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.

Last week, a star performer at SeaWorld tragically killed its trainer before a live audience. The star in question was a killer whale named Tilikum, who was captured in the wild off the coast of Iceland many years ago. Since his capture, he has been made to perform for audiences in theme parks in Canada and the United States. While debates may rage about whether or not creatures like killer whales should be kept in captivity and turned into performers, there’s no question that seeing such an animal in its natural habitat is an incomparable—and elusive—experience.

I’ve never been much into the Olympics, but after a trip to Vancouver and Whistler in January I caught a bit of a bug. Anxious to keep the spirit alive as I waited for the Games to begin, I planned an early February trip to Lake Placid, NY, home to the 1932 and 1980 Winter Games and a place both entrenched in and proud of its Olympic history. From ‘Miracle Monday’ specials at the famous Dancing Bears Bar to the photos of champion Olympians past hanging on the walls at the High Peaks Resort to the signs all over town wishing ‘good luck’ to local Andrew Weilbrecht, member of the US Olympic Alpine Ski Team -- the Olympic ties practically hit you over the head at every turn in this tiny town in New York’s Adirondacks.

Today is Groundhog Day, which always seems the unofficial point at which most people take a look at Old Man Winter, shake their fists, and say, okay man, enough is enough. It’s clear to me, however, that none of those people have been to Mammoth Mountain, set in the Sierra Nevada, where the fun of winter is very much alive, embraced, and holding sway.

Hey Steve,

It's been a while since we talked. First up, I just wanted to say thanks again for my MacBook and my iPhone. They have completely revolutionized how I travel, which is well documented here and here and here.

There are travelers out there who firmly believe that gadget-free is the only way to go globetrotting, but don't worry. The Gadget Guru is always trying to win hearts and minds to the ways technology can enhance a travel experience.

Which leads me to my reason for writing. Do you have a moment to chat? Steve, Steve, Steve. I had Wednesday, January 27th marked on my iPhone calendar as Tablet Day! No one was more excited than me about TABLET DAY!!!

I’m not sure why, but putting a piece of food on a stick always puts a smile on travelers’ faces. Maybe it’s because we associate skewered snacks with childhood pleasures like lollipops and popsicles; maybe it’s because sticks make for easy cleanup when we’re on the go.

Either way, certain destinations are held in high esteem for their unforgettable (for better or for worse) meals on sticks. Here are 10 picked especially for brave travelers—stick it to your friends when you complete one of these challenges.

The Gadget Guru is here to alert you to two travel apps you might want to download if you're heading to Los Angeles or hitting the slopes soon.

If you're anything like me, the last thing you want to be is the dork whipping out a map every five seconds on vacation. That's why I LOVE my Google Maps app on my iPhone. Hey, I might be checking my email for all you know, and not, ahem, looking for a store that's right behind me. But the Google Maps app is fairly bare bones when it comes to entertainment, so that's why I love fun travel map apps like the Celebrity Star Maps and iTrailMap.

With the start of a new year and a new decade, Dubai unveiled what is now the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, which stretches to a height of 2,717 feet. To put that in perspective, the San Francisco Bay Area’s Mt. Tamalpais reaches a height of 2,574 feet, which means that Dubai’s new building is taller than a mountain.

In addition to apartments and offices, the world’s highest swimming pool and mosque, and a hotel designed by Georgio Armani, the building will also have something for tourists to add to their “must-do” lists: the observation deck on the 124th floor, which boasts views beyond the cityscape into the surrounding desert and toward human-made islands in the shapes of palm trees.

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.

What are some of the most expensive flight itineraries out there right now on planet Earth? As an experiment, I plugged in San Francisco as my departure city and Dubai as my destination (I picked Dubai at random), and did a search for first-class flight tickets over the Christmas holiday. Most flights I pulled up were in the $6,000 range, although one flight actually went for a whopping $19,517! At least it was direct!

Richard Branson is betting you’d pay $200,000 for a direct trip to outer space (which is quite a stretch from Dubai), and so far, he’s found 300 takers, even though the flights won’t even begin until 2011 at the very earliest, will only last for 2 ½ hours each (with less than five minutes of zero gravity), and will require a few days of training beforehand.