Welcome to the December issue of The Traveler.

Happy New Year!

The Traveler hopes that your holidays have been warm and happy!

Let's dig into this issue -

We've got three brand new feature articles to cap 2007, starting with a journey to the Kingdom of Bhutan by first-time contributor and professional travel writer Jill Irwin. Next we'll bundle up for a trek up north to Alaska with our friend Kathryn Lemmon, and finally we're off to Germany with Alf Meier for a first-hand look at art and architecture.

What better time than the end of the year to take a look back at some of the best travel writing for 2007? That's just what we do for our December travel writing pick-of-the-month.

And finishing off, as usual, is our short list of travel resources.

Enjoy!

A Hiatus for The Traveler
We've been happily publishing The Traveler every month now for the past six and-a-half years. When we take a look at that first issue, we're reminded how far our humble little ezine has come since June of 2001! But we're not so much patting our backs here at Traveler headquarters as we are yours - our readers and our fantastic network of travel writers from across the club. Thanks, thanks, and more thanks!

Due to the vagaries of trying to deliver an email ezine into a spam-ridden world, the crazy and oft times dictatorial antics of our good friends at America Online that has now decided to make The Traveler jump through hoops with each issue (Hey! We're not spamming anyone, why are you picking on us?!?), the fact that The Traveler is looking at new editorial partnerships and methods of delivery, and finally The Traveler's intention on spending most of February near the Arctic Circle on an Earthwatch expedition, we've decided to take the next two months off.

We'll still be publishing travel stories and resources on the Traveler Blog, but there won't be any Traveler issues in your mailbox until late March. Please feel free to sign up for our RSS feed and subscribe to the blog to stay current (there's an option to subscribe to blog updates via email). It may be, after careful consideration, that our blog will turn into our main distribution channel anyway, so there will likely be more and more posted to the blog in the coming weeks.

We'd like to thank everyone for their continued loyalty and wish all a very Happy, Prosperous, and Peaceful New Year!

Feature Articles

Seeking Solitude and Christina Aguilera in Bhutan
A traveler from the west may find that solitude a little hard to come by - but it is surely there.

Alaska
So how many grizzlies have you seen?

Art in the Heart of Germany
Art Nouveau anyone?

Travel Writing Pick-Of-The-Month

It's our tradition here at The Traveler to start off each year with this Best Americancollection, and this year is not different. Since we're not publishing a January or February issue, we're making it our Pick-of-the-Month for December. The Best American Travel Writing 2007 (The Best American Series)

Travel Ideas, Resources, and Bargains

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Fun Stuff:
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Travel Stories from LiveLife Travel
Our friend and colleague Sharon Miller publishes and excellent newsletter and website. Check our here latest featured article at LiveLife Travel.

What's New at TouristTravel.com

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