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Travel can introduce kids to the world’s real-life wonders, changing their perspective on topics they may have only read about in books.

It can literally change their lives.

“There is a kid’s way of seeing the world,” says Keith Bellows, editor-in-chief of National Geographic Traveler magazine and author of National Geographic’s “100 Places That Can Change Your Child’s Life.” “As an adult, get out of the way, and stop marching them through an experience. When you get them to slow down and experience a place from their perspective, it’s magic. Not just the place itself, but the experience.”

Consider Bellows’ suggestions a step up from simply taking a vacation. He says these places could open your child’s eyes to the diversity of the world, help them learn what interests them and inform how they navigate it as adults.

Marco Island, Florida

Of course Walt Disney World is a Florida rite of passage for many children (and their parents) but there’s so much to the state that isn’t prefabricated. Marco Island is one of those places for Bellows, with beaches showing off the rusticity and charm of old Florida. Kids will love the beach and you can sneak in some science in the spectacular nature surrounding you.

To Disney or not to Disney?

Get on board the Dolphin Explorer with your children and turn them into citizen scientists. Capt. Chris Desmond, founder of the 10,000 Islands Dolphins Project, directs children to note the family compositions, behavior and even evidence of shark bites of the dolphins they spot. They give the data to adult biologists onboard who feed it into a computer. The bonus: If a child spots a new dolphin — most are already known to the crew — that child gets to name the dolphin. “Every kid wants to spot a newcomer and it happened on a trip I was on,” says Bellows.

Big Sur, California

The drive from San Francisco into Big Sur may be Bellows’ favorite drive in the world. “It is one of the most hair-raising drives in the world, and you get the sense of a wild, driving adventure,” he says. “I’ve done it at least 40 or 50 times, and I never get tired of it.”

He recommends renting a convertible and coming down from San Francisco through the agriculture fields onto the California coast, much of which is protected and can be explored along the way. One highlight: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, just north of Big Sur. “It really teaches children that if you really love an area, you can protect it. Most of that coastline is protected, and it shows you what happens when you don’t screw it up. “

Grand Canyon

Nothing makes Bellows feel more humble than standing on the lip of the Grand Canyon, even if he’s standing with thousands of other people. “It’s a bite out of the Earth, a thrilling glimpse into the inside of the Earth,” he says.

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When children see the canyon layers below, that’s the first step in their understanding of the geology of the Earth, says Bellows. Take an age-appropriate hike so your children can see the layers and wildlife that make up the canyon. “They can see we didn’t just spring from nothing. This is a wafer sandwich of the world, and we’re going to be one of the layers one day.”

Chesapeake Bay, Maryland

The nation’s largest estuary, the Chesapeake Bay is filled with 64,000 square miles of rivers, marshes and bays. “My kids have grown up there kneeling in grass, looking for tadpoles and pulling up crab pots … and I love it,” says Bellows. “It’s some of the wildest primitive country we have. You can watch the ebb and flow of oysters, crabs and fishes, and it tells you how you’re treating this incredible place.”

It’s the home of the wild ponies children have read about it in Marguerite Henry’s “Misty of Chincoteague.” Those ponies of Assateague Island National Seashore live in two herds. You can see the ponies at the park but don’t feed them (to keep them wild).

Library of Congress, Washington

It’s OK to tell your children that the movie “National Treasure: Book of Secrets” was filmed at the Library of Congress. (Heck, show them the movie in advance of your trip.) And yes, that it’s the biggest library in the world with 3,800 staff, 500 miles of shelving and 128 million items (with about 10,000 items added each day).

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“If you go into the Library of Congress, you’re going to tell them it’s a library but it’s also a treasure trove,” says Bellows. Whatever your child likes, whether it’s music or maps or sports or humor, it’s likely he or she can find something about it here.

Your children also can get a “Passport to Knowledge” to guide them to the library’s so-called greatest hits, and they can play at Knowledge Quest kiosks and bookmark places of interest to explore later on a personalized mini-site.

