• When I went on an Anarctic cruise aboard the Seabourn Venture I was mostly impressed.
• My add-on kayaking and photography masterclass excursions felt like an incredible value.
• However, I was pretty disappointed by the $1,000 submarine excursion.

Every traveler should experience a cruise to Anarctica at least once.

From the adorable, toddling penguins that you'll witness almost daily to the mind-blowing cerulean-blue icebergs, it's pure magic.

Of course, making your way south to the Great White Continent isn't cheap, especially when you tack on the myriad excursions you'll want to enjoy along the way.

I sailed to Antarctica on the Seabourn Venture in 2022 and enjoyed my fair share of top-shelf cocktails and three-course meals while on board.

My luxury cruise on the 264-passenger, all-suite vessel included daily activities, but I also chose to book several of the ship's extra outings for additional fees.

Surprisingly, the most expensive one was my least favorite, but I found two I'd absolutely recommend.

Antarctic kayaking was everything I hoped it would be

One of my goals on this trip to Antarctica was to kayak with minke whales. I'm happy to report that I achieved that goal during my add-on kayaking excursions.

Before my cruise set sail, I booked three kayaking sessions on different days for about $250 a pop.

I spaced them out throughout the five days our ship was in Antarctic waters. The weather in Antarctica can be volatile and unpredictable, so I wanted to have options in case one or two of the trips got canceled.

This experience was incredible. I encountered many glassy icebergs as I paddled around the area's frigid waters. In addition to seeing whales, I also witnessed penguins porpoising, where they torpedo themselves up and out of the water, like dolphins.

If you get lucky, you may even see (and hear) a whale spout on this excursion.

I'm glad I booked the photography outing and lecutres

One of the best parts of my cruise was a photography outing on a Zodiac cruise (a smaller inflatable vessel) with the ship's onboard photographer. The add-on also came with a series of lessons on taking and editing great photos.

I'd invested in a professional-caliber digital camera setup before my cruise, so I found this photography-specific trip and subsequent lectures to be particularly valuable.

Our group had plenty of time to slow down and take multiple shots of shimmering icebergs while on the Zodiac. Plus, I learned tips for taking photos at great angles with better lighting.

The best part is that I left with dozens of high-quality images to share with my family and friends when I returned home.

During my trip, the excursion was more informal and organized by my ship's onboard photographer. Now, it's been built up into an entire course called the Image Masters Photography Masterclass for both amateur and pro photographers.

The add-on is usually limited to 10 individuals and costs about $375 per person per day.

However, I wasn't impressed by the pricey submerisble excursion

Seabourn's high-end expedition submarines can take seven people at a time hundreds of feet underwater.

Although this required less work than kayaking, it was also far less scenic and way more expensive.

The one-hour underwater adventure cost $1,000. I felt that was too high, especially once I realized how dark Antarctica's oceans can be and how little I'd actually see.

I didn't really enjoy sitting in a tiny, cramped bubble and trying not to feel claustrophobic for 60 minutes while descending into the dark depths of the ocean.

Some optimistic part of me had hoped to see penguins or whales, but we just spent the hour cruising around a dense carpet of unmoving sea stars dotted with sponges.

According to our guide, my group on this excursion saw more marine life than most, which didn't feel like very much. It was also tricky to take decent photos due to hazy sediment and low light at the bottom of the ocean.

Truth be told, the coolest thing about the submersible excursion was nerding out with my fellow shipmates about being in a freaking submarine.

• I've visited all of the national parks in the US. Of the 63, I have a few favorites and letdowns.
• National parks like Gates of the Arctic, Big Bend, and Yosemite have blown me away.
• I didn't love Dry Tortugas National Park or Gateway Arch National Park — neither felt immersive.

One of the top things that travelers love to do when they visit the United States is to embark on a great American road trip, filled with plenty of stunning national parks.

From Yellowstone's thundering herds of bison to Yosemite's towering granite walls, there's no shortage of natural wonders inside the millions of acres of American parkland.

Of course, with 63 different parks to visit, it's inevitable that some won't be a slam dunk for every single visitor.

I spent the entirety of 2020 visiting all of the US national parks, and although most were absolutely spellbinding, there are several that I won't be rushing back to anytime soon.

Below, I'll get into four of my all-time favorites — plus three let-downs that some travelers might want to skip.

I truly love Grand Teton National Park.

