Phu Phrabat’s cave paintings and bizarre rock formations have been around since prehistoric times. We pass slow-moving water buffalo...electric green patches of newly planted rice fields...dusty villages where dogs sleep away the bright morning hours in the middle of the road. Spicy cooking aromas hang in the sultry air. The driver stops at a sidewalk omelet stall to ask directions. Fast food for 26 cents, anyone?

They should have posted a sign on Stella Point: “Beware No Air” or “Abandon Hope Here.” I’d begun with a day’s trudge through unending rainforest dripping with lacy moss; then three more days up and down sheer granite rock faces and across rocky scrub toward Africa’s highest peak. Perhaps my last memory ever would be...

Paris also has numerous woods and parks to keep younger ones amused. Our favorite was the Parc Floral de Paris in the 12th arrondissement. (Metro: Chateaux de Vincennes.) This park offers free activities like table tennis, butterfly gardens, concerts, puppet shows, carrousels, and pony rides. If you can muster the will to go an extra yard, seal feeding is a must at the nearby zoo along with 60 other species of beasts. Parc Zoologique, 53 Ave de St Maurice 12th arrondissement; Metro: Porte Dorée. Admission: adults $9.99; children $6.26. Where and what to feed the kids For me, the big benefit is that...

From a wickedly beautiful Edwardian palacette to a wild urban fantasy, Madrid's top boutique hotels...

I wanted to experience another part of Italy, and the cost of living in Arezzo was cheap. My rent was $500 a month for a newly built, two-story, three-bedroom apartment just outside the city center. Beware the many hidden costs when renting in this country. The most important questions to ask before renting...