I find, on my own travels, that the most depressing form of culture shock is experienced when you go into a country that is under the thumb of a dictator.

In general, my advice is to seek out people and new ideas when you travel.

If I tell a hotel I'm a travel writer, I can't get out of there without spending a few hours looking at every single room!

Tourism does not go to a city that has lost its soul.

I always feel depressed when I go into a country under dictatorial rule.

I'm somewhat antagonistic towards these various projects that charge $250,000 per person for the ability to be weightless for 3 minutes after being brought up from earth. I think there are such better uses for that money that i seriously question the ethics of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on space flights for extremely wealthy people.

What a treasure of awesome sights and attractions our country has.

Once abroad, I eat one meal a day picnic-style: Ive learned that no mature stomach can tolerate an endless routine of rich restaurant meals.

My favorite place in the whole world is the city of Paris. to me, Paris stands at the frontier of every major category of travel - in food, art, theater, history, in so many different areas that I simply don't get tired of it.