I never saw myself as a cruise ship sort of traveler until MSC Musica made me a changed woman.

I'm the person who lived for two years in N'Jowara, The Gambia in a room at the back of an empty shop house without running water, window panes or electricity. Until my MSC Musica cruise, my extended boat travel was five days on the Niger River in Mali, first perched on feed sacks in a ramshackle wooden cargo boat before switching to a small boat that was poled by a man and a boy. By the time I set foot on dry land in Timbuktu, I thought of changing my name to Huck Finn.

Back in February, I wrote a post on cruise ship deals. By the end of the post, I thought "If this is such a deal, why aren't I going?" Since one of my mom's lifelong dreams has been to go to Greece, I put the two ideas together and searched out a cruise. The Musica, one of the ships in the MSC cruise lines fleet, seemed perfect. After one day into the cruise, I knew I picked right .

Unfortunately, my mom had had to pull out of the cruise 10 days before the ship was to depart. Fortunately, my teenage daughter was able to switch in for my mom for a $100 charge to change the ticket.

With the end of 2009 approaching, this photo by tammystaats seems perfect. Are we walking towards or away from something or someone? Isn't the traveler's answer that we are doing both?

I love the footprints of these four people. Even though they started out further away from each other, they look as if they are merging the more that this group walks into the distance. The blue sky, white clouds and the crests of these dunes offer the suggestion of infinite possibilty. Bravo!

If you have a shot that captures the infinite possibility of the traveler, send it our way at Gadling's Flickr photo pool. It might be chosen as a Photo of the Day.

*This photo was tagged Colorado, so I am assuming these are at the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

New York City may be the most expensive place to live, but if you like to walk; it's a bargain to visit. Arrive by Friday late afternoon, and by Sunday evening you can knock off most of the must see places and eat without spending much money. By the end, you'll know a good bit of what makes this city so grand.

I recently tested out this method with a friend of my daughter's who is a high school exchange student from Germany. She wanted to see New York and I'm always up for a trip. We did stay with my brother, but I do have two budget hotel suggestions that have been used by people I know.

This time last year, Matt Harding was named traveler of the year by World Hum. His video, "Where the Hell is Matt?," the one funded by Stride gum had gone viral earlier that year. No wonder. If there's a secret to world peace, Harding had found it.

Start dancing a silly, but engaging dance and people will dance with you-most people. The guard at the DMZ in North Korea won't dance.

In his book Where the Hell is Matt? Dancing Badly Around the World, published earlier this year, Harding tells the stories behind the video. The book is as real and honest as the video version. What makes Harding's brand of world travel work is his lack of pretense.

This is a guy who likes people who people are drawn to by the droves.

What is made clear in the book is that Harding was as surprised by his success as anyone. He merely started out dancing at various spots around the world and filming his flailing. It was a spontaneous gesture. Once that video gained recognition, Stride gum approached him about round two and that's when Harding's life changed.

Rafting the Smith River in Montana requires planning ahead and a permit. Without the permit, you're not going. Obtaining one is simiilar to acquring a permit for a private rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. A lottery system says who goes and when a trip can happen. Not everyone wins.

The application process for 2010 begins in January permits closes the end of February for trips starting mid- April through the beginning of July. Some trips can go in September or later in July depending upon the river's water level.

The person who lands a permit can take a group of 14 people on the 59 mile route of that starts at Camp Baker and ends at Eden Bridge. That's how we ended up on the Smith two summers ago when the river was still high enough to make the four day journey. By the middle of July the water level is too low, particularly closer to the bridge.

Lucky for us, we were the last minute tag-a-longs who happened to be in Montana two days before our friends' trip and there was room for four more. Score!

The fact that I'm not a back country camping sort of person on most days was something I decided to set aside. The fact that my husband's hip was causing him major grief was something he decided to ignore. When would such perfect timing happen again? Never.

As a newbie to the back country rafting experience, I learned a few things.

There have been discussions about breastfeeding and travel on Gadling before. Breastfeeding on an airplane, in particular, has come up as a subject with many opinions. Here's my take. I was reminded of my breast feeding days when I saw a woman with a two-month old at the movie Sherlock Holmes. When it comes to travel, breastfeeding is the way to go. And don't worry about what anyone thinks about it.

