Recently I discovered How I Met Your Mother, which means I was the second-to-last person on Earth to get obsessed with it. This show nails what it's like to be a young adult in the city. And so far my favorite episode has been "Murtaugh." In it, Ted says he has a list of things he is now too old to do, like pull an all-nighter or drink from a beer bong. The list is named after the main character in Lethal Weapon, Roger Murtaugh, who famously says, "I'm gettin' too old for this sh*t." But the item on Ted's Murtaugh List that resonated the most with me was: Crash on a friend's futon for the night instead of getting a hotel room.

Many a traveler has planned a trip simply to sample local tipples; the popularity of the Napa Valley wine trail is a testament to that. So how about blazing a brewery trail in one of the urban hubs leading the pack in American beer making?

These eight cities, known for their high concentrations of high-quality breweries, are perfect destinations for tasting beer, Napa-style. Channel your inner barfly and get ready for hops from brewery to brewery.

Think your whirlwind, no-sleep, three-week, nine-country spin through Europe when you were in college was a crazy travel feat? Ha! Pshaw! And, so tame, I say! How about trying to walk your way back home to England—from Chile? Living on airplanes for an entire month? Or dancing your way around the world? Check out these five crazy travel feats.

I knew I could make the move from New York City to San Francisco the moment I first laid eyes on Napa Valley. It felt like a wonderland to me, a spot of much-needed European charm and pastoral quietude just a quick hour down the road from the hustle and bustle of the city.

And now three years into my great California adventure, I have developed my way of enjoying Napa and Sonoma. Much like how Coloradans debate the relative merits of competing ski resorts, we here in the Bay Area enjoy holding forth about the "right way" to explore the wine country. There are two valleys to choose from, at least 10 quaint towns, and a huge variety of activities, including hiking, biking, wine tasting, gourmet dining, air ballooning, spa going, and more.

Everyone remembers Angus MacGyver, the eponymous hero of 80s television sensation MacGyver. But what did we really learn from him? Well, first of all: duct tape can be a whole lot more useful than anyone ever imagined. And second of all, every problem has a solution, as long as you're willing to get a little bit creative with the tools you use to solve it. Here are seven travel-related snafus, along with a handy-dandy, DIY-style remedy for each. Just don't forget to throw that duct tape in your carry-on.

It's 2007. Post-Katrina travel to New Orleans is just too cheap to pass up, so I jump on the discounted opportunity to cross Mardi Gras off my travel to-do list. I hop on a flight from Dallas to the Big Easy with a few friends, and stay at the historic Hotel Monteleone in the French Quarter. Supposedly, the hotel is haunted. But it's fabulous and affordable, so I take my chances. This is where the story gets a little weird.

We spend the evening sucking down Hurricanes at Pat O'Brien's and getting to know the locals and tourists before we go back to the supposedly haunted hotel for some shut eye. The powerful libations send me into a restful slumber, but I awake suddenly to a deep voice in the room.

The gadget guru is back! My iPhone has completely revolutionized how I travel and I'm not just talking about having access to my email and Google maps. Here are my top 10 travel apps I can't live without when I'm on the road. I've noted what devices they are compliant with and their cost. And please chime in with your favorite apps in the comments section. I'm all ears!

The Society of American Travel Writers Foundation announced their picks for the prestigious Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Awards, and The Window Seat took home the Gold for Travel Blogs.

It's quite humbling to look through the list of winners in categories ranging from travel magazines to travel news, spotting our blog named alongside honorable publications such as USA Today and Budget Travel. A big thanks to SATWF, the judges at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication and to our readers for perusing our pages. We are honored!

Editor's Note: Inspired by Follow Friday on Twitter, I am profiling (in far more than 140 characters) extraordinary travelers who you, too, should follow! Through these profiles, I want to introduce you to some of the most intriguing adventure seekers on our planet.

Be inspired by: Evelyn Hannon
Follow her: @journeywoman

I'm all about getting sporty on my trips. When I was training for the NYC marathon, I had to visit Washington, D.C. at a crucial point of my training. Instead of halting training or spending hours running on the hotel treadmill, I hired a running guide through City Running Tours who took me on a sightseeing run through our nation's capital.

So when I heard about a physical fitness event  -- again, in Washington, DC -- coming up on October 11, I thought I would share it with you. Bike for the Heart is a day-long event put on by the Sister to Sister organization, a group dedicated to educating women about heart health and risk prevention and providing free heart health checkups.

The day consists of four events:

 - a family-friendly five-mile bike ride around our nation's capital (this would be my choice)