When is it worth the splurge for first-class rail tickets in Europe and places far beyond?

Museums and monuments get top priority from many travelers. But for some of us, there's something equally fascinating about visiting houses of worship, even when they represent beliefs that aren't our own.

Do not apply the pay-for-it-later mentality to your next vacation. Armed with these practical suggestions, your dream vacation may be more affordable than you think.

We asked readers to share photos of their favorite beaches. Soothing, right? Maybe it's time to start thinking about a sunny getaway.

Enough talk about drifting cruise ships with overflowing toilets -- that's cruising's rare dark side. On the other hand, how about a four-story waterslide, lots of kids' programming and a private island?

Bimini is a tiny land of simple pleasures. "Swim, eat, drink, work, read, talk, read, fish, fish, swim, drink, sleep." That's Bimini, summed up by a character in Ernest Hemingway's novel "Islands in the Stream."

Post-Gaddafi, the northern African desert state is less restricted and an altogether more welcoming destination.

Rainbows of color, spice-market smells, an urban orchestra of sounds: Morocco can be overwhelming at first.

Inhabitants of Quebec pride themselves on being different from their neighbors. This is French soil, with a language police and its own holiday that's more fervently celebrated than Canada Day.

There's no shortage of passion on the topic of Disney: It's pure magic for many travelers, but for others the princesses and the commercialism put Disney's empire firmly on their must-not-see lists.