How do I prepare for a trip to Cuba? What restrictions are there, as an American? What activities count toward Support for the Cuban People? Where should I stay? What kind of money should I bring? Answers to all these questions and more, in a streamlined guide.

No trip to Cuba would really be complete without a visit to cigar country, so we booked a day-tour of Viñales, a rural town three hours west from Havana. It was here that we discovered rolling hills of green, vast farms of tobacco, and the home of Cuba's main exports.

Cuba is a photographer's paradise. It has pastel buildings, neon cars, and green farms that stretch as far as the eye can see. Contrasted against these bright colors are old, dilapidated mansions. It is a country of stark juxtaposition, a country caught in the 1960s.

When I visited Iguazu Falls as a young teenager, I decided it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever been. So on our trip to Brazil, visiting was a must do.

I spent three days in Rio de Janeiro and found it to be utterly beautiful, despite the incredible wealth disparity and world-renown crime.

When I got back to the States, everyone asked me, "How was Carnival?" All I can say is that 1. It was one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen, and 2. Everyone should go if they can.

Charleston has a funny place in my heart. It's a curious blend of romantic, hipster, rustic charm with a dash of very conservative, Southern thinking.

A journey into the bush of Burkina Faso to serve at a medical clinic in Mahadaga.