Rising up from the Snake River Valley like a gaggle of shark's teeth, the Teton Range is one of the most impressive landscapes on the planet.

Plus, the park is just a stone's throw from Jackson Hole, Wyoming's famed cowboy-town-turned-ski-haven. As such, there are loads of phenomenal restaurants nearby and chic lodges to bed down in when you're not hiking its hundreds of miles of trails.

In summer, grab your bear spray and spend a day hiking to Trapper Lake. If you're visiting when it's snowy out, book a wildlife-viewing trip with Jackson Hole Eco Tours for a chance to photograph moose and wolves.

Gates of the Arctic National Park is unlike any place I've ever been.

Yes, it's one of the most remote national parks of the bunch, but Alaska's massive Gates of the Arctic is one of the few places on earth that completely upended what I thought a wilderness area could be.

Home to thousands-strong caribou migrations, wild rivers, and the imposing peaks of the Brooks Range, this far-north site is well worth the time it takes to get there.

Alaska Alpine Adventures is one of the few tour operators that'll bring guests to this Arctic Circle expanse. Choose between a backpacking trip to the Arrigetch Peaks or a river-rafting tour — either way, you'll be privy to the park's otherworldly solitude and miles of verdant tundra.

Big Bend National Park truly offers something for every kind of traveler.

Tucked away in remote West Texas, Big Bend offers a scenic escape from the state's mostly flat landscapes.

It's also a fantastic park for those of us with short attention spans — choose between scenic drives (like the boulder- and cactus-strewn Ross Maxwell), riverside hikes (like Santa Elena Canyon), or rafting adventures along the Rio Grande.

When you're not out adventuring, be sure to take a dip in the park's steamy Langford Hot Springs.

There's a good reason Yosemite National Park is so popular.

Made even more famous by films like "Free Solo," Yosemite has always been renowned for its roaring waterfalls, stellar Sierra Nevada hiking, and sky-high cliffs of glacially-polished granite.

Yosemite National Park is surrounded by striking, mountainous landscapes, forested hillsides, and quaint gateway towns.

Sure, it's one of the more crowded national parks, but I've always found it easy enough to escape the throngs by trekking in the area's high country, road tripping over to Hetch Hetchy, or visiting in autumn (when most kids are back in school).

On the other hand, Indiana Dunes National Park left me feeling underwhelmed.

It can be fun to spend half a day tottering around on Indiana's famed lakeside sand dunes — unfortunately, I found this site to be small and city-bound.

While exploring Indiana Dunes National Park, hikers are routinely greeted by views of power plants and Chicago's copious skyline.

Also, the dunefield used to be much larger than its current sprawl — sadly, much of its mass was carted away by glass companies and manufacturers in the early 1900s.

I found the park itself to be a reminder of why we need to preserve important landscapes before they are overly developed by corporate interests. To me, this park is more of a symbol of Western industrialization than a pristine piece of nature.

Gateway Arch National Park hardly feels like a real park.

More glorified cityscape than nature preserve, Gateway Arch was established as a national park in 2018, after a Missouri senator sponsored a bill to redesignate the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial.

The move followed a $380 million renovation of the site, refurbishing the arch and adding an underground history museum to the downtown St. Louis property.

Although the space-age architecture of the arch itself is impressive, I found this to be the most surprising national park of my quest.

With its manicured lawns and paved pathways, it doesn't feel like a typical national park. Even an acting deputy director of the National Park Service has said that the small site fits the department's definition of a national monument much more than a park.

Unlike most public lands, Gateway Arch charges additional funds for important attractions once guests enter the premises, like going up inside the arch, which can feel like a Disneyland-style cash grab.

I wasn't very impressed by Dry Tortugas National Park.

Maybe I just got a bout of bad weather on the choppy boat ride out to Florida's Dry Tortugas, but I found this to be the least impressive of America's beachy national parks.

Its snorkeling areas felt small and relatively uninhabited by marine life during my visit.

Although the park's Civil War-era fort is an impressive feat of engineering, it feels much more like a national monument dedicated to our country's history than a blissful island escape.

Like most of my least-favorite national parks, access to Dry Tortugas is largely controlled by a private tour operator, meaning that most travelers will have to pay for a ferry ride from Key West to this small cluster of islands.

In my opinion, you could visit nearby Biscayne National Park or jet set to the Virgin Islands for a more immersive tropical park experience.

