15 places to learn about the history of India

When people marvel at how “brave” I am for traveling with a toddler, I tell them I’m not uniquely courageous—just battle-hardened. I’ve been traveling with my 2.5-year-old son, Julian, since he was five weeks old. His first adventure beyond our home state of Minnesota was ice fishing in Wisconsin. As I steeled up my nerves (and started getting more than three hours of sleep a night), I got gutsier about where I was willing to take him. At 10 months old, we planned a family trip to San Diego; it was a low-key disaster. Ever the optimist, I didn’t let that deter me: When Julian turned one, we took him to an all-inclusive resort in the Mexican Caribbean. When he was 16 months, he joined my husband and me on our honeymoon in the Faroe Islands and Iceland. And when he turned 20 months old, I took him on a 23-day solo venture to Tanzania, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

Solo travel is one of the most empowering things you can do. Wandering through an unfamiliar city increases self-reliance. Successfully navigating an entirely new form of transportation boosts your confidence. Not to mention, your itinerary is entirely at your discretion. Want to spend all day on the beach? Or forgo visiting that one museum everyone says you have to see? It’s completely up to you.

If Miami and Palm Beach had a love child, it would be Fort Lauderdale. Quickly shedding its image as just a spring break destination, the city is redefining itself as a place that lacks the formality of its neighbor to the north (Palm Beach), but has all the trappings of the vibrant metropolis to the south (Miami). And while Fort Lauderdale is quickly catching up on the five-star luxury-resort front, the real-estate (and therefore hotel) prices have not yet approached the levels of Palm Beach's on Worth Avenue. Fort Lauderdale lacks pomp and doesn’t take itself too seriously: It’s a place that still feels accessible thanks to an abundance of public beaches, a lack of gated communities, and a culinary scene that won’t break the bank.

The Maldives just got even dreamier for folks with Marriott Bonvoy points to burn: The second JW Marriott in the country is now open.

Eight months after my 30th birthday, I realized that I did, in fact, want children. In my 20s, I was never really sure. I thought of it as a kind of eventuality, something I’d get to once my life no longer revolved around friends and travel and chasing the next story. Something for the next, much more grown-up phase of my life. Then I learned that the choice might not be mine to make. My egg reserve levels were teetering on the edge of “critically low” and all signs pointed towards early menopause, a condition I now know runs in my family.

To my right, two 70-something regulars at the Exhibition pub in York, England, peppered me with questions on American politics, taught me how to recognize a fresh pint of beer (it should leave a path of foam on the glass) and invited me next door for a curry at their favorite Indian restaurant.

One of my favorite things about traveling is getting to try new foods.

I've always been an independent traveler. I've traveled to five continents and over 90 countries, planning nearly every aspect of each trip on my own. For years, I was happy with having complete control over my trips and the flexibility to make changes on the fly.

Happy Saturday! Are you in the throes of planning your Spring Break trip? Learn from one mother who planned an epic family vacation for 18 family members that ended up being a "nightmare." Ouch!

Dubai boasts the tallest building, the biggest mall, and the water park with the most water slides in the world. Despite these claims to fame, I still considered it a stopover city, not a full vacation destination.

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