The Echo Mountain hike in Los Angeles is one of the most rewarding historical hikes that you can do in the area. It is supposed to be a wide, relatively easy but mildly strenuous uphill hike that takes you from the top of Altadena to the ruins of a mountaintop resort.

I love hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains! And now, after hiking to Eagle Rock from Topanga State Park, I can't believe that it has taken me so long to hike it. It is a hike that is doable for almost anyone as it is 4.5 miles on a roundtrip loop and only about 800 feet in elevation gain. Once at the rock, there is so much to explore, even some hidden caves that are a perfect place to relax and have a picnic.

People in general aviation are always looking for reasons to fly and most of those reasons come down to one thing - food. It is where the term "$100 hamburger" comes from and Palm Springs was our next stop for one. Although, we had BBQ instead.

Dubrovnik was our favorite stop in Croatia and definitely one of the top three on our most recent European trip. However, Dubrovnik was a place that when planning our trip through Croatia, we didn't plan to spend much time in. We allowed for just three night and three full days - we wish we could have stayed longer. It really captured our hearts. We will be back. Follow along to find out some of our favorites from our time in Dubrovnik.

The Bay of Kotor in Montenegro is a perfect day trip from Dubrovnik. From the historic city of Kotor to the sweeping mountaintop vistas, there is so much to see in this part of the country. Whether it's just one day or you time for a longer overnight stop, make sure to add Montenegro to your list when visiting Dubrovnik.

Bosnia & Herzegovina is a country that I knew very little about before recently visiting. I am embarrassed to admit that everything I knew about the country stemmed from the Bosnian war in the early 90s. I had imagined it being a war-torn place that I would never visit - another world away. In fact, I probably couldn't have pointed to it out on a map.

Split, Croatia is the perfect place to spend some time soaking up the sun on a beach. From the mainland to the many islands that surround Split, you can't go wrong with a few beach days in Croatia.

Plitvice Lakes is a place that you can see more waterfalls in a day than you have seen collectively in all of your life! When planning our trip to Croatia, I knew that this place MUST make the list. It can be done as a day trip out of Zadar or Zagreb but I will give you a tip to maximize your time and reduce the amount of people you have to share the park with down below.

Sandwiched between Italy and Croatia, Slovenia manages to squeeze in its own bit of coastline on the Bay of Trieste, which opens to the Adriatic. Koper, Izola and Piran are all historic cities along this gorgeous stretch of Slovenia that only spans some 10 miles or so as the bird flies. That makes it a perfect day trip from Trieste.

Venice, Italy is a must-visit for anyone who has never been as it really is a sight to see. If you mention Venice, people conjure up images of sunset gondola rides while being serenaded with Italian love songs. While I am sure that there was once a time that Venice was truly spectacular - I think that time has passed. Follow along for our thoughts and some tips from our first trip to Venice.

One of the most beautiful and picturesque spots in Italy lies along the Mediterranean on the western coast of the peninsula - Cinque Terre. Literally meaning five lands, Cinque Terre is a national park that is made up of five small coastal towns. From Monterosso al Mare in the north to Riomaggiore in the south, each village has its own personality and is worth a visit. If you only have a short time in the area, it is definitely doable to see them all in one day and that is exactly what we did.

Standing in the middle of Pompeii, looking up at Mt. Vesuvius tower over the city and hearing the rumble of the approaching thunderstorm, I couldn't help but think about what it must have been like the day of the eruption.

With little villages snuggled into coves along the Mediterranean shore and mountains in the background towering over them, the Amalfi Coast is a place made in someone's dream. It is one of the most spectacular places that I have visited to date and definitely our favorite in Italy. Follow along as we explore this slice of Italian heaven, from Ravello and Amalfi to Praiano and of course Positano.

Taormina is a hilltop town that sits along the coast of Sicily, in the shadow of Mt. Etna.