The Palmilla resort was founded in 1956 with 15 rooms and quickly became an intimate hideaway for celebrities like Bing Crosby, Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz, John Wayne, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Today the resort has undergone an $80 million dollar face-lift by One & Only Resorts making it one of the premier beach resorts in the world. And it continues to attract celebs and high-rollers from around the world.

The Pride of Aloha, from Norwegian Cruise Lines new subsidiary NCL America, entered regular service in the Hawaiian Island on July 4th, 2004. I was able to board the Pride on July 3rd and experience the ship during a one nigh charitable fundraiser cruise. This is not a new ship, it is actually the Norwegian Sky. The Sky has been known as having small cabins, and the same problems with Freestyle dining that many find difficult to understand and unfair. But this ship is a big improvement over the Norwegian Star that NCL used to operate in the islands.

Istanbul, situated along the shores of the Bosphorus Strait, is the only city in the world bridging two continents, Europe and Asia; it is as old as civilization itself and as modern as carrying cell phones. My husband and I were very excited about vacationing in Istanbul. We flew with Lufthansa Airlines from Vancouver, B.C., stopping in Frankfurt, Germany to change planes and approximately 15 hours later, we were there.

March saw me again in Asia which in itself pleased me, for I love those countries in Asia I have been fortunate enough to visit and I love March. March as a month, perhaps more than others suggests opportunity, proffers hope and distances the horizon. Wherever I may be when Spring finds me, I always get excited about what may be around the corner, what that is now hidden will reveal itself over the coming months and will I have sufficient money to see any of it.

When a casino vacation comes to mind, one generally thinks about megaresorts, expensive restaurants with celebrity chefs, and explosive volcanoes. This is true for the almost 34 million people who visited Las Vegas last year. But some people are just burnt out on the entire Vegas party scene, the cure to that? RENO! Reno is a much more laid-back type a place with the good old feeling of employees who smile, oyster bars, and three-digit room counts. "The Biggest Little City in the World" is not at all like Vegas, and it doesn't try to be. Not only can you find exciting city fun here, but you also can find great golfing, skiing, and sightseeing. Not only is Reno great, but affordable! When going to Reno, you need to know what to expect.

What does a CABIN bus look like? I understand it isn't a normal bus, but an overnight sleeper bus full of beds that runs between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The route is pretty simple. Two overnight CABIN buses depart at 11pm; one is heading South from San Francisco and another heading North out of Los Angeles. Both arrive at 7am at their destinations.When I arrived at 10:45pm the CABIN coach was right were it should be in an empty parking lot just below the Oakland Bay Bridge. An attendant confirmed my reservation and showed me around the lower level of the bus. It included a restroom and some booths for those who can't or do not want to sleep. Upstairs are the sleeping berths. If I had luggage, it would have been stored by the attendant and not accessible during the trip.

Though it’s increasingly common for travelers to make a flight connection through Dubai’s ultramodern airport, the second busiest in the world after Atlanta’s, many Americans still don’t quite know what to make of this booming Persian Gulf city with a population of over three million. The discovery of oil in 1966 began the rapid transformation of Dubai, but black gold is only part of the story. Today, petroleum accounts for just 1 percent of its thriving economy; financial services, construction and tourism are its largest industries. The emirate is on the road to becoming one of the world’s great entrepôts, aiming to be a 21st-century version of Hong Kong, New York or Singapore, and it’s now a destination in its own right.

Key West, North America's most eclectic town, called by long-time residents "the end of the road," is the gathering place for the homeless with an artistic bend, musicians, millionaires, tipplers, treasure hunters and thousands of mobile middle-aged singles who take a stab at the town for a few months. Located 130 miles off the coast of Florida, closer to Cuba than to Miami, and the southernmost town in the United States, Key West has a mind boggling sense of freedom and let live. Most Keywesters think of themselves as artists or free spirits who enjoy art and the Bohemian lifestyle. In place of a movie script in their back pockets, ala Hollywood, Keywesters will whip out their paintbrush and sculpture knife. The little town is a dream fulfilled for the burned out Boston stock broker who once dabbled in oils on weekends between conference calls.