If you've ever been to West Africa where a breast is for nursing children and not used as an object desire, you'll see where I'm coming from. My Peace Corps male friends who were in The Gambia when I was would moan every time they saw a woman pounding grain without a shirt on or whipping a breast out in the middle of a conversation to nurse an infant, "This is ruining it for me," they would say. What would they have to fixate on-to fantasize over?

When my son was born in India on New Year's Day, I was fortunate to be living in India, a country where breast feeding is seen as natural as breathing. It gave me the notion that babies and travel do indeed go together.

Because I breast fed only, for six months my husband and I traveled bottle free. There was no worry about our son getting sick. No paraphernalia to pack. I'd pack onesies, a few cute outfits, and a pair of baby shoes, one of those plastic diaper changer travel kits, disposable diapers, burp cloths and a cloth baby blanket. (The portable changer rolls up to slip into a daypack and has a pocket for carrying two or three diapers and baby wipes.)

Breastfeeding made our lives easier. What I also discovered is that if one is quiet and discrete, you can breast-feed about anywhere as long as you look comfortable. I breast fed in movie theaters, museums, and restaurants. If you're not worried about what people think about you nursing, you'll feel comfortable. If you're comfortable, chances are they won't notice, and if they do, it won't seem like a big deal. Think of it this way. Your breastfeeding is helping add to the peace and quiet of everyone else. Your baby who is breast-feeding is not crying. On an airplane, that's a real gift to give to passengers-particularly during take offs and landing.

To help make breastfeeding easier, take a light weight shawl with you and wear shirts that provide room for your baby to nurse comfortably, but also will cover your breast.

Even when I traveled in the summer in the U.S. and breast fed there, I never had any problems.

For more tips on traveling with a nursing infant, whether breast or bottle fed, check out "Travel Recommendations for The Nursing Mother" at the Center of Disease Control and Prevention's website.

In Denmark in December, darkness settles in around 3:30 p.m. Spend a few days where there is such an early sunset and late sunrise, and you'll know exactly why a festival of lights is a grand idea. Danes embrace the Christmas season with candles, evergreens and warm mulled wine.

The result of the cheer is a feeling that the world is drenched in pools of warm, soft glows. The candles and evergreens promise that the darkness will eventually lighten is enough to carry one towards spring.

The mulled wine called glugg, help seal the deal. The best glugg is served with the almonds, raisins and spices still in it.

Toss in a city of stunning architecture that artfully blends the old with the new, cobblestone walking streets, and centuries old canals and there you have it: winter magic. Copenhagen in December is a visual treat.

Think like TSA when you pack your Christmas presents for your flight home. If you don't think like TSA, your child may end up losing a gift. It almost happened to us.

In the past, I have said goodbye to a full bottle of suntan lotion and a corkscrew with a knife attached. Those were not fun to lose, but these were items that ended up in our carry on bag as we hurried. I've known about snow globes for awhile so I never would forget about one of those.

Still, to not be like me, don't pack in a hurry. Sift through that carry on bag one more time. Don't think logically; think like TSA. Items that may seem harmless to you can cause TSA's warning bells to ring. This summer, as Scott posted, one boy lost a Star Wars toy from Disneyland at a security checkpoint.

In general, when it comes to TSA's warning bells, I'm not one to argue, but when it came to one of my son's Christmas presents, I went head to head with Mr. TSA Man. I tried to stay polite even though I was mad enough I could have spit.

Here's how it went down and who won. Will a certain present be under the tree this year?

If you're stuck with a last minute present to buy. Here are 10 gift ideas. Most are quick and easy. Some of them don't require that you leave your house.

Two suggestions can be found at your local grocery store. No, you don't have to cook.

For a couple of them, all you need is a phone, the internet to find telephone numbers and your credit card.

When I saw this photo last week while looking for Santas from around the world, I knew I'd found today's Photo of the Day. Although this fellow appears among the other Santas, here he is again-- center stage.

The cultural mix of this Santa shot is superb. Taken by Carpetblogger in Azerbaijan, this is an excellent look at how elements of culture travel. As Carpetblogger explains, although the country is predominately Muslim, some aspects of secular Christian culture are celebrated. Santa is one of those boundary crossers.

If you have an interesting shot of cultural boundary crossing, send it our way at Gadling's Flickr Photo Pool. It could be chosen as Photo of the Day.