With a population of 401 – the number never changed no matter how many people I asked: "Well, Ralphie died, so that's 399 – but no, the twins were born. So, 401. Yup, 401." Besides a mere 18 miles of roads and more water taxis than land ones, Stewart is an 80% national park with an insulated community that remains a little wary of outside visitors. I was glad they let me in.

The beauty of New Zealand meets expectations.

Photo by Daniela Constantinescu/Dreamstime.com

#2. FOR THE SHEER DIVERSITY OF CULTURE, IT'S HARD TO BEAT CHINA.

Not Beijing or Shanghai, of course – or even Guilin with its magnificent karst Mountains – but way out in the countryside where they still plow the fields with a resident water buffalo and local tribes plant tea in their traditional multi-colored costumes.

Traditional ways of life abound in rural China.

Photo by Vladamir Grigorev/Dreamstime.com

#3. LEARNING ABOUT DIFFERENT CULTURES, SUCH AS THE HIMBA PEOPLE IN NAMIBIA, IS ONE OF THE MANY HIGHLIGHTS OF TRAVEL

The beautiful Himba people of Namibia have never lost their native identity. Most of the country's 12 ethnic groups have retained their language, food, and spiritual beliefs. Yet, many tribe members have become somewhat Westernized.

Not so the Himbas. Members cover their bodies daily through a lengthy ritual with red ocher pigment and animal fat. There are no stores in the village, satellite dishes, or outhouses. They use the woods that border their village as their toilet.

The Himba tribe of Namibia still enjoys its native lifestyle.

Photo by Victor Block

Unlike other indigenous cultures, the more isolated and economically self-sustaining Himbas could resist the influence of missionaries who wanted them to cover their bodies, change their gods, upgrade their stick, mud, and dung huts, and modernize their nomadic lifestyle.

                 #4. AFRICAN SAFARIS ARE SOME OF MY FAVORITE EXPERIENCES

Countries are not known only for their fascinating two-legged inhabitants; their four-legged creatures are equally intriguing. And although I've been on several safaris, I'd go tomorrow if another opportunity presented itself.

Usually atop an open-air jeep designed for ultimate sightseeing somewhere in Africa, I leer, gawk, ooh, ah, jump up, sit down, jump up again, all the while snapping picture after picture of a massive expanse of wild creatures surprisingly willing to share their open spaces, with each other as well as us.

It's hard to describe the wonder of a leviathan elephant whose tusks almost reach the ground, a black-maned lion baring his teeth, or half-a-dozen adolescent zebras cavorting around a waterhole within feet of the jeep. Home to some infinite number of animals, I often felt I had climbed into the Discovery Channel.

Spotting a lion on a safari is one of the great joys of traveling.

Photo by Victor Block

Occupying those omnipresent endless plains were millions of hoofed animals continually on the move in search of pasture for survival, constantly watched and pursued by the many predators whose own survival depends on feeding off them. Although I've been on numerous safaris, I never tire of watching that dance. I'd love to take you on one.

    #5. GOOD OLD USA

But there are myriad adventures to be had at home as well. How about the five Utah parks for starters? Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Bryce, and Zion share many commonalities, including uncompromising splendor, history of the earth and the country, and a sense of personal sanctuary. And then there are their differences!

Canyonlands National Park in Utah is a favorite among travel writers.

Photo by Tom Till/Dreamstime.com

Aptly named Arches National Park is a mecca of some of nature's most intriguing creations: architectural designs that span space and confound logic for which no man-made blueprint was ever drawn. Nearby Canyonlands requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle –- preferably with a driver. At 6000 feet, the view from Island in the Sky looks down at cliffs 2000 feet tall, arising out of a magnificently gouged and painted landscape.

Photo by Tom Till/Dreamstime.com

The Landscape Arch in Utah's Arches National Park is one of nature's glorious creations.

Although geologic history is stressed in every park, at Capitol Reef, it's what defines it –- ranging from 80 to 270 million years old. A stroll along the Grand Wash Riverbed nearby, so narrow in parts you can touch both canyon walls simultaneously, evoked old western film images of the lonely cowboy out on the trail.

Bryce Canyon is synonymous with hoodoos -- phantasmagorical images emerging from weird and wonderful rock formations. There are thousands of little (and not so little) guys in all shapes, colors, and sizes. Arriving at Zion reinforces the idea that each park is unique.

Utah's five National Parks never fail to impress and inspire. At Zion, you look straight up -– and up -– and up. Towering cliffs -- some of the tallest in the world -- flank you on either side. They meet the sky at a point that strains both the neck and the imagination.

But not all travel-writing trips are to magnificent scenic areas or fascinating destinations. Some are just quirky.

Enter Scottsdale, Arizona's Cowboy College, where I channeled Billy Crystal in City Slickers – though you may be too young to remember that movie. But I was training to be a cow hand, ready to go on a cattle drive.

Heels down. Toes out. Squeeze with calves, not knees. Lighten up on the reins. Sink your butt into the saddle. So began my first riding lesson, followed by grooming, shoeing, advanced riding techniques, and roping instructions.  

Photo by Victor Block

Cleaning a horse's hoofs is one of many surprising experiences at Cowboy College in Scottsdale, Arizona.

My experience up to then had been an occasional trail ride where the horse was presented to me all spruced up and saddled, and all I was expected to do was mount it. Not so here. All of which was way outside my comfort zone -- and great fun. In truth, most people at the college do then go on a multi-day cattle drive. My thighs were just thankful it didn't have to return to the horse the next day.

So, hopefully, Talya, this gives you some idea of the very rough life of a travel writer.

And, oh yes, there is one other place high on our list of favorites to visit: your house!