Like you, I'm sure, I have a HUGE list of places to see and things to do before I die. And every trip, I try to cross one off my list. So when I found out that I'd be going to Maui with my husband's family, I immediately began to research surfing lessons. For years and years I have wanted to give this sport a whirl and finally I would have my chance.

What I love about travel is the way it expands your worldview. I admit that I have occasionally felt like I had it hard here in the U.S. But all it takes is a trip beyond our borders and I remember how very lucky I am.

And inevitably when the citizens of my host country open their arms and welcome me, treat me like a guest in their beautiful country, I am humbled anew. Travelers are acutely aware that the world is not a collection of different people and countries, but rather a global community where people rely upon one another. And they understand that the gift of travel comes with responsibilities.

For many people, getting in shape tops the list of New Year’s resolutions, but those who travel frequently for business or pleasure know that keeping up a fitness routine on the road is challenging. Fast food at the airport, high-calorie business lunches, an unfamiliar fitness center at your hotel or a reluctance to run in a city you’ve never been to are just a few of the things that can derail your fitness routine. Here are five ways to travel and keep your New Year’s resolution to get fit on track.

If you read this blog, you're probably a lot like us, constantly planning your next trip, collecting passport stamps like medals of honor, and always looking for that next peak to climb. The older I get the more keenly I feel that if I love travel this much, I also have a responsibility to preserve beloved destinations for my children and my children's children.

Responsible or green travel is at heart a conservation movement, a desire to keep pristine places around the world as they are--or even restore them to how they were. Here are 10 green travel resolutions you can make for Mother Earth. I've listed them from simplest to most ambitious so you can choose where you'd like to start. If we all make a pact to do just one of these resolutions, I think you'd be surprised at the huge impact it would have over time.

Having grown up in Georgia, I was bummed yesterday when I read that Southern states bring up the rear on the list of the happiest places in the U.S. There’s no question in my mind that the South, and particularly my hometown of Atlanta, often get a bum rap when it comes to tourism--and now they’re downers, too?!

Via LiveScience.com: Need a pick-me-up? Travel where it’s happy. According to an article by Jeanna Bryner of LiveScience.com, researchers have determined that well-being is at its highest in states that lie in the U.S. mountains and in the far West. The Mid-Atlantic, New England, and the Midwest came next. Southern states were deemed the least happy.

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)

Does being on a strict diet hold you back from truly experiencing another culture? It’s a good question, and--as a vegetarian--it’s one that’s been dogging me on my travels as of late.    On his Travel Channel show No Reservations, Anthony Bourdain’s philosophy maintains that digging fork or fingers first into the local cuisine is the best way to understand what a place is all about.

Recently I crossed something big off my must-see-before-I-die list: Machu Picchu. I took a day-trip to the stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site during my volunteer vacation to Cuzco, Peru. Machu Picchu is situated 8,000 feet above sea level and Cuzco, where I spent the majority of my time, was at 10,800 feet.

Leading up to the trip, every single pamphlet, website, and guidebook I read discussed how to avoid altitude sickness and I must confess, I skimmed it. It didn't feel like there were any good options. For instance, the side effects of the prescription medicine for altitude sickness are often worse than the actual symptoms of it. One woman on my trip who was taking it kept saying, "My nose is tingling! I can't feel my fingertips!" Uh...no thanks.

On Sunday, my brother-in-law’s brother-in-law (that’s a mouthful, isn’t it?) competed in a half-Ironman competition up in California wine country near the Napa Valley (dubbed the Vineman Ironman). Our goal was to cheer him along during his race transitions and as he made for the finish line. In between, our plan was to visit wineries and enjoy a summer’s day.