The message is, to really discover the joy of travel one must blend in, not stand out. Wearing American flags or even favorite team jerseys and caps is a tip off that one is not from the country one is visiting. Although humorous, the advice is simple: Why not pack light and buy a few items as you travel? That way you have great souvenirs as well as shedding the distinct American imprint.

When out of the U.S., I love to head to pharmacies and five and dime type shops to stock up on small items like lip balm and packages of tissues. I always look for fun socks and t-shirts, hats, hair accessories and of course shoes and bags, a girl can never have enough shoes and bags! Even your jewelry, haircut and makeup can tip you off.

When I lived in France, folks often asked me how my teeth were so white. This was before teeth whiteners were chic and I just chalked it up to good American dental care. Germans often wear sandals with socks and very short shorts. Brits can be spotted with sunburns, Russians bejeweled and glittery, Spaniards always seem to have great shoes.

These are clichés of course but I always notice how well the French maneuver their cutlery. Often it’s the little things that give away one’s nationality. So if you are headed abroad think about these details as you plan your adventure and decide if you want to be taken for a local.

Others might choose the Inca Trail in Peru; the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain; pub-to-pub walking in the Cotswolds of England; the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine.

I’ve been tempted by the Overland Track in Tasmania. But Robert D. Hershey Jr. extols the virtues of the Milford Track in New Zealand in a recent story in The New York Times. As far back as 1908 this 33.5-mile trail was called the finest walk in the world and many hikers feel it’s true today.

After reading Hershey’s story I’m ready to start planning a trip south. How about you?

Nearly every weekend I took off for London, Belgium, Germany, Spain, Holland or Italy. I remember sewing a Canadian patch on my backpack before a foray through Europe because of the palpable dislike for Reaganomics and small acts of terrorism against Americans: small potatoes compared to travelers’ fears today.

These days, the economic slowdown and global tensions make a year in another country out of reach or out of the question for many. So you might think that there has been a decrease in student travel, but no, according to a recent New York Times article, study abroad is not only on the rise, it is flourishing.

This is good news for all us travel buffs; it means a new generation is getting out and seeing the world. Where are students going? The top five countries where student travel has increased dramatically in the last few years are Ecuador, South Africa, Argentina, China and India. Many schools are expanding their programs to keep up with the high demand, particularly for China. Interestingly USC, NYU and Columbia receive the most foreign students.

Sometime in the 1980s the QE2 came to San Francisco and I remember thinking she was a marvel among marvels. After all, at 963 feet and 70,000 tons she was the world’s largest cruise ship and dwarfed the other vessels I’d seen over the years docking at the piers beneath my home on Telegraph Hill. Not long after, or maybe before, my memory is fuzzy, the ship was commandeered by Margaret Thatcher to serve as a troop ship during the 1982 Falklands War.

In January 2007 she returned to San Francisco, diminished in size by the behemoths that followed her. The current “world’s largest cruise liner” is Freedom of the Seas at a staggering 1,112 feet and 160,000 tons. That’s more than twice the weight of the QE2, which is almost beyond comprehension, literally holding a small town of 4,300 passengers and 1,300 crew on 15 passenger decks.

In her nearly 40 years of service the QE2 transported 2.5 million passengers across the sea, making 800 transatlantic trips and 25 round-the-world voyages. But today she is on her last voyage, sailing now from Southampton to Dubai where she will be retired and become a luxury hotel. This seems a sad fate for a vessel with such a storied past, but it’s better than the salvage yard, and means people like me can still go aboard if they find their way to Dubai.

But she didn’t go quietly to her retirement. She ran aground in the English Channel at the start of her voyage, perhaps one last protest against her fate of permanent anchorage, a stationary hotel with a museum to display her glory, but free to roam the seas no more.

A recent article in the New York Times chronicled the opening of a Soccer Museum, where else but in Sao Paulo, Brazil. An elite sport that has become a sport for the masses, it has great lessons to teach both on and off the field.

Agility, thinking fast on your feet and teamwork are just a few of the skills vital for soccer success.  From Pele to Mia Hamm, Cameroon to Korea, soccer stars are truly global, although Brazil is perhaps the most insane for its players, many of whom are often given only one name to further heighten their star status.

The billions of soccer fans around the globe love to share their passion, whether using a bunched up old shirt, an old rusty can or a regulation black and white ball; futbol is truly an international language. So, if you have kids who love the sport and you plan on traveling anywhere outside the U.S., take a soccer ball along. Your ball just might be an ambassador of sorts, an entrée into the world of local kids. A mom friend of mine with three boys, all soccer crazy, just got back from a whirlwind trip to Europe. She reminisced with me about her sons’ pick-up games in London’s Hyde Park and Barcelona. What a great way to connect, mingle and assimilate into a culture, something we Americans need to experience more often.