

For as long as it's been open, Enchantment Resort, in Arizona's Red Rock Country, has earned dozens of stars and diamonds, climbed onto most "top ten best" lists and generated thousands of adjectives, many of them, rather oddly, starting with the letter M.

Magical, mystical, mythical, magnetic, magnificent and monumental head the deluge, at high tide since 1987 when the Enchantment Resort opened at the end of secluded Boynton Canyon, five miles from central Sedona, Arizona.

Guaranteed Dollar Rates: Some Good, Some Not
Ed Perkins - On Travel

Now that the dollar is slowly losing against the euro and the pound you can expect to see more "guaranteed dollar rate" hotel, tour, and rental car promotions. They're sometimes a good deal, and sometimes not.

Taking the Kids Camping & the Great Outdoors
Eileen Ogintz

Just being in a tent is an adventure for young kids, says Nancy Ritger, an Appalachian Mountain Club naturalist who has camped with her three teens since they were bab

Taking the Kids and Learning New Tricks at Caribbean Resorts This Summer
Eileen Ogintz

Whether you want to learn to dive with your tween or snorkel with your kindergartner, teach your grade-schooler to sail or fly on a trapeze, you'll find plenty of opportunities at Caribbean resorts -- at prices that are surprisingly affordable.

Kids on a Plane! 5 Fixes for Unruly Junior Passengers
Christopher Elliott

Kids on a plane. No four words incite more acrimonious debate among air travelers. On one side, you have childless customers who just want a little civility while they're locked inside a pressurized aluminum tube. Talk about oil and water.

Children in First Class: 3 Suggestions for the Kids 'Up Front'
Christopher Elliott

The overwhelming number of travelers I spoke with said kids should be able to fly in first class if their parents could afford to pay the freight. But they were quick to add that they expected the children to behave.

Travel the World's Luxury Trains at a Discount
Diana Korte - World's Fare

Many regard riding the rails on fabled trains as one of the world's great travel experiences. These great trains, which hark back to the golden age of rail travel when every moment of a journey was to be savored and enjoyed, are located on most continents and offer the highest level of service, posh surroundings and all-inclusive fine dining.

Beyond Prague
Rick Steves

From its colorful Old Town square to sumptuous Art Nouveau facades, Prague offers plenty to see and do. Thirty miles south of Prague is Konopiste Castle, the lavish residence of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

Travel to Holland where Old Amsterdam is Always New
Margaret M. Johnson - World's Fare

I decided to head to the Netherlands and spent five glorious days exploring Amsterdam, a place that boasts the largest historical city center in Europe.

Wining & Dining in Vienna
Rick Steves

If any European capital knows how to enjoy the good life, it's Vienna, Austria. ocals linger over pastry and coffee at cafes. Concerts and classical music abound. And chatting with friends at a wine garden is not a special event but a way of life.

Anchorage, Alaska - Jumping Off Point to the Last Frontier
Cindy Ross - World's Fare

The first problem you have to deal with when you finally decide on your "Trip of a Lifetime" -- is where to go in Alaska and what to see and do. Alaska is enormous: 663,267 square miles -- one-fifth the size of the entire continental United States.

Anchorage is the perfect jumping off point for some of the best adventures in the entire state. As your base, you can head north to Denali National Park on the scenic Alaskan Railroad, then south to the Kenai Peninsula and the charming town of Seward. But first begin in Anchorage's museums, where you can get a background on who the real Alaskans are and what the Last Frontier is all about.

Taking Your Taste Buds on a European Tour
Rick Steves

Eating and drinking in Europe is sightseeing for your taste buds. Every country has local specialties that are good, memorable, or both. Here are many of the fun experiences that stick in my mind after 30 years of travel. Seek out any of these on your next trip.

Athens: A New Look for an Old City
by Rick Steves

My advice has long been to see the big sights, then get out. But visiting it recently to research a new guidebook, I've seen a dramatic change. The city has made a concerted effort to curb pollution, clean up and pedestrianize the streets, spiff up the museums, build a new airport, and invest in one of Europe's better public-transit systems.

