There are a lot of places in the world that should be on every traveler’s list of things to see. Some are more famous than others, and some are more off the beaten track as well. Some of my personal favorites can be classified in all of these categories.

The Iguazu Falls, from the Argentina and Brazil sides, are one of the top places on any list. I am a sucker for natural wonders so I could have spent more time there than the couple of days that I did, but they are truly spectacular. Since I am on the natural wonders track, I would also not miss the Grand Canyon. Although I have been there on dozens of occasions I still stand in awe every time. Now, from canyons to mountains, the sight of the Himalayas with the naked eye gives me shivers and not from the cold. However, I must admit that I prefer them from a bit of a distance and am not about to do any climbing! I am adventurous, not suicidal.

The next two are combined natural and man-made wonders. On this part of my list are the amazing Nile and Yangtze rivers in Egypt and China respectively. It may sound corny and touristy, but taking a cruise up or down both of these rivers is absolutely memorable. The natural aspect is breathtaking, but to combine that with the historical structures in the banks of both rivers just can’t be beat if you are trying to add a little culture to your trip. Despite never having been a major fan of cruising, this is the best way to experience Egypt from Aswan to Luxor and everything in between.

The last on my list for this edition is going to be my absolute favorite - a safari anywhere in Africa. There is just something so special about being close to creatures in their natural habitats that we spend our childhoods dreaming about, and yes, hyenas do really laugh. I always say the best way to get me out of bed before dawn is to put me in a safari camp, which if you knew me well would really be a testament to the excitement of being on safari.

There you have it. More to come next time.

-Morissa Pawl, vice president western region

I suppose most of us usually travel on an airline assuming that our luggage will arrive either with us or, worst case scenario, a few days later. What we don’t expect is to find that our luggage has arrived, but only after having been completely plundered by the very people we entrusted it to, yet this is exactly what is happening with luggage going into and out of South Africa.

I thought it was a fluke when a friend of mine went there last year only to have one suitcase looted of anything that could possibly be resold, including her clothing. Luckily for her, they took the Levi’s and left the Armani! I then assumed it was coincidence when another friend divulged that a few months earlier a similar thing had happened to him when traveling to South Africa. One of his two bags had been opened and anything of value liberated. As I questioned both travelers, I was surprised to discover that in both situations the cases were opened with TSA keys! In fact, in one case they even left a little note indicating it had been officially opened - how kind. Of course, I found this to be appalling, but after realizing that it was airport personnel I became twice as concerned.

As the dawning of 2008 came and went without hearing of any more incidents I began to think that either the South African government had done as promised to stop the thefts or that it was indeed mere coincidence that two of my friends had been hit. After all, I have traveled there many times and have never had this experience despite State Department warnings.  However, just the other day my neighbor’s sister arrived from South Africa having gone through a similar incident. Anything remotely worthwhile was missing from the suitcase. I immediately inquired as to whether or not she had put TSA locks on and whether they were still locked, to which she replied, “Yes, my dear. The TSA locks were there and still locked. The government has apparently solved the problem. Unfortunately, they cut the bag open due to no longer having the keys.”

As I scratched my head in semi-disbelief, I reminded myself of something every international traveler must tell themselves as they click their heels three times: “There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home.” Yes Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore!

-Morissa Pawl, vice president western region

I have been coming to South Africa regularly for over fifteen years now, but have been coming here in my dreams since childhood. As American children, we hear bedtime stories of elephants and lions, giraffes and zebra and are told that somewhere far off in the world there is a real place where they live. As adults we discover that it is a troubled place and always has been, but then in today’s world, what place isn’t? You see, there is heartache and beauty around every corner.

Africa is a continent that bewilders most, but if you look deeper than today’s headline news you will see a land that has weathered the centuries like a grand lady. In one of the native languages the “magogo” comes to mind. Grandma or grand old lady, and that is what she is; the cradle of humankind.

In South Africa there are too many places to experience to name in this short blog, but if you ever get the chance to come here (and I highly suggest you do) get out of the city and head for anywhere. Just a short drive from Johannesburg or Pretoria is a little jewel called Sun City. It is a resort town bordering on Pilanesberg National Park. You can choose to stay in accommodations from two to five star in this beautiful little man made resort enclave nestled in the countryside and wile away the hours by the pool, take in a little gambling, eat at wonderful restaurants or even play golf at a Gary Player course. One of the best parts, however, is the location. Being right next to the national park you can take a game drive or even drive your own vehicle in. Either way it is something you really must do. You will most likely see all of the fantastic creatures you fell asleep to hearing about in those storybooks as a child, and believe me, it never gets old.

