San Diego is called "America's Finest City" for good reason. Warm, moderate weather, a plethora of cultural activities, stunning beaches, and good food are just some of the reasons to visit what is, in my opinion, the gem of the West Coast. I lived in San Diego from 1999 to 2003 when I was a…
When I moved to Phoenix in 2004, I had fairly low expectations. It's just a place you drive through to get somewhere better, I thought. I was wrong. I would spend two years living in the desert sprawl, time I thoroughly enjoyed, and over the last decade plus, Phoenix has only gotten better as a…
Barcelona is the most popular destination in Spain for American tourists, and one of the most popular in all of Europe. After only a day or two there, it will be easy to see why. The city offers great weather, incredible food, access to beaches and mountains, fascinating architecture and cultural gems, and some of…
Editor's note: I find myself, to no surprise, so envious of the travels of others when they are to exotic locations I haven't yet had the chance to see. Here is another amazing story from Sam Spector. To read the rest of his stories here on The Royal Tour, visit his page here. Often when…
Kazakhstan doesn’t seem to have found a place on the invisible, unspoken “must visit” list for a lot of Americans. Our association with Kazakhstan is usually limited to what we learned from Borat, namely: nothing about the actual culture or people. My only additional knowledge of the country came from living in a Russian dorm…
For Americans visiting Spain, Barcelona and Madrid seem the focal points. Both are amazing destinations, but seeing only those two cities misses my personal favorite city in Spain: Seville. The capital of Andalusia is one of the cultural highlights of all of Europe, a mid-sized city, easy to explore and with more to do than…
Portugal's capital has beckoned me for years. Called by the sea, the hills, the food, and the sounds of the language, it has been at or near the top of my travel wish list for as long as I've had one. Now, after spending a month living and exploring Lisbon, I am able to share…
Panama City bills itself as the hub of the Americas. From a geographical standpoint, it is certainly true. The city sits at the joining of the continents, as well as at the mouth of the Panama Canal which joins the oceans. The city is modern and bustling, vibrant and historic, a financial center, transit hub,…
London is vast. It is overwhelming. The city has so much going on that I don't think it would be possible to see everything or explore fully in a month, let alone a week or less, as is the normal vacation. Heck, in my most recent two week trip to the British capital, I feel…
Cincinnati. Queen City. Once a hugely important river port and cultural hub of the Midwest, it has since faded mostly to obscurity. Nationally unimportant, it is, in a word, pleasant. Cincinnati isn't at the top of many tourist lists, and perhaps it shouldn't be, but a few days here can provide for a truly delightful…