In October 2015 I was able to check off one of the adventures on my bucket list: to travel through the waterways and canals of the northeastern US and southeastern Canada.

Used by Native Americans, explorers, settlers and armies, the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes were key to the development of the Canadian provinces of Québec and Ontario as well as New York state and the interior of the United States. 

I was excited when I learned about the “Locks, Legends...

For the past 30-plus years, whenever I’ve been asked to state my occupation at a border crossing, I’ve said, “Teacher.” People may find my TV shows to be entertaining or my guidebooks practical, but my passion has always been to teach, whether it’s about art, culture or nuts-and-bolts travel skills. My fundamental cause is that good travel teaches people to better understand the world they live in.

In order to be a good teacher, I need to be a good student. That’s why I frequently...

(First of three parts)

Scandinavia finally edged its way to the top of my travel bucket list in August 2015 when the Fates presented an opportunity to travel to Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. 

With an energetic group of 38 savvy explorers, I participated in a 12-day “Scandinavian Explorer” highlights tour, partially hosted by both Finnair and New York-based smarTours (800/337-7773 or 212/297-0955, www.smartours.com). 

Tour prices, including...