Road trip through the wonders of California’s Central Coast

It’s true that Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco get much of the attention, but don’t dismiss California’s Central Coast as a travel destination. The region has an abundance of natural wonders and you can piece together quite an enjoyable road trip there. It’s not an exaggeration to say the 280-mile journey from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz is one of the most beautiful drives in the country.

Volcanic tour of the Pacific Northwest

There are stunning calderas, lava tube caves and and bubbling hot springs throughout the Pacific Northwest – all connected to the area’s volcanic activity. And the Cascade Range is home to a 700-mile string of active volcanoes, from Mount Rainier to Mount Hood to Mount Shasta. As a result, it’s possible to put together a road trip that takes in some of the continent’s most spectacular volcanic scenery.

Welcome to the new “Travels in the Riel World”

If you’re new to Travels in the Riel World, welcome! If you’ve been coming to this blog for a while, then you’ve no doubt noticed some changes here lately. Travels in the Riel World has been undergoing a renovation, so I thought I’d fill you in a bit on what’s happening.

Riel World under renovation

Travels in the Riel World is undergoing some upgrades and renovations. There are bound to be a few snags along the way, so please be patient. Before you know it, Riel World will be back and better than ever.

A road trip in honor of black history month

Since February is Black History Month, it’s an opportune time consider a road trip that takes in sites that are important to black history in the United States. So I created a journey through that runs between Georgia and Kansas and which takes in key locations from the civil rights movement as well as some historic homes of prominent African Americans. The article [...]

“Riel World” named a top 50 global education blog

Thought you might be interested to know that Travels in the Riel World was recently selected as a Top 50 Global Education Blog by James Atkinson, who publishes Sir Learnalot’s Knowledge Blog. In an effort to honor those who promote a “global learning environment,” the top 50 list includes a diverse array of sites, from study abroad [...]

Take a presidential road trip through Virginia

There has been a lot of politics in the news lately, and President Obama’s State of the Union speech is scheduled for Wednesday. So if you’ve got politics on your mind, or even if you’re just a fan of history, you might consider taking a presidential road trip through Virginia. That’s the topic of may [...]

Civil rights and African American history sites for MLK Day

Today is a holiday in the United States – Martin Luther King Day, which celebrates the life and legacy of the great civil rights leader, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 and was assassinated in 1968. It’s a good time to explore some of the historic sites that were key to King’s life, to this country’s civil [...]

Bookstores, foliage drives and urban walking trails

What do all of the above have in common? They were all the subject of articles I wrote during the past year on travel destinations and experiences in North America. I put some of the best of these stories into a review article for Examiner.com.

 
Great urban walking trails – There is no shortage of great hiking [...]

Great road trips from 2009

During the past year, I wrote a series of articles on the subject of themed road trips in North America. The premise was that while road trips are a popular way to travel, especially in the United States, one can easily go beyond the traditional journeys through national parks or along coastlines. In fact, it’s both easy and fun to bypass the [...]

Stargazing in the Southwest

In August, I wrote about some of the best stargazing destinations worldwide, based on an article I’d written for Matador Travel. Now it’s time to look more specifically about stargazing destinations in the Southwestern United States. This time, I put together a road trip itinerary for Examiner.com that stretches from West Texas to Southern California [...]

Bookstores can also be travel destinations

Yes, Borders or Barnes and Noble can be fine places to shop or hang out. But there is something to be said for the thrill of wandering the aisles of a bookstore with a truly distinctive feel and personality. Places that take on the character and personality of the city in which they’re located. That’s why some [...]