Ancient Olympics Meet Wild West
by Rick Steves

If you want to get away from it all when traveling in Greece, head for the Peloponnesian Peninsula. When I visited ancient Olympia recently for a new TV show and guidebook, it was worth the four-hour drive from Athens.

Italy's Cinque Terre & Vernazza
Rick Steves' Europe

Italy's Cinque Terre is a quintet of villages clinging to a bit of rugged coastline between Genoa and Pisa. You can choose any village for a home base, but Vernazza is my favorite.

At the top end of town a little road hits a post, effectively a dead end for drivers. Like the breakwater keeps out the waves at the bottom of town, the post keeps out the modern storm at the top. No cars enter this village of 600 people.

Siena's Palio Sets Stage for Touring Tuscany
by Margaret M. Johnson

Siena is best known as the city of the Palio. One of Italy's most famous festivals, the Palio is a frenetic, bareback horse race involving 10 contending contrade (various districts of the city). The July 2 race (Palio di Provenzano), held since 1656, celebrates the Feast of the Visitation. The second race (Palio dell'Assunta), added on Aug. 16, 1701, the day after the Feast of the Assumption, is also dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

From Switzerland to Germany's Baltic Sea Coast
Romantik Tours

This itinerary starts in Switzerland and takes you to the German North and Baltic Sea coast. Starting point is the Swiss city of Zurich. The tour finishes at the Island of Usedom, shortly before the Polish border. ...

10 Best Bargains in Salzburg
by Karen Brown

Karen Brown -- traveling to Europe for over 30 years and best known as the author of Karen Brown's travel guides -- shares her 10 Best Bargains in Salzburg, Austria, a favorite tourist destination in Europe.

Safari in Botswana
by Anne Z. Cooke

Guests who've traveled with Sanctuary Lodges, Abercrombie & Kent's group of African safari lodges, tend to agree: Chief's Camp, in the Okavango Delta, comes as close to the classic safari lodge as you can find in Botswana.

Norway's Ultimate Natural Thrill
Rick Steves' Europe

Frankly, if you go to Oslo and don't get out to the fjords, you should have your passport revoked.

Norway's greatest claim to scenic fame is its deep and lush saltwater inlets.

Sognefjord, Norway's longest (120 miles) and deepest (more than a mile), is tops. Sognefjord offers Norway's best combination of scenic wonder and accessibility.

Ventures in Western Norway
Bo Zaunders World's Fare

Our Norwegian venture began when we took the train from Oslo to Bergen. Choosing rail proved auspicious.

I've always liked trains. They are (in Europe anyway) comfortable and relaxing, even luxurious. And you can enjoy the scenery with not the slightest concern about oncoming traffic.

Speaking of scenery, we had heard that the views would be spectacular during this six and a half hour journey across Norway's mountainous midriff.

Suffice it to say, they were.

One of the many waterfalls -- with or without rainbows -- that we encountered as we wound our way to Stavanger.

Mediterranean Enchantment Cruise
World's Fare By Margaret M. Johnson

After several years of shouting "no cruise for me," I'm happy to report that I'm now a seasoned veteran and have just returned from yet another delightful maritime experience -- this time aboard a floating palace called MS Noordam, one of 14 ships in the Holland America fleet.

With tastes of Italian, Spanish, and Tunisian cultures, I found cruising round the Med both enchanting and delicious.

An Unforgettable Mediterranean Wedding

You are planning your marriage and you want to be sure that is a sunny, unforgettable day?

How about celebrating this special day in a Mediterranean environment?

We would like to suggest three very different, but sunny destinations from the portfolio of 200 Romantik Hotels & Restaurants.

