Have you ever had a really big goal? For many years, mine was visiting all 50 States by the time I graduated from high school. Here’s the story.

The hamlet of Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of Germany’s most visited small towns. It is also one of its best preserved: hundreds of years of poverty and neglect left the town in mint shape. In the summer, over 2 million visitors pack its tiny streets. But in the dead of winter, I had the town nearly to myself and was able to explore the many things to do in Rothenburg virtually alone.

On a recent trip to Central Germany, I encountered a man who played an important historical role, but has been relegated to a mere footnote: the painter known as Lucas Cranach the Elder. During the Protestant Reformation 500 years ago, he had a ring-side seat for one of Europe’s most transformative periods. I didn’t go looking for Lucas Cranach, but I’m glad I discovered him.

Buck Island is a national treasure and a great way to spend a day snorkeling while in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The island is the nesting home for green sea turtles and endangered Leatherback turtles. But the real treasure at Buck Island is the 4,500 acre underwater reef lying just off shore. It is one of only two underwater national monuments in the United States.

The place called Buchenwald was not just a location. It was a journey into the darkness of the human soul. For me, the Buchenwald Concentration Camp is where the Holocaust becomes most real. Buchenwald was not the first concentration camp built by the Nazi’s. Buchenwald was not the biggest camp in Germany’s World War II machine. But in many ways, Buchenwald is the most symbolic and most important.

There are some days when you are traveling that you really don’t want to tour another church or visit another museum. There are some days when you travel that you just want to be in the moment. For us, Krakow was just such a place. Our goal for deep cultural immersion was abandoned in favor of a slower pace. What started out as sightseeing became a Krakow vodka tasting stroll – complete with several important life lessons.

Sometimes, you have to make a change.

The rolling hills of the Emerald Isle become more pronounced as you reach the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland. Carved into the cliffs and perched on the hills, the Antrim Coast Road links castles, sandy beaches, small towns and amazing geological formations. The Causeway Coastal Route is one of the most thrilling and beautiful drives anywhere in the world.

As close to paradise as you can get: Cockleshell Beach in St. Kitts. Bask in the sun, soak in the cooling ocean and go jammin’ at the reggae beach bar.

Budapest isn’t exactly a mecca for gourmet foodies – and we can’t understand why. Hungarian cuisine doesn’t have the international appeal among gourmands as other cuisines, but it is delicious! The absolute highlight of our trip to Eastern Europe was a Budapest food tour.