52 Things to do from the Willamette Valley to the tip of Mt. Hood - all close to Portland, but a world away.

I traveled to Kenya this summer with the humanitarian group Reach the Children. We taught hygiene in primary schools, experienced the culture, and went on a safari! It was an awesome experience. Here are some things I learned while I was there. -- Emily

1. Take a surfing lesson on Waikiki Beach.
2. Know how to surf? Take a paddle board lesson.
3. Go to a Luau.
4. Get a massage. Preferably in a private beachside cabana.
5. Take a downhill bike ride from the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve in the Puu Ohia rainforest
6. Swim with dolphins in the ocean.

We asked some of our favorite travel tweeters for their best travel tips and here is what we got!

1. Pack empty plastic bags on road trips, in carry on - from Ziplocs to grocery bags. For wet swimsuits,runaway crayons. Garbage bag=rain poncho. @travelingmamas

By Marion Head.

Do you dare to go bare at the Beach? The world certainly has some beautiful spots that allow topless and nude bathing. Here is start to some of our favorites. But we want to hear from you! Where is your favorite spot to sunbathe in the buff?

1. Black's Beach. San Diego, CA

2.Clifton Beach. Cape Town, South Africa

Travel Quotes to Inspire Your Next Adventure

By Marion Head, 52perfectdays.com

Calgary gets thousands of visitors every year in July for the Calgary Stampede.

Written by Marion Head.

For many Paul Theroux comes to mind as one of the most famous travel writers. Whether you enjoy reading William Least Heat-Moon, Jan Morris, Eric Newby, Kira Salak or more literary writers such as Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stevenson, Hilaire Belloc, D. H. Lawrence, Rebecca West or John Steinbeck picking up one of these books while on vacation or to transport you to another world while at home is pure pleasure.

For aspiring travel writers, it also serves as a necessary tool to learn and understand the craft of writing in this genre.

Appalachian Mountain Club photo by Steve Klauck

Weird Food and Drinks. One is bound to come across it at some point in your life if you love venturing outside of your home town. Whenever I travel, I like sampling the local food and drinks in every country that I visit. However, this usually means there are some oddball delicacies you won't find anywhere else - or want to try for that matter!

Here is a list of some of these culinary oddities that I've experienced, plus a couple of others I've come across via others.