New York City

A visit to New York for every child who has not grown up there is also a rite of passage, says Bellows. “Every kid has to go to New York City, and every adult does, too,” he says. “Every time you go back and haven’t been there for awhile, it’s a new place. It’s so big and so fast.”

Take the Circle Line boat tour, he suggests, so you can see by sailing around it how small an island Manhattan actually is. You can notice how connected it is to the other islands of Staten Island and Long Island (where Brooklyn and Queens are) and the Bronx, which is actually on the U.S mainland. “Here’s an island in the middle of nowhere but it’s connected to the entire world.”

For children seeing the Statue of Liberty, a Broadway show or the city decorated at Christmas for the first time, “it gets imprinted on kids’ minds.”

London

London is a starter city for U.S. parents who want to take their kids out of the country, after you’ve explored the nearest metropolitan city and your national parks. “They speak English in London but a child will know just how foreign it is, with things like Marmite,” says Bellows. “The wonderful thing about it is, this is a little like Harry Potter world. It’s familiar enough to be safe and foreign enough to be thrilling.”

Older children will love the ghoulish (and true) tales of the Tower of London. Begun in the 1070s by William the Conqueror, the tower was Europe’s first fortress. Queen Anne Boleyn was beheaded there in 1536 and is rumored to still haunt the place.

Trim, Ireland

How could medieval warriors run in chain mail armor? How heavy is a stone ax, really? Head to the ruins of the Dominican Black Friary, a short distance from Trim Castle in the town of Trim, Ireland.

Once a home for religious men and women, the friary’s ruins are being excavated in a special way. Visitors can get a crash course in excavation and start digging and recording their findings side-by-side with archaeologists and geologists. Younger children get to play at a camp, where they get to pick up heavy stone axes and run in chain mail.

Older children will enjoy a tour of nearby Trim Castle, which starred in the movie “Braveheart.” Hugh de Lacy and his son Walter began construction of the castle, the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland, in the 1170s. The castle protected the medieval village, once a commercial and religious powerhouse.

“What amazing architects these people were, and how remarkably old this is,” says Bellows. “It’s the quintessential castle. It’s knights, bow and arrows and blood on the ground.”

Muskoka, Canada

Bellows grew up in Muskoka, two hours north of Toronto in Ontario’s cottage country. “This is where kids can really connect with wilderness, even more so than the Chesapeake,” he says.

“There are dark lakes and loons at night. You can come out to a fish, flip the canoes and find the air holes underneath.”

Almost anyone can rent a cabin in this area known for its more than 1,600 lakes and leave electronic entertainment behind, he says. “It is simple, simple living. You can take off your shoes for days” and simply run around barefoot.

Galapagos Islands

There’s no doubt this trip is expensive. People who want to visit the Galapagos Islands have to take approved tours, designed to protect the islands’ fragile ecology. This is where Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution, where nearby islands have different ecologies and animals who have adapted differently to their environments.

“There is no place like it in the world,” says Bellows. “I’ve been twice, and the first time I went, I realized what Darwin was talking about. You see two birds who look the same but they have different vocalizations. It’s like two people speaking English but one person is from Brooklyn and the other is from Boston.”

The animals have no fear of humans, so your children will swim with dolphins and turtles and play near seals. But it’s not all peaceful.

“I saw a seal attacked by a shark and dying, tortoises leaning into each other, both dead,” he says. “You’re on a beach and you see crabs hatch prematurely in the middle of the day, slowly breaking down. It’s Darwin’s theory of evolution and the survival of the fittest.”

A tough, but essential, life lesson.

Where do you want to take your children before they grow up? What do you think is important or them to see? Please share in the comments below.

“But I’m not into organized religion,” you might say. You don’t have to be religious to appreciate a visit to a place others consider sacred. Even if you’re not specifically seeking the religious aspect of worship, there’s something special about thoughtfully witnessing and observing someone else’s faith in action. So why not get a spiritual boost by checking out houses of worship when you’re on the road?

