Girl About the World

Beachgoers wade into the waters at Huntington Beach in California.

As I look out the window, ice is raining down on a snow-white scene, the temperature below freezing long enough that I’ve had to turn the heat on — and anyone who knows me knows I try to do that as little as possible! It’s our first snow of the year, so I’m enjoying the picturesque views and winter wonderland for now, but a few more days of this and I’ll be ready to escape to the beach.

When I do get the desire to run from the snow to the sands, I’ll know where to go, thanks to this piece I did for Away.com on the best beaches for 2012. From the buoyant waters in Jordan’s Dead Sea to the quiet, under-discovered Baisha Beach in Taiwan to the rustic cabins and clam digging on Copalis Beach in Washington, these hot spots are sure to please sand-and-surf stalwarts in the coming year.

Back in 2004, I didn’t yet own a digital camera — or apparently a camera of any kind, since the only photos I have from London are all from a disposable camera. How quickly technology has changed since then!

(for a full-size version, click any photo)

Pixie Hollow in the Oceaneer Club on Disney Dream. Photo by Diana Zalucky.

For a trip that offers something for the whole family, cruising may be where it’s at. In this article for TheFamilyGroove.com, I look at four new cruise ships (Disney Dream, Celebrity Eclipse, Carnival Magic, and Royal Caribbean Allure of the Seas) and what amenities the kiddos will dig — along with what will make parents happy. With artwork that moves, waterslides, dancing fountains, gelato cafes, mini golf, ice-skating shows, parades, video arcades, and much more, these ships ensure that the tiny tots in your midst will never run out of things to do. And with dance clubs, pubs, pools, spas, shopping, shows, casinos, and culinary treats on the cruises, neither will you.

Read the story here.