Travel is one thing, but really going somewhere is something else. Here are first-hand tales of exciting places to see in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the United Kingdom.

The manuscript beginning is a truism:

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."—Saint Augustine

Based on that long-ago quote, these stories originate from personal visits to a wide variety of destinations. The primary purpose is to entertain you by offering history and background of the many locales. Let the comment, "those who do not travel read only one page," become a thing of the past as you do, indeed, hear more than one page in vicarious fashion.

Country singer Willie Nelson wrote a bestselling song that said, in part:

"On the road againGoin' places that I've never beenSeein' things that I may never see againAnd I can't wait to get on the road again."

These stories of our travels evoke a quote from Mark Twain:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

We've been fortunate enough to more or less follow that line of thinking, and like a long-ago quote from Greek philosopher Aristotle, we have come to the conclusion that, quite simply, "Adventure is worthwhile."