A fog-like feeling usually weighs heavy in my head when I return home from extended travel. Which day of the week is it? Was it all just a dream?

Certainly, when you’ve been away long enough, home has a sort of sacred comfort. Even though you were thrilled to leave, overjoyed to be away, you are also delighted to return home. A paradox. The great contradiction of travel.

Some three years after returning home from our multi-year filming project that spanned the globe, I honestly feel like we’re still “landing.”

Lebanon is not really recommended for the typical traveler, especially those with small children. But, we’re not typical travelers; we wanted our daughters to experience, and learn from, this complex country. Beirut, the capital, is one of the oldest cities in the world. Although once considered the Paris of the Middle East—a land of 1001 Nights—it has the reputation of not being safe. 

Searching Beirut travel won’t help you find Beirut. It is a land with a story told from a perspective of fear and anger. It is misunderstood and it is a paradise under a shadow.

From our covered vantage point, the buildings seem to topple onto each other, clamouring for space, similar to a flower reaching for sunlight in a garden full of weeds. Under the glow of shop lighting, they still appear colourful, although weathered and stained from constant humidity. If I were an architect, I would wonder what kind of inspiration might come from such a place.

My Colombia travel experience began with past fears fueled by a past civil war, drug trafficking, and the related negative media. I reflect on how far the country has come, and why Colombia should be on everyone's travel list.

Vietnam is a place dear to my heart; I revel in the beauty and humility of its people. That said, during my previous visits, no one has ever paid me much attention. Bringing our two very-blonde daughters on a Vietnam Family Vacation was quite a different story.

Yukon travel is much more than dog-sledding, horseback riding, wildlife preserves and panning for gold. It's as much about connecting to the people and the culture as it is to the place.

A Tapei layover doesn't have to be painful or boring, with a little guidance it can be exciting, adventurous, and pretty darn tasty.

For a family that spent 2 months in the country, our Argentina travel tips and advice are really just beginning. It's a land of music, dance, rural soul, and urban sophistication, and always an adventure.