In graduate school, a friend of mine had just returned from studying in Malaysia for a year. Her stories of the culture, food, and living there entranced me (yes, even the durian). Since then, I advise study abroad students who want a unique experience to look at programs in Malaysia (you included!).

Mexico’s famed Riviera Maya – a long stretch of land along Highway 307 in the state of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán Peninsula – is much more than tourism in Cancun. It’s a perfect place for adventurers, families, history buffs, divers, ecologists, foodies, and luxury travelers.

 5 surprising things about Riviera Maya

You’re investing a great deal of time, energy, and money preparing for your study abroad journey – and it seems that the list of things to do and buy still is endless. But it doesn’t have to be that way – and it doesn’t have to cost that much.

Airport travel comes with many inconveniences: long TSA lines, delayed flights, and all of the packing and preparing you need to do before your trip. We’re exhausted just thinking about it! But what if you could experience a couple hours of peace before your travel begins? That’s where ParkSleepFly comes in. This website offers airport hotel & parking packages so that you can park your car at the hotel for the duration of your trip AND get a good night’s sleep before heading to the airport. Sounds nice, right?

No matter how old you are, taking a gap year to travel can be one of the most exciting and enriching things you could ever do. Most people do it between high school and college or university, but I have known a few who have done it in the middle of getting their degree, after they’ve gotten their degree, and even when they’re WAAAY past the traditional gap year age group (I met a nearly 40 year old gapper once!).

The question that I always receive is where I made enough wealth to travel as much as I do. This question always greatly amuses me because there is this stereotype that one needs to have wealth in order to travel. What many people miss is that there are ways to travel all over the world without spending a great deal of money. Additionally, while traveling, there is also a way to have several high quality vacations per year - even when you do have kids - without spending a significant amount of money either.

Flying can be stressful - let's not even dig into the reasons why, because it will just make us crabby. But in an effort to discover more happiness in travel, we've published a three part series that focuses on the positive - happy tips for travel. Our resource for all questions about happiness is Deborah Heisz, Editorial Director of Live Happy - and ask her a few questions. Deborah has a B.A. in English from Texas Tech University and an MBA from the University of Dallas.

Remember those days of drawing a line on the backseat of the car, and not allowing your brother to cross it? Or, fighting for the armrest on the airplane (wait, that still happens!)? I'm all for family travel - and am constantly promoting it as a way to explore the world together, whether in your backyard or in far-flung places. But there are ways to create happy family travel - less stress, more bonding and joyful journeys. Interested? Of course!