2 . I’ve lived in Cardigan Bay(卡迪根海湾) in West Wales since I was a few months old. You’ve got everything you need here. Hills, stunning beaches, nice coastal paths. As someone who loves the countryside, I’ve never wanted to leave.

I was lucky to find work I could do in this area. A lot of people do have to move away in order to find work. I started Adventure Beyond here about 30 years ago and we work all over the UK. We go up to Scotland, we work along the Thames. We’ve also taken groups to Canada, the Himalayas, places like that. But honestly, West Wales has got everything. We can do everything we need right here.

Cardigan Bay is pretty huge, but I find having grown up here there’s a definite sense of place. There’s an awareness that we’re lucky to have these incredible sandy beaches, pebbly beaches, beautiful rivers, hills. It’s peaceful, and it’s not overdeveloped. Of course, there’re periods when it gets busy, but then the second schools go back and you pretty much get the beaches to yourself. There is a sense of community (群体) too, with a lot of good community-based clubs, such as the Poppit Sands Surf Lifesaving Club.

I set up Adventure Beyond to make my own work in the area. I love the outdoors, and I wanted to be in Cardigan Bay, so it was perfect. I’ve tried to always keep that personal touch. The clients (客户) will pretty much always meet myself and all the staff. We took a lot of people on through the Kickstart scheme (启动计划) and they’ve been employed with us for a few years. A lot of our clients have been with us since we started, too. There’s a sense of family, which is quite special.

I won’t mention a specific favorite place, but in general the beaches are just amazing. It’s just a sort of wild west, really.

3 . Just approximately 50 years ago, needing money to support family — my novels weren’t bestsellers — I had the idea of taking the longest train trip imaginable and writing a travel book about it.

The trip would be improvisational — no credit card, no idea where I’d be staying, nor any idea of how long this trip would take. Never had I written a travel book, though I’d read many of them. My favorites were those giving a vivid and detailed description of a difficult and unpleasant experience, with ups and downs. But I hoped my trip wouldn’t be that, despite the fact that it was obviously an adventure.

I set off with one small bag containing clothes, a map of Asia, and some travelers’ cheques, I made it to Mashhad, travelled by bus through Afghanistan and rode the rails again. Sometimes threatened, now and then tired, occasionally laying up with food poisoning, I had a narrow escape — all of these vivid details for my story.

I came across an Indian in Afghanistan who said I should pay a visit to him in Kanpur, and he gave me his address: “I live in Railway Bazaar,” as a consequence of which I had my title early on The Great Railway Bazaar on my return in 1974, appearing the following year to go viral and sell well — and it’s still in print, in many languages. A few years later, an idea flooding into my mind, I took a similar trip, mostly by train, from my home in Boston to Patagonia, and wrote about it in The Old Patagonian Express.

That’s the past. Nothing is the same now. All such trips are unique and unrepeatable. It’s not just that the steam trains of Asia are gone. Much of the peace and order is gone. Who’d risk an Iranian train now or take a bus through Afghanistan? All travel books are out of fashion, but they preserve something of the past that would otherwise be lost.

8 . Best Ski Resorts (胜地)

Stevens Pass—Washington

While American families have different choices when it comes to winter snow sports, many choose Stevens Pass. For some fun after the sun goes down, Stevens Pass offers night skiing under the lights until 10 p. m. If you need to get some work done, you can head to the Visitor Center where free Wii is offered for work from mountain experience.

Good to Know: Buy tickets 7+days earlier for the biggest savings.

Beaver Creek—Colombia

With full childcare choices and the best ski school for beginners, Beaver Creek is a perfect ski resort for families. For kids who aren't quite ready to ski, the Small World Play School is a good place to go to. Add in a Cookie Cabin, and you may never want to go down this mountain!

Good to Know: Every day at 3 p. m. enjoy Cookie Time—where cooks serve warm, delicious chocolate cookies!

Big Sky Resort-Montana

Big Sky is greatly designed for skiing lovers. The Lone Peak Playhouse offers childcare to kids aged six months to eight years old, so you can enjoy skiing while your kids play. Or, head to Chet's for board games and live music.

Good to Know: Kids aged six and under ski free.

Mt. Hood Meadows—Oregon

For beginners, start with Buttercup and Ballroom Carpet. Or, head to the Children's Learning Center, where kids as young as four can sign up for lessons. If you add in the healthy lunches, you can rest easy while your kids have a great full-day lesson.

Good to know： Kids can get a special two-hour beginner lesson for just $ 25, and equipment rental (设备租用)can be added for $10. Tickets can only be bought ahead of time.

9 . From the deserts to the rocky coastline, the United States offers a breathtaking range of natural landscapes. Here are some of its top picks, one in each state.

Massachusetts

Book an overnight stay at the Borden Flats Lighthouse in Massachusetts’ Taunton River for a taste of lightkeeper life. The tower wan built in 1881 to guide ships through the Mount Hope Bay, near the town of Fall River, Book months in advance for this self-catering flat with wonderful views.

Connecticut

With 650 feet of vertical (垂直的) drop, Connecticut’s Mohawk Mountain So Area might look modest, but its eight chairlifts provide access to 26 sidewinding trails (小径), many of which can be skied after dark thanks to night lighting. Toward the mountain top several trails connect with snowshoe and cross-country ski paths that go deeper into Mohawk State Forest.

Colorado

The Centennial State has nearly a hundred developed and undeveloped hot springs.The heated natural water is said to relieve pain and reduce stress. For the wellness road trip, start with the 720-mile Colorado Historic Hot Springs Loop from Denver to Pagosa Springs to Steamboat Springs, which highlights 17 destinations, including Glenwood Hot Springs Resort with its 405-foot-long main pool.

Montana

Helena, Montana’s laid-back capital, is often overlooked. But its location, at 3, 875 feet of elevation on the eastern slope (斜坡) of the Continental Divide, makes it a mountain biker’s dream. Seventy-five miles of trails include the Mount Helena Ridge Trail, where you’ll get views of the valley below. You might see wildflowers or a black bear.

10 . Most Famous Libraries in the World

Trinity College Library

Designed by Thomas Burgh, the library is the largest in Ireland. Construction on the Long Room, the library’s 65-meter-long main hall, began in 1712 and lasted 20 years. The original structure only had books on the lower level, but when the library’s shelves were filled in the 1850s, the ceiling was raised to accommodate even more books. Today the Long Room holds 200,000 of the library’s oldest books.

Stuttgart City Library

Opened in 2011, the German library is a splendid light-gray cube consisting of glass blocks designed by Eun Young Yi. Inside it, you’ll find an airy central room, above which sits a multi-story stepped reading room lined with bookshelves. The library towers over the nearby buildings.

Library of Parliament

Taking the form of a Victorian Gothic chapter house complete with 16 flying buttresses, the 1876 Library of Parliament is one of Canada’s prized architectural treasures — it’s on the ten-dollar bill. Architects Thomas Fuller and Chilion Jones took inspiration from the British Museum Reading Room for the structure, lining the central hall with delicate wood shelves and wood carvings.

Rampur Raza Library

Founded in the late 18th century, the Indian library is home to a massive collection of Islamic and Asian texts and objects. The pink structure that houses the collection today was built in 1904 by Nawab Hamid Ali Khan as a mansion of Indo-European style, The Rampur Raza Library was later shifted to this grand building in 1957.