Nancy Anderson, RN

Bar Harbor was initially an island only of interest to outdoorsmen and artists. The town came to mean money when wealthy art patrons from New York, Boston and Philadelphia began building "cottages."

The Andersons find it hard not to rhapsodize about their favorite vacation place. Even the fact that things don't change much on Cape Cod is appealing.

It's a fallacy that when you retire your annual expenses shrink; instead, the contrary is true. You may have the mortgage paid off, but travel, dining out and recreation costs increase

The 11-day cruise up the St. Lawrence River to Montreal offers all passengers a chance to see the autumn foliage and an opportunity to visit the history of French Canada.

Sweden's capital is a tourist's delight with plenty of cultural and historical sights.

San Antonio is particularly fascinating because it has the Mexican warm heart, the Texan pioneer spirit and the Deep South courtesy.

As expensive as Copenhagen can be, some of its beautiful attractions can be enjoyed for free just walking through the streets and taking in the statues and houses.

If driving in Europe makes you nervous, you might want to consider traveling by train. But be warned: you should pack light!

Helsinki was never part of the Grand Tours of Europe in the 1920s for which today's visitors may be grateful. Busy though the city may be in summer, you can breathe here without the suffocating hordes of tourists who, guide books in hand, are "discovering" other places.

A cruise through Northern Europe brought the Andersons closer to medical museums than they thought possible.

An upscale cruise through Europe offers enriching lectures, beautiful shore excursions and a little comic relief.

There are two things almost every Mexican port in the Sea of Cortes has: a Catholic church and its own museum.

Catalina Island is a delight for people desperate to get away from the atrocious traffic along America's West Coast, and a haven for visitors who descend on the island for privacy, excitement and romance.

The little island of Molokai is not the Hawaii of glitz and glamor -- and that is the way the locals like it. The island is worth a visit because it is one of the few places left where you can still see what life was like in Old Hawaii.

Newport Beach, Calif., is as wealthy and aristocratic as its namesake, Newport, R.I., and as entertaining and homespun as what used to be Coney Island, N.Y. You get both here: The people who have it all and love it, and others who have so little and may well be more content.

Belgrade has been burned to the ground by conquerors more than 40 times in its long and bloody history. From the Celts to the Romans to the Huns, each have left their mark on this centuries-old city.

Michael Stone, founder of private investment firm Westwind Investors, opened the Map and Atlas Museum of La Jolla in San Diego this month, transforming his long-time hobby into the largest map museum west of the Mississippi.

Budapest is a city split by the Danube River. Historic buildings in its UNESCO World Heritage Site castle district look down what is, arguably, the most interesting river in Europe.

One doesn't expect Las Vegas-style extravaganzas on small ship cruises. Instead, this cruise line offers intimate enrichment lectures that feed the soul ... as well as the stomach.

Tourism experts predict that Asia will become the top travel destination in the world by 2015. Bookings to Asia hit a record in 2010, says one travel consortium, and air fares to Tokyo, Singapore and Shanghai are on the rise.

Tourist places in Mexico tend to be ... touristy. But in a little town of about 12,000 souls called Loreto, under the base of the stark Sierra de la Giganta Mountains, you'll find a taste of the country's Old World charm. Loreto looks the way Cabo did 50 years ago.

The best way to improve travel photography is no secret. Film legend Frank Capra once said, "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough." This week, we explain his advice and offer other tips to achieve professional-looking travel shots.

There are places across America that do their best to help revive old holiday memories -- or help to create new ones. Here are three U.S. destinations guaranteed to get you into the holiday spirit.

A cruise can open a traveler's eyes to previously unknown wonders. In this economy, it can also represent the bargain vacation, but you have to do your homework. Part of the fun of choosing the right cruise is discovering your options -- and there are plenty.

Bill Mitchell is an artist in Anacortes, Wash., the traditional end of the road to catch the ferry to the San Juan Islands. His prolific paintings, which appear on most of the exterior walls in town, are nothing short of astonishing.

Petroglyphs are distributed widely across the world and at least three dozen such sites exist in the U.S., all telling the tale of those who lived there thousands of years ago. These places are not easy to find, however and their messages are poorly understood.

Irvine is roughly at the halfway point between Los Angeles and San Diego, and convenient to nearby Disneyland. Its many museums are also a haven for California's rich history.

Cruising coastal California by car can be the vacation itself. Our second stop: Huntington Beach, better known as "Surf City, USA." Everyone here seems to know everyone else -- especially if they surf.

Cruising coastal California by car can be the vacation itself. Our first stop: Redondo Beach, which manages to combine some of the upscale urban life of Los Angeles with the laid-back coastal culture that defines Southern California.

There's plenty of adventure -- and breath-taking scenery -- to be found in western Canada. Our travel columnists suggest five exciting places to visit to help you make the most of your journey west of the Rockies.