Wherever you choose to go to in this part of the world, you will experience a lot coming at your senses. The sounds, smells and tastes of Africa. Storybooks or television shows do not do it justice, but remember you will have to leave your preconceived notions at the border. Things are not done in your time frame; they are done on African time. In fact, they have a saying here when things get a little tough: “Welcome to Africa!” So relax, accept life as it is here. Meet the people, see the countryside, visit the far-off land of your childhood dreams. Unfortunately, I have to go now, but I will back again soon and I hope to see more of my Americans here someday. But, in the meantime, do me a small favor: when you get here, please send “Magogo” my love.

-Morissa Pawl, vice president, Western region

It’s last call for Global Traveler’s annual reader survey, where you name the best of the best in business and luxury travel.  And, as it did yesterday, it’s making me think about the questions that acquaintances and friends ask us.

It’s one thing to vote for your own pick for best tourism destination, as we ask, based upon your experience and weighing all the parameters that you find important. It’s entirely another thing when a friend or acquaintance who knows how much you travel asks, “Where’s the best place to go?” I always thinks that depends upon what the questioner is looking for–relaxation? adventure? education? and who they’re going with — significant other, kids, alone? Then there’s the time of year and the person’s budget to take into consideration. But the bottom line, I think, is how well-traveled the person is already.

When the person asking the question is awed by how much I’ve traveled because they haven’t done much of it themselves, I tread lightly. If they like cities, I suggest London; for the Caribbean, I suggest St. Maarten/St. Martin, because they can get a taste of two worlds. My own best trip ever was probably to South Africa, in part because I got to spend three weeks there–some time fishing in the Transvaal, some time admiring Cape Town (my own choice for most beautiful city, scenery-wise), some time in Kruger National Park admiring the sheer variety of animal life and some time at Mala Mala for bounding around in a Jeep for a Hatari-like experience.

Our personal favorites can have less to do with where we went than who we were with, or what happened when we were there. When making recommendations — or voting, for that matter — we have to filter those out.   And when someone says, “Wow, you’ve been everywhere; where is your favorite place to go?” we must remember that they really don’t want to hear the road warrior’s true answer: “Home.”

-Mary Hunt, Editor, eFlyer

In the Aug. 21 edition of eFlyer, we have a story about the arrival of Lucy — the 3.5-million-year-old skeleton of what is perhaps an early ancestor — at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. I was fascinated by the find when it first was announced, and pulled out the book from my library; it’s called Lucy, The Beginnings of Humankind, by Donald Johanson and Maitland Edey. Johanson was the anthropologist who found her, in Ethiopia in 1974. The book is still in print, although the idea that she might have been a direct ancestor has been shown to be a bit less likely than was originally thought.

A lot of anthropologists and Ethiopians are less than thrilled that Lucy is being sent on a six-year tour of mostly American museums. One of the reasons is that the Ethiopian people have been only allowed to see her twice. There’s a Lucy exhibit at the Ethiopian Natural History Museum in Addis Ababa, but it’s a replica–her bones were considered too fragile for constant public display. The Ethiopian government decided to send the real Lucy on tour in order to raise money to improve existing museums in Ethiopia and build new ones.

The Smithsonian has been one of the vocal opponents of the tour, worrying about her fragility, so the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. won’t be on the tour schedule. She is expected to “visit” New York, Denver and Chicago as well as other cities, but after Houston the only tentatively scheduled exhibit is at The Field Museum in Chicago from November 2009 through April 2010.

One of the cool things about Lucy is how much of her was found. Johanson discovered 40 percent of her fossilized skeleton, but because different bones were found for her left and right sides, it was possible to reconstruct 70 percent of her skeleton, giving a really good idea of the whole picture. Lucy stood about 3 feet tall, walked upright, and was certainly hominid, although her branch of the family tree–Australopithecus afarensis, to be precise–may have come to a dead end.

 By the way, thank the Beatles for her name. Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds was playing in the archaeologists’ camp the night she was found. As the oldest and most complete hominid skeleton ever discovered, she really captured the public imagination. She even inspired a 1999 ballet.

Let’s hope she’s up for her travels, and is treated with the reverence she deserves.

-Mary Hunt, Editor, eFlyer