How about a really tough challenge? This raven is one of seven that live very pampered lives. A caretaker makes sure they are well fed and not inclined to fly away.

Every night the ravens are safely secured in their comfy cages to protect them from marauding foxes. Read more...

Even the sun seemed to hide when we walked into the Tower of London.

A clear blue sky suddenly darkened and a quick wind ate through my summer shirt.

“It must have been miserable here in the winter,” a fellow traveler said, as we tried to walk a little faster. Read more...

Recently, travel guidebook publisher Lonely Planet released its lists of top destinations for the upcoming year. It’s hard to believe 2014 is right around the corner, but it is the time of year where lists start finding their way into the news. Today, we noticed their top ten family destinations for 2014, and there’s a lot of great calls in our opinion.

This is the start of an irregular series on our blog where we will take a fantastic port of call and get the most out of a short stay in an amazing city. We’re starting with London.

Let’s be honest. There’s no way to even scratch the surface of what London has to offer in just 24 hours. With literally thousands of years of history around every corner, and some of the most exciting cultural experiences in the world an arm’s reach away, a city like this could take weeks to get a good sense of. But even with just one day, a taste of what makes London so amazing is still possible. Here’s our custom 24 hour itinerary for London.

This is the first in an irregular series on our blog about some of our favorite hotels around the world. We start in London with the Andaz Liverpool Street.

We love the Andaz Liverpool Street. The first hotel in Hyatt’s upscale, very modern Andaz brand, Liverpool Street takes classic Victorian architecture and melds it with impecable modern design in a very convenient location. Just off Liverpool Street station, the hotel is walking distance from the London Tower, St. Paul’s Cathedral and the Tate Modern, and its just steps away from the Tube.