Mexico’s famed Riviera Maya – a long stretch of land along Highway 307 in the state of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula – is much more than tourism in Cancun. It’s a perfect place for adventurers, families, history buffs, divers, ecologists, foodies, and luxury travelers.

Got the travel bug? Always planning your next big trek? I have had it bad, but as a teacher, funds were limited. Sigh...

I decided to feed my travel bug by sponsoring overseas student tours, which gave me an opportunity to see the world (for free) as I exposed my students to life beyond our northwoods community. Traveling with teens was a joy (well, mostly)—their enthusiasm great fun. 

Some books come into your life and stay with you. For whatever reason, they strike a chord and fit right in. And while this is rare, it does happen. One book that is forever lodged in my heart is Lassoing the Sun: A Year in America's National Parks, by Mark Woods. It's a personal look at natural spaces, at family and friends, at moving and doing, at being in nature. It's a thoughtful record of exploration and listening and thinking, of love, of essence of place.

Publisher's note: Today, in Orlando, there are 170 young people coming from 20 countries, speaking 12 different languages. They are coming to compete in the World Ballet Competition. And while it is breaking our hearts to face this tragedy, we can't let that overcome the beauty in life. We welcome these young dancers, as they are the ones that will bring us forward.

It was a gorgeous August day - the kind you hope for when planning a trip, smile at your good luck with the weather during, and remember fondly for years afterward.

Florida Culture for the Week of June 12, 2016 by Josh Garrick

I have a new obsession with Pinterest. It’s a travel photographer's dream!

It’s not what you think. My obsession is actually finding the places I discover on Pinterest.

Castello di Sammezzano

Cleo Reiss is a 22-year-old University of Delaware graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing. She has spent her first year out of college teaching English as a language assistant at a bilingual high school in Madrid. In her spare time, she is learning Spanish, blogging, volunteering, and traveling around Europe. She will continue teaching next year in Madrid and is looking forward to another fantastic year filled with challenges and adventures.

Often-used phrases listed in travel books—most of them concerning directions to the nearest train station or restroom—are surely helpful tips to keep on hand when traveling, but having thank you in the local language as a knee-jerk response, without needing to look it up in a book or on our smartphone, will take us further with locals than we might realize. Even one word of thanks can create a lovely and memorable moment.