Cycling over the Golden Gate Bridge was the highlight of a long weekend in San Francisco. Of course we're amped. We're cycling over one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. The wind howls, our grip tightens on the handlebars and we peddle harder. My wife, Kerry, and I and our 16-year-old da...

Vacationing where the Wright Brothers invented motorized flight means taking to the air ourselves, fishing, horseback riding and eating barbecue. Just like Orville Wright, I'm flying over the sand dunes of North Carolina's Outer Banks. Orville, the first man to fly a motorized airplane in 1903, accomplished the world-changing feat at nearby Kitty H...

Swimming with eight-metre-long whale sharks is the highlight of a vacay to Mexico's Baja Peninsula. In my periphery vision, slowly and steadily, a hulking, dark and indeterminate shadow appears. My heart quickens and there's an involuntarily sharp intake of breath on my snorkel mouthpiece. I first focus on an elaborate pattern of white dots on a gl...

Dog travel writer borrowed for a half-day now has a forever home. Tail a waggin', Simba leads the way like he knows where he's going. It's the first time this Chihuahua-terrier cross has been on the Koloa Heritage Trail, but that doesn't damper his ears-perked, tongue- hanging-out canine enthusiasm. My wife, Kerry, and I happily follow, hardly beli...

Father-and-son trip to Dallas proves everything's bigger in Texas. In this case, a hot mess is not the condition you left your last girlfriend or boyfriend in upon breakup. It's the signature dish at Dallas' hottest barbecue joint. Pecan Lodge's Hot Mess is the most tender and moist, low-and-slow-cooked brisket shredded atop a baked sweet potato. I...

Ancient tortoises, deserted beaches and travelling by catamaran are the highlights of this island-hopping holiday in the Indian ocean. Tyson stretches his wrinkly, 120-year-old neck as an invitation to stroke it. It feels much like it looks: dry and leathery, yet utterly wonderful. Tyson is a rare Aldabra giant land tortoise and me and my wife, Ker...