Please welcome to The Window Seat Nancy Schretter, Founder and Managing Editor of the award-winning Family Travel Network.

It was a steamy day, and I was standing in an intimate pose—forehead against forehead—with a man I’d never met before; a man wearing a pair of wild boar tusks around his neck, at that. We stood on the cusp of the sacred Halawa Valley on the Hawaiian island of Molokai. Together, we both inhaled, and as I looked up into his eyes I caught a flash of knowing wisdom, and then all too quickly we separated. As the valley kupuna (revered elder), this man had been responsible for allowing me passage into this part of the island (through a series of ritual conch calls and chants), and as the keeper of this protocol he allowed me a peek into Molokai’s sacred—but no longer so totally secret—history.

To enter the Halawa Valley, you must leave an offering of thanks.

It’s been nearly 50 years since the Empire State Building held the title “Tallest Building in the World,” but the world’s still head over heels for skyscrapers. Luckily for us modern folk, our tallest towers are no longer just for work–you can also climb into the clouds to sip cocktails, go for a swim, or satisfy your shutterbug impulses with some truly unmatched panoramas. From the newest high-altitude hotel in Hong Kong to some of Dubai’s steepest stays, here are five of the world’s tallest hotels:

This past weekend here in San Francisco, I was sitting outside with some friends, all of us wearing long pants and sweaters, but enjoying the crisp July weather, and discussing how our poor friends and family in the rest of the country were melting in this summer’s monster heat wave. It made me feel lucky to live in a city with “natural” air conditioning—when it gets too warm outside, the warm air interacts with the cool ocean currents to create the cooling fog that’s made this city so famous.

But many travelers aren’t so lucky as to find their hearts in San Francisco, and most likely will be dealing with heat for at least the next month, so here are some tips to stay cool during your summer vacation:

One of my favorite parts of studying abroad when I was in college was being able to buy a cheap ticket and hop on a flight to various parts of Europe. One of the first places on my list to go to was Ireland. Of course, one of the most popular destinations within Ireland is the capital, Dublin. And yes, I did go to U2’s stomping grounds and drink the mandatory pint of Guinness, but I also wanted to see the green pastures, the side of Ireland everyone dreams of.

When I was a senior in high school, my family took an Arizona vacation. It was the height of summer, and my parents were able to get an amazing deal on a fancy resort in Phoenix, since it was 114-degrees outside and no one in their right mind would want to vacation in an oven. So we spent our entire time in Phoenix in the hotel swimming pool. And, after that, we went to visit the red-rock town of Sedona, which was a relief at about 20 degrees cooler, and which leaves an impression on me to this day.

I just got back from a weeklong visit to my hometown. You’re probably conjuring up idyllic scenes of Main Street, U.S.A., but I hail from the Panhandle of Florida. Instead, I was treated to stretches of sugar-white beaches, boiled peanuts, and crystal-clear waters.

As gorgeous as my old stomping grounds are, they’re still pretty quiet in terms of tourism. Here’s my Local’s Guide to the Emerald Coast, including stops in Panama City Beach, Rosemary Beach, Destin, and more. Shop our Florida vacation deals now and keep reading to plan your trip.

Please join us in welcoming guest author Joel Frey, one of the Travelocity Roaming Gnome’s most trusted publicists.

As my wife, Heather, and I entered Carlsbad Caverns, my mind immediately hearkened back to elementary school.

“What’s the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite?” I asked with my inside voice to prevent any echoes from revealing my lack of knowledge in the geosciences.

“Stalactites hang tight from the ceiling and stalagmites grow mighty from the ground,” Heather said. I paused for a moment, waiting to see if she’d follow up with a “duh,” but she resisted. I think.

(photo of Carlsbad Caverns courtesy of Heather Frey)

If there’s one thing San Francisco loves more than bacon, it’s parks. One hint of hot, sunny weather and we migrate in bikini-clad droves to the nearest grassy space, spread out our picnic blankets, and soak up as much Vitamin D as humanly possible before the sun rolls down behind the hills. Sure, we have a beach, but in a lot of ways the park has become an even better warm-weather alternative–an easy-to-get-to piece of nature in an otherwise urban sprawl.

Please welcome guest author T.L. Higley. Historical fiction author T.L. Higley doesn’t just transport readers to the settings of her books, she transports herself as well. Her trips to Greece, Egypt, Jordan and Italy have found their way into her suspense novels, including the popular Seven Wonders series. Her upcoming Pompeii: City on Fire (B&H Publishing) brings to life the lost Roman city buried by a massive volcano.

A parents’ guide for avoiding attitudes and embracing adventure

It’s hard to find someone that truly knows Washington, D.C. The city only claims about 600,000 residents, with 70% of the total working population actually commuting into the city from Maryland or Virginia. I, for one, can’t give any true traveler tips for D.C., because the two times I’ve been there I could only stay for a couple days. That’s why I’ve turned to my friend Jen. She’s been living as a bona fide resident of D.C. for over a year now–even working on Capitol Hill! Since this is a rare case in and of itself, I jumped on the opportunity to find out the city’s local secrets.

Jamaica is a Caribbean island with a lot of personality. In addition to its postcard-worthy beaches, it’s known far and wide for its relaxed reggae music, its savory jerk spiced-cooking, its sweet rum, its Blue Mountain coffee, and its Red Stripe beer. But these popular Jamaican exports don’t give the full picture of an island that’s got a few surprises up its sleeve.

For starters, while the jerk chicken is ubiquitous, the island is actually very vegetarian friendly. Many Rastafari avoid meat products of all kinds (although some eat fish), so virtually every restaurant has a vegetarian option on the menu, and it’s often quite exotic. Some of my favorites were peas (beans) and rice and scrambled ackee fruit (which, when cooked up with butter, salt, and pepper, tastes quite a bit like scrambled eggs).