

Hawaii island hopping for beginners: There is something special about the word "Hawaii." It rolls off the tongue and, over the course of only two syllables, conjures visions of palm trees, long beaches and greener-than-green hills.Just speaking the phrase "I'm going to Hawaii" is a life-long dream for many. For most, that is enough. For those who are well-acquainted with the islands, however, this phrase is invariably met by the following question: "Which island?"

Of the eight major Hawaiian Islands, six are openly accessible to tourists. Only four, however, are regularly frequented by most Hawaii visitors. Whereas Maui, Kauai, Oahu, and Hawaii (commonly known as the "Big Island") all see millions of visitors annually, the islands of Lanai and Molokai see only 50,000-75,000. Of the two inaccessible islands, Kaho'olawe--a former bombing range--is open only to volunteers, and Ni'ihau has been privately owned since 1864.

America's most attractive cities: Can simply traveling to a city make you better looking? Liz Eckert would say so. On a recent visit to southern California, the Connecticut real estate agent was struck by the gorgeous scenery -- as in, the people. She chalked it up to the locals' regular access to sand, surf and sunshine. "After one week there, I actually looked and felt healthier," she says. "My skin was glowing, my hair was shiny, and even my nails grew--and they never grow." Given the area's seemingly magical powers of osmosis, it's no wonder that both San Diego and Los Angeles made it into the top five cities for America's best-looking people, according to Travel + Leisure readers. This year, the attractive locals category saw a fair amount of movement: The new No. 1 city is a past champ that had previously fallen from grace, and several cities have made impressive rebounds in the rankings or else seemingly let themselves go.

The ebb and flow of life in Venice: I've never lived in a stranger place than Venice. It was a great empire centuries ago, the master of the Adriatic and a swath of Italy. Now it's an open-air museum. Tourists from Russia, Germany, China, Brazil, the Ukraine and, of course, the United States tramp through like an invading army. Some two million visitors a year come to see the Grand Canal and other iconic sites, and yet there are only about 80,000 Venetians left. Tourists outnumber natives by more than three to one on most days. It's hard sometimes to find a shop that sells something besides carnival masks, plastic model gondolas and the latest Italian novelty souvenirs like joke kitchen aprons with the penis of Michelangelo's David.

Tourist trap alternatives: Name recognition is the only thing you'll sacrifice if you swap out the usual tourist attractions for these lesser-known spots. The rest is gravy: think lower prices, fewer crowds and more time spent actually enjoying the place you're visiting. Getting creative pays dividends and always leaves you with an exciting story to tell. Be the traveler that outsmarts all the guidebooks by striking out toward these fabulous attractions.