Bavaria is the largest state in Germany and, in my opinion, the most diverse, rich and charming one as well. I feel like the whole world knows what Bavaria is famous for - King Ludwig II’s castle of Neuschwanstein, BMW, Oktoberfest, pretzels and of course the best beer in the world! And if you're a soccer fan, FC Bayern Munich definitely tops your list of the best soccer clubs. But Bavaria is also infamous for sheltering the national socialist German workers party led by Hitler which gave birth to nazism and mass killings of millions of innocent people. I purposely added Dachau, the most notorious death camp in nazi Germany, to my itinerary as I felt the trip would not be complete without visiting this disgraceful place where thousands of victims, mostly Jews, would starve, suffer and eventually die in a gas chamber. We must never forget. Ready to see Bavaria? I hand-picked those 8 not to be missed places that should definitely be on everyone's bucket list. 

The Canadian province of Ontario may be lacking snow-capped mountains, sandy oceanfronts, tall grass prairies or arid deserts, but one thing that all western provinces are envious of is Ontario's iconic fall colours. Mild temperatures and not too much rain make the leaf-peeping season last longer than anywhere else in the country. With most of the foliage fallen down by now, I do realize that the tips I'm about to share will probably make more sense around mid-September - early October next year. But who said we can't start preparing for the next season now? Plus, as an added bonus, that's an opportunity to enjoy some pictures and bring good memories from this past season.

This is the third and the last part of the story about my 2020 ultimate road trip to British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies. You will learn about a lesser-known but no less spectacular Yoho National Park and see Canada's own real desert located at the south end of the hot and dry Okanagan Valley. British Columbia is undoubtedly the most biologically and geologically diverse province in Canada!

This is the second part of the story about my 2020 ultimate road trip to British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies. You will get a closer look at the two most iconic national parks in Canada - Banff and Jasper -  the number one reason most overseas visitors come to Canada. Both are located entirely in the province of Alberta, but we also will take a quick detour into the neighbouring Kootenay National Park to see its gorgeous Marble Canyon.

Road trips - my favourite road trips! I love them for many reasons. Sitting behind a steering wheel and enjoying the surrounding beauty that slowly unfolds before my eyes seems like a meditation. Road trips are also perfect to bond as a family. Though long driving may seem pretty monotonous and boring for rookies, you’ll be surprised how much you can learn from your travel companions under no time pressure if only you can patiently listen. I invite you to virtually join me on a 9-day road trip across most of southern British Columbia as well as Banff and Jasper National Parks. For a flatlander like me, the allure of snow-covered peaks, emerald lakes, mighty glaciers, immense ocean and a damp smell of old-growth rainforests was such a delight.

Though staycations will definitely be remembered as the biggest tourism trend of the year, 2020 offered a unique, almost one-in-the-lifetime opportunity to see Canada’s best landscapes without millions of international tourists. I obviously feel terrible for the loss or unearned revenue that COVID-19 brought to the Canadian tourism sector and am sincerely willing to chip in some extra cash from my taxpayer’s dollars to support the suffering industry, but man, those iconic Canadian places look so good without excessive crowds, long lines, always full parking lots, and overpriced hotel rooms! That's what lured me into committing to a road trip in British Columbia and the Canadian Rockies in August 2020. But, first, let's understand how the global pandemic shaped travel experiences for those, like me, willing to venture beyond day trips from home.

I'm not going to judge Québec for how quickly they are reopening their economy after a very strict lockdown and being hit pretty hard by COVID-19, but for someone who lives in Ontario, the difference in the reopening approaches between the two provinces seems very noticeable. When the right opportunity came, I didn't think twice before booking our first family camping of the year at Parc National du Mont-Tremblant. Incidentally, camping in Ontario was not even possible in mid-June. Travelling to Québec brought a very nice and completely unexpected bonus: the ability to eat inside a restaurant even if it's only pizza and ice cream. Indoor dining has become a faraway luxury after the four months of lockdown. If you're still questioning whether you should go camping at Mont-Tremblant or, frankly, any other provincial park in Québec, the answer is "Absolutely". Let me tell you why.

Tourists and locals alike recognize Ontario not only for its big-name attractions like Toronto or Niagara Falls, and not even for hungry mosquitos and black flies in the springtime, but also for its pretty, historic towns. Carefully preserved in time and maintaining the original 19th-century look, many of them compete to be named the quaintest or the coziest town in Ontario. Merrickville, located only 40 minutes from Ottawa and known as the "Jewel of the Rideau", often makes the cut.