“A lot of the richness in life comes from getting outside your own skin and experiencing the world beyond what you know and understand. If you open yourself up, you can have such experiences,” says Stuart M. Matlins, co-editor with Arthur J. Magida of “How to Be a Perfect Stranger: The Essential Religious Etiquette Handbook.” The book shares easy-to-understand background on faith traditions ranging from Baptist to Buddhist, Jewish to Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists to Sikhs.

“Typically, the way you are received depends on the way you behave,” says Matlins, who also is the founder of Jewish Lights Publishing and SkyLight Paths Publishing. He and wife, Antoinette, co-founded a Reform synagogue in Woodstock, Vermont, where Matlins served as lay spiritual leader for 19 years.

“I’ve never found a place where I was not welcome. The larger the place, the more likely they are to be welcoming of strangers, whether it’s a mosque, a synagogue or a church. That’s why I did this book — if you know the basics of what’s going to happen during the worship or the ritual, you’re less fearful of embarrassing yourself and intruding in the space of others.”

When I’m traveling abroad — but also when I’m visiting American cities — I often get up on Sunday mornings and attend some Christian service. I enjoy the religious aspect of worship, but it’s also about savoring local culture in one of its most authentic forms. And when you’re on the road alone, as I often am, these communal experiences offer the solo traveler a sense of belonging for an hour or two.

When previous reporting jobs took me to Manhattan, I’d go uptown to Harlem to visit Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of the nation’s oldest African-American Baptist congregations. And I was hardly alone. Every week, groups of tourists from around the world do the same — but in such huge numbers that the church specifically addresses first-time visitors by making clear its worship “is not a gospel performance or entertainment of any kind.”

Abyssinian now has a tourist entry point where folks must queue for first-come, first-served seats at its 11 a.m. service only. And tourist or not, tank tops, flip-flops and shorts are not allowed.

What’s most important to remember, says Matlins, is that even though you’re a tourist, visiting a functioning house of worship is not just like walking through a museum.

Regardless of the place’s faith tradition, he says, “You’re sharing a very special moment with people, and be aware of that. The key thing is to open yourself to the experience so you are not just an observer, even though you are not a participant. You enter a space where you’re not participant or tourist, but as one might say, you’re in the moment.”

But how do you know if worshippers at, say, a Muslim mosque or a Buddhist or Hindu temple will welcome you?

Francis X. Clooney, the director of the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard, has found Hindu temples to be fluid places where “smaller and larger rites” take place during the day, not always according to a fixed schedule. But if one is welcomed in, usually one is welcomed for the worship that is in progress.”

When in doubt, he suggests “checking in advance, or at least at the door before entering.”

Adds Matlins: “If you know people who live in that place, ask them if they can take you to their house of worship, or where they know you would be welcome. I did that in Lahore, Pakistan. I had the same concerns, but we were meeting with someone who was a very religiously involved Muslim.

“I told him of my interest in attending service at a mosque. He said he would be happy to take me.” But Matlins has also wandered alone into a Hindu temple in Singapore and Buddhist temples in Japan, which many tourists do.

Of course, it never hurts to do some research before you go, checking out books and websites that offer insight into the cultures and faith traditions you hope to see up close.

For folks seeking out Christian experiences close to home or on the other side of the world, the Mystery Worshipper website offers about 2,000 candid, sometimes tongue-in-cheek reviews of church services around the globe. Its volunteer mystery worshippers drop in and serve up details on everything from sermon length to the comfort of the pews to the warmth of members’ welcome.

And it’s the friendliness-factor details that give travelers a measure of comfort and behind-the-scenes intel when visiting these places, from massive St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in Fiji.

Curious, open-minded travelers also shouldn’t let their lack of a personal faith stop them from dropping into houses of worship.

“They don’t have to be a gourmet to appreciate a good meal,” Matlins reasons. “And you don’t have to be a person of faith to appreciate the beauty and passion of a religious experience. It is in a way like theater — part of the experience is to suspend disbelief, literally.”