• I've visited every national park in the US and a few have stood out to me as underrated favorites.
• Alaska's Gates of the Arctic National Park has some of the most beautiful views.
• Kings Canyon is incredible but sometimes overshadowed by other national parks in California.

The 63 Congress-designated national parks have been touted as "America's best idea" — and with their mile-deep canyons, 3,000-year-old trees, and stunning mountain ranges, it's easy to see why.

However, with great beauty often comes great crowds. Many top-rated national parks routinely make headlines for their confusing timed-entry reservation systems, long lines of cars, and overrun trails.

I've experienced it firsthand, as I've been to every national park in the United States and authored a book about them. I'm here to tell you that Yosemite is beautiful, but a visit is usually not worth the summertime traffic.

This year, I suggest you skip the more famous national parks in favor of these six underrated gems.

I don't think Capitol Reef National Park in Utah is appreciated enough

I think Capitol Reef is the most underrated national park.

Set in central Utah, away from more popular tourist hubs like Zion and Moab, this park is a haven for camping amid crumbling rust-red cliffs, exploring secluded slot canyons, and hiking to enormous sandstone arches.

Book a site at the Fruita Campground or nab a cabin at nearby Capitol Reef Resort for the best red-rock views in town.

Be sure to spend a day ambling around the park's stunning trail system, checking out the easy trek through Grand Wash and the thigh-burning hike up to Cassidy Arch along the way.

Alaska's Gates of the Arctic National Park is worth trekking to.

Gates of the Arctic is one of the least-visited national parks, perhaps because it takes a flight to Fairbanks, a transfer to tiny Bettles or Coldfoot, and a bumpy ride in a bush plane to get to it.

However, once you lay eyes on the magnificent Brooks Range and its miles of unspoiled tundra, you'll see the journey is worth it.

Rather than a pricey, half-day flightseeing tour, which won't actually get you hiking inside the park, splurge on a river-rafting journey with a guiding service like Alaska Alpine Adventures.

Or, if you're feeling fit, embark on a backpacking trip to the toothy Arrigetch Peaks, which absolutely blew my mind in person.

Located in North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is filled with wildlife.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is one of the best places in the country to view incredible wildlife from the comfort of your vehicle.

On my three-day visit to the park, I witnessed a rattlesnake slither across the trail, spent hours photographing playful prairie dogs, watched coyotes take in the sunrise near a herd of wild horses, and got caught up in a bison traffic jam.

Be sure to get out and stretch your legs on the park's hundreds of miles of trails, too. The Painted Canyon Nature Trail overlooks striking coral- and rust-hued badlands, and the hike to Sperati Point offers a sweeping view of the Little Missouri River and the Little Missouri National Grassland.

West Virginia's New River Gorge National Park is one of my favorites.

If you're the kind of outdoor enthusiast who's a jack of all trades, master of none, New River Gorge might be your new favorite park.

There's something for everyone at America's newest national park, which only just got its designation in 2020. It has world-class rafting and excellent rock climbing, plus forest trails along the ravine that parallels the New River.

Set up base camp in a homey cabin at Adventures on the Gorge. If you're feeling brave, book a death-defying Bridge Walk, which allows visitors to explore the longest single-arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere.

Big Bend National Park is a Texas highlight.

After growing up in flat, humid East Texas, I was shocked to learn that there's a whole wonderland of high peaks and rocky, view-filled trails in the state's far western corner.

A haven for float trips down the mighty Rio Grande, steamy hot springs, and epic camping inside the Chihuahuan Desert, Big Bend is a nature-filled oasis, situated just south of the artsy towns of Marfa and Terlingua.

Intrepid travelers will want to make a beeline for Santa Elena Canyon, the park's most famous ravine, and either hike its short, riverfront trail or book an all-day rafting trip to marvel at its honey-tinted limestone walls.

For an up-close look at Big Bend's rocky summits, spend a few hours traipsing around the Window Trail. After a day of big adventures, rest in a chic, modern casita at Willow House or a funky camper at El Cosmico.

I prefer to visit Kings Canyon National Park over its other famous California neighbors.

Set in the High Sierra, between the more famous Sequoia and Yosemite national parks, Kings Canyon is an underrated (and often less-crowded) gem for serious hikers and backpackers.

Although I'd visited the park many times, I first fell head-over-heels in love with it while trekking across its entirety on the John Muir Trail.