Imagine not just one canyon, but a wave of hundreds or thousands of them carved by water and gravity as far as you can see. Sounds exciting? That's about Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah. Little known place before it became a national park in 1964, Canyonlands National Park still looks and feels worlds away when wandering a bit off the paved roads. In fact, the park remains largely unhampered, so you can explore it on foot or from your 4x4 for days or even weeks without seeing another person, that's how vast and remote it is. 

American President Dwight Eisenhower was no stranger to the world of war. As a supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, he played a key in the liberation of Europe from the Nazi Germany. However, when World War II ended in 1945, he was convinced that it was just a matter of time before the new war, this time with the Soviet Union, would begin. That's why, once he became president, he persisted that the country-wide network of highways be built in the US to assist the mobility of military troops and allow people to quickly escape big cities in case of a nuclear attack. The Interstate Highway System was finished long after Eisenhower had passed away, and the last stretch of the originally planned network was the Interstate-70 in Colorado.

You heard me say how much I like the American Southwest for its vast and simplistic beauty. Well, Arches National Park in Utah is yet another place in that region that had been sitting on my bucket list for quite some time before I had a chance to visit it this past winter. Though not entirely unique as other places on Earth feature natural sandstone arches, the park holds the largest concentration of them - more than 2,000. Scroll down to check them out and learn five things about these natural marvels before visiting Arches National Park yourself.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore stretched along the south shore of mighty Lake Superior in Michigan may not be your first choice to spend a chilly weekend in May, but trust me - you can't go wrong with this place even if the weather is a bit cranky. Some people even come in the winter despite the bitter cold to see the park's famous ice caves and climb frozen waterfalls, but that's a separate story. Put it this way: early spring is a perfect time to visit this park, because not only will you beat the crowds, but you'll also avoid nasty mosquitos and, most importantly, black flies. I hope that my article will inspire you to visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, but remember - leave no trace and take only pictures!

We saw four out of five planned on our day trip from Paris. The reason we didn't see the fourth one is because the fourth one with its garden and the adjacent forest turned out to be so beautiful and serene, that we didn't want to leave and stayed until sunset. The valley, nestled at the Loire River and its tributaries, offers over 80 castles (châteaux in French), 42 of which make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site. When you'll be planning a similar trip to the valley, I bet your biggest challenge will be which ones you pick to see.

Among all the things I like about the United States, their national parks are my favourite ones. I always enjoy visiting them no matter the season and the weather. Since the first national park was created in 1872, the goal has always been to provide recreational opportunities with the conservation coming after. As a result, most of America's national parks are very accessible and often draw big crowds, especially those parks near major highways and cities. It obviously seems appealing to me that tourism brings more profit to some areas than traditional mining of natural resources, but I believe there should be a better way to control crowds since most visitors to the national parks come to see nature, not other people. So I was really glad that Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, which I visited this past December, was still a hidden gem with fewer visitors compared to other "big boys" in the Southwest such as the Grand Canyon, Zion and Arches.

No river in the United States has had more historical and economic significance than the Mississippi River. The "working river" as it's often called for being the main transport artery to move grain and coal over the past 200 years, has also been used as a western frontier of the British colonies and early USA. The Mississippi River is a widely used continental divide between the East and the West, and I often hear people say "west of Mississippi" or "east of Mississippi". It is the second longest river in North America (2,350 miles / 3,780 km) that connects Minnesota and 9 other states with the Gulf of Mexico.

I like bridges. They solve problems to make our lives easier, more efficient, safer and more comfortable. Bridges often exhibit innovations and technological advancements. And most extraordinary bridges are at least good-looking ones. Take the New River Gorge bridge: it's been the longest single-arch span bridge in the Western hemisphere (used to be number one in the world) and the third highest in the US. It also significantly reduced the time required to cross the New River. And look at the bridge itself - isn't it beautiful?

Lake Superior is often referred to as the largest freshwater sea in the world emphasizing its size and might. It's also the most stunning one as none of the other four great lakes rivals its beauty and would be as pristine as Lake Superior is. I think the key is in the lake's remoteness and wild nature: storm waves as high as a five-story building can crash everything on their way and the old-grown boreal forest stays on guard to protect the lake's rugged shore. 

Joshua Tree National Park became a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts from all over the world by offering unparalleled rock climbing and bouldering experience. With over 400 monzogranite formations and more than 8,000 climbing routes, everyone can find the perfect wall that best suits their skill level. But if you're not up for climbing, there are plenty of other activities at the park including hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, nature viewing and even stargazing. Yes, Joshua Tree is home to some of the darkest sky in the world!