Education: We must preserve our natural resources. What does that mean? Minimize impact; practice cultural awareness; provide financial benefits for conservation; support human rights; embrace your host’s political, social and environmental climate. We like Ecotourism Australia’s definition: “… Ecologically sustainable tourism with a primary focus on experiencing natural areas that fosters environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation and conservation.”

Adventure: Take a calculated risk. Find a guide with enough bravado to get your heart pumping but the right amount of caution to keep you self-assured. Scale a rock face, ski fresh powder, run class V rapids, explore exotic reefs. Find a challenge, then muster the courage to meet it.

Togetherness: For many, travel is synonymous with family. Cross-country road trips, thrilling days in a fantasy of roller coasters, hours lounging in a warm pool or chilly nights swapping stories by the camp fire. Just a few days away can create the memories of a lifetime.

Leisure: English author Martin Farquhar Tupper summed up the art of leisure with great economy and accuracy when he said, “It is well to lie fallow for a while.” Golf on courses whose beauty is magnificent enough to overshadow that three-putt on the 9th hole. Bike through Tuscany, walk through Provence, rest idly on a rubber tube in the Ichetucknee River. Breathe. Relax. Enjoy.