“The chase is all,’’ my mother used to say about men. I think of this in the prickly mangrove bush where I've been waiting, curled like a pretzel since dawn, as my subjects take off the second before my shutter clicks.

“Flamingos are tough,’’ says our guide, Colin Ingraham, a master of understatement. They pierce the sky in long, pink-and-black arrows, taking flight each time we come within a certain distance — always beyond the focal length…

I

Imagine being lifted in a bubble and gently set on a headland by the sea. Famous people casually introduce themselves: “Hi, my name is Cristina [‘Dreaming in Cuban’ novelist Cristina García], and this is Russell [‘Affliction’ author Russell Banks].’’

Far from Negril and Montego Bay, I was in the Jamaican breadbasket of St. Elizabeth parish, among tawny beaches and funky guest houses with…

I cannot believe I am in Beirut.

There is a National Geographic adventure…

"Yes…

I am a travel consultant, a Uniworld Cruise Specialist and a lifelong Francophile. I had the opportunity to sail on Uniworld's River Royale in early November 2010 as my first river cruise experience. This was indeed an epicurean adventure to sail on France's Rhone and Saone rivers.

River cruising is totally different from ocean cruising. You are steps away from the beautiful towns where you can take walking tours, ride bicycles, have an all inclusive food and wine…

Shrimp is king here

Gulf Shores has been much maligned in the press since the BP oil spill. In truth it’s a stunning locale with loads of natural beauty in a…

by Tripatini staff

Tiny Costa Rica holds a very special place in Latin America — largely literate and completely armyless as well as beautiful and exciting. And Malpaís, a six-dude band named after a remote beach area at the end of the road on the Nicoya Peninsula coast (literally, the word means “badlands”), is an unmistakable product of the Tico culture and ethos, fusing jazz and rock with local musical and folk…

Dancing Fountains are a nightly show in the atrium of the Gaylord National Resort…

Amtrak's AutoTrain is wonderfully family friendly, and kids are utterly enamored with trains. At the Lorton,VA station - the northern terminus - there is even a playground.

The train goes to Sanford, FL, just outside Orlando © 2010 Karen…

Our well-travelled staff have brainstormed and come up with an adventure travel Wish List for Santa. Here are a few of our gift ideas and we'd love to hear some of yours.

(1) Small powerful flashlight. Think…