Dublin's Irrepressible Spirit
Rick Steves

Ireland is still vibrant as can be for travelers. And Dublin offers the best urban thrills in the Republic of Ireland. Here are a few of my favorite things to do in Dublin -- Ireland's capital

The Dingle Peninsula Escape to Pure Ireland
Rick Steves' Europe

Be forewarned, Ireland is seductive.

Gaeltachts are national parks for the traditional culture, where the government protects the old Irish ways. The Dingle Peninsula -- green, rugged, and untouched -- is my favorite Gaeltacht.

As you explore the lush Dingle Peninsula, you'll see why the Emerald Isle got its name.

Five-Star Ireland: Luxury, Golf & Spas Await
World's Fare Margeret M. Johnson

It's been 25 years since my first visit to Ireland.

Our budget then hovered around Frommer's original "Ireland on $10 a Day," so accommodations were strictly bed and breakfast -- some nights all of us sharing one room -- with an "ensuite" bathroom available only at certain locations.

Thinking back, nearly everyone I knew who went to Ireland then stayed at B&B's.

Fifty visits later, I'm happy to report that B&B's are a thing of the past for hubby and me. We recently had the pleasure -- make that distinct pleasure -- of visiting three five-star properties where the "ensuite" bathrooms are marble, the breakfasts are top-notch, the spas and golf courses world-class.

London's May Fair Hotel Rocks
World's Fare By Anne Z. Cooke

I wish I'd stayed in the penthouse suite, at the five-star May Fair Hotel in London, but my budget refused to stretch. I did get a leisurely tour and a glass of cabernet, however, long enough to admire the very large bed and marvel at the pink and gold clouds that framed the city's skyline at sunset.

Taller than its neighbors here in the Mayfair district, the nine-story May Fair Hotel's terrace actually enjoys 360-degree views, a rare highlight of any stay in this posh retreat.

Plan Ahead for a Memorable Roman Holiday
World's Fare By Margaret M. Johnson

Rome, Italy's capital, and largest city, has nearly 3 million inhabitants in an area of 580 square miles.

With more churches than there are days in the year; monuments dating back to the 1st century; ancient, medieval, renaissance, and baroque art and architecture; some of the richest museums and galleries in the world; breathtaking fountains and obelisks; and Vatican City, the center of Christianity. Rome is one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.

Tutka Bay Lodge Luxury Alaskan Style
Anne Z. Cooke World's Fare

It's hard to put a label on Tutka Bay Lodge, in the southwestern corner of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Some might call it a bed-and-breakfast.

Tutka Bay Lodge, at the foot of the glacier-capped Kenai Mountains, is surrounded by wilderness. Kachemak Bay State Park, on its border, is a vibrant ecosystem, its finger-like fiords harboring a thriving population of birds, whales, sea lions, porpoises, seals and sea otters. The combination offers no better and certainly no more stellar introduction to Alaska.

Exploring the Pacific Northwest
World's Fare By Cindy Ross

Tucked away in the far northwestern reaches of the Continental United States is the Pacific Northwest.

The Pacific Northwest forms a land of endless diversity and unparalleled beauty, from looming volcanoes to wave-battered coastline, from rainforests to glacial peaks.

And on the edge of it all, an expanse of glimmering skyscrapers in the city of Seattle.

Cycling Maine's Acadia National Park
World's Fare Cindy Ross

Acadia National Park is America's first national park east of the Mississippi.

The park provides an amazing cornucopia of recreation with more than 100 miles of hiking trails, many of which were laid out by Native Americans, and 57 miles of the most unique system of stone carriage roads on the planet. John D. Rockefeller Jr. had the foresight and wisdom way back in 1913 when the automobile was first invented to see it as a menacing threat.

San Francisco Weekend
Diana Korte World's Fare

It's walkable and loveable and according to many travelers, boasts some of the best food and wines anywhere.

Dine, wine, shop and get around on cable cars and buses when it's too far to walk.

If you're yearning for a big-city vacation and have a weekend to spare, why not come to San Francisco, the city on the bay.