Thinking about stopping into a living, breathing house of worship on your next trip? Matlins and Clooney suggest keeping these things in mind, regardless of the place’s faith tradition:

Be respectful. “You are in a place that is special and holy to other people,” Matlins says. “Dress and behave appropriately so you do not disturb their sense of the specialness and holiness of the place.”

Pay attention. You want to “be sensitive to what is expected of the visitor — either to hold back, or to participate more fully,” says Clooney. “Being too forward or too passive may both be offensive.” Also, “be careful to note where and how far into the space one is welcome. Some areas are more sacred than others.”

Follow along. Observe “the customs of the community — removing shoes, covering heads, the segregation of men and women, talking or not, taking photos or not, in accord with custom,” says Clooney.

Listen with your “third ear.” “You may not understand the language,” says Matlins, “but you can hear the feelings if you open yourself up to them.”

Sit in the back. Not only does it keep you from appearing intrusive, but it can minimize any innocent missteps. Suggests Matlins: “Do what you see other people do, unless it violates the tenets of your own faith.”

Who knows, perhaps through these spiritual experiences you’ll discover what so many travelers find: Despite people’s very real differences across nationalities, cultures and faiths, it’s what they share in common that matters.

Former religion reporter Maureen Jenkins is a freelance travel, food and lifestyles writer who’s visited nearly 35 countries and territories. She lives in Chicago and blogs at UrbanTravelGirl.com.

The Gateway goes behind the scenes of the world’s major transport hubs, revealing the logistics that keep goods and people moving. This month, the show is in Singapore.

Thousands of passengers herded toward departure gates and lengthy security queues manned by stoney-faced stewards rarely equates to a joyful time.

“Mad Men,” the AMC series that Rolling Stone called “the greatest TV drama of all time,” is back for a new season on Sunday. And though it’s filmed primarily in Los Angeles, the show is set in New York, and notable locations across the city turn up in the script as liberally as a heap of pastrami on rye.

In preparation for the season six premiere, we offer you this guide to the NYC haunts of ad exec Draper and his endlessly entertaining cohorts at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.

‘Mad Men’ and the other 1960s

EAT

On an episode titled “Red in the Face,” bosses-on-the-loose Draper and Roger Sterling spend their lunch — and expense accounts — taking full advantage of the eats and drinks at the venerable Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant, some of which later embarrassingly ended up on the carpet at the feet of a group of potential clients. Hopefully you’ll have more restraint when you visit this 100-year-old seafood establishment on the lower level of Grand Central Station, where tourists mingle with commuters over martinis and platters of freshly shucked oysters and other fishy delights. 89 E. 42nd St., www.oysterbarny.com

Another celebration featuring our Mad Men stars, this time Draper and the lusty wife of an insult comic, took place at legendary restaurant Sardi’s. Even the framed celebrity caricatures on its walls were re-created for the scene. Located in the heart of the Theater District, Sardi’s has been a favorite with the Broadway crowd for more than 85 years (the Tony Awards were thought up here), and you’ll feel like a star just for having eaten here. 234 W. 44th St., www.sardis.com

10 trips that can change your child’s life

DRINK

The Roosevelt Hotel has been featured in a couple of “Mad Men” scenes, including one in which Draper retreats here after being kicked out of the house by his wife, Betty. A stay at this landmark hotel will have you feeling like a part of the show, especially since its decor gives it the appearance of an elaborate “Mad Men” set piece, but the place to really connect with the show is just past the lobby in the Madison Club Lounge.

On April 7, to coincide with the season premiere, the lounge will host a viewing party with complimentary whiskey tastings and a “Best ‘Mad Men’ Attire” contest. The festivities will continue with themed cocktails and an invitation for patrons to dress in their ’60s best each Sunday the show airs. 45 E. 45th St., www.theroosevelthotel.com

Remember Peggy and her colleagues doing the Twist at a local watering hole after she nailed the