Want a shaded day hike with views of a roaring waterfall? Check out the 8-mile round-trip loop out to Mist Falls — and be sure to pack a picnic lunch.

If you prefer an overnight backpacking excursion, hike in from the South Fork of Bishop Creek and wander around the alpine lakes of Dusy Basin.

Either way, pass through the tiny town of Big Pine and head to Copper Top BBQ for the best pulled-pork sandwich in the state.

• I've been to Alpine-style towns in the US that feel like Europe, particularly Switzerland.
• Colorado's Ouray has been nicknamed "The Little Switzerland of America" for many reasons.
• Telluride and Crested Butte also feel like European-style escapes within the US.

Soaring granite peaks, glacier-carved valleys, and a myriad of geothermally-heated hot springs are just a handful of reasons that thousands of Americans venture to the Swiss Alps each year.

However, I've found similarly stunning mountainous landscapes and a thriving food and arts scene in humble Colorado.

The Centennial State is famous for its many adorable mountain towns and ski villages, but as a Colorado local, there are only three that I venture to when I want to rekindle that heart-pounding feeling I felt when I first visited the Alps many years ago.

Here are three of my favorite Alpine-style villages in Colorado.

I see why some say Ouray is a slice of Switzerland in the US

Ouray is one of few towns in the US that's been nicknamed "The Little Switzerland of America."

It's easy to see why with just one wintery jaunt down its main boulevard — towering bluffs of rock and snow jut up in every direction, and historic buildings are everywhere.

There's no need to fly to a mountain resort in Zermatt to get your adrenaline pumping, either. Ouray's Ice Park and annual Ice Festival offer some of the best opportunities to dust off your crampons and go ice climbing in the US.

For a bit of higher-brow culture, stop at the Wright Opera House. It was established in 1888 and hosts a variety of live performances throughout the year, including an annual Yule celebration.

If you visit in the summer or fall, don't miss the Million Dollar Highway, a scenic driving route that winds past cascading waterfalls and tall peaks.

When it's time to refuel, check into the Victorian-era Beaumont Hotel in downtown Ouray. With its antique furnishings and historic architecture, it feels like it belongs in Europe.

Finally, soak your tired bones while enjoying outstanding mountain views at the Ouray Hot Springs Pool or the Historic Weisbaden Hot Springs Spa that give some of Switzerland's a run for their money.

I've enjoyed many European vibes and eats in Telluride

Apart from having an excellent ski and live-music scene, Telluride is also home to incredible European-inspired eateries and architecture.

If you want to recreate a classic Swiss tradition, try the extensive fondue menu at Alpinist and the Goat, which features imported Gruyère and French truffle.

If you're staying slopeside, check out Timber Room, which offers fire-roasted meals and crudité in an elegant, living-room-style setting.

For second-to-none Euro-style digs, head to the lavish Dunton Town House.

It's designed to honor Tyrolean immigrants who came to the San Juan Mountains over 150 years ago — and Austrian ceramics and antiques can be found throughout the historic inn.

Of course, Telluride also has many opportunities for outdoor recreation.

To experience a quintessentially Alps-like mountain hut, visit High Camp Hut near the mountainous Lizard Head Pass. It puts guests at the center of the surrounding snowy peaks, with opportunities for backcountry skiing and sledding.

If you're visiting in the warmer summer months, book a guided day trip along the Telluride's via ferrata, which is reminiscent of similar gear-supported climbing routes in Switzerland.

Crested Butte feels like a mountainous escape

Since it's about a four-hour drive from Denver, Crested Butte's wildflower-strewn meadows and powdery ski slopes tend to offer a crowd-free escape from Colorado's busiest mountain towns.

During winter months, Crested Butte Mountain Resort offers fantastic groomed runs for all experience levels. It's known for its "extreme inbounds skiing," which is reminiscent of Chamonix's famous side-country routes.

I'd also recommend a trip through the nearby town of Gothic, which offers car camping and opportunities to swim in sparkling alpine lakes throughout the sunny summer months. Its striking landscape reminds me of the beautiful and immense summits around Switzerland's Lauterbrunnen village.

After a day of sightseeing in and around Crested Butte, enjoy blistered baby carrots and dry-aged Piedmontese beef at Two Twelve, an elevated eatery in town.

Or, try a fine-dining experience at Magic Meadows Yurt, which diners can only get to by Nordic skiing or snowshoeing.