A generation ago, young travelers hit the road with nothing more than a backpack, a few dollars and a Eurail pass to cover as many Western European countries as possible.

But these days, that Eurail pass can take travelers far past the west-to-east borders, all the way to the Black Sea.

Already jaded by her Western European experiences, Dara Bramson reports on her journey south and east as part of a new generation of intrepid backpackers.

Dear Peter,
I know it’s our tradition to leave notes for each other in hotels around the world and for me to send you these electronic postcards as I travel on my own, but today I have decided to begin the Napa Bottle Blog since I am out and about doing the entire area scene.

There’s going to be a Born to Shop California Wine Country, so I will have a lot more to report on besides Napa, but right now I am living in the Westin Verasa in East Napa, California.

“Signoreeeeena. Learn to lean out! You’ll never see anything with your face in the rock.”

My alpine guide is truly baffled. By the kung fu grip I’ve asserted on the limestone, which only loosens with the shaking of ankles and perspiring of palms, I’m starting to resemble a Garfield plush cling.

The internal dialogue has officially spiraled out of control: I can’t do this. I’m going to plummet. To an untimely demise. Do not cry do not cry do not cry… Do. Not. Cry.

Dear Peter,

I am about to do a huge tour of Napa and California Wine Country for a new book, so I kicked off the research the way anyone would—in the city of San Francisco.

It was just a quickie visit, but the main purpose was to attend a re-corking workshop, something I had never even heard about before.

Happy Halloween! Peter was on The Early Show this morning to talk about some of America’s most haunted hotels, where guests can stay in a room with a “boo!”

Read the article on CBS News to find out about spooky hotels where guests have checked in, but never checked out.

It seems to me that every person who’s had the good luck and great joy to explore America’s national parks has one special place that’s woven its magic through their heart and calls them back again and again.

For me that place is southern Utah’s Zion National Park and there is no time I love it more than in fall.

The crowds have left. The heat has abated. But the fall colors are as startling and exquisite as any you’d find in Maine, Vermont or New Hampshire.

Preparing to travel to London with four kids, ages 2, 6, 8, and 10, seemed straightforward enough, but Nancy Solomon of family travel site Ciao Bambino, learned some important lessons of the road while exploring this sprawling, urban destination.

So find out her tips and recommendations for traveling with kids in London …

Dear Peter,

You know that we usually save our political discussions for over dinner and in person and I would hardly send a postcard of my views, but now that I have seen the New Shenzhen, I feel like I have to not only share with the world, but make it clear what is so different from the New China.

WELCOME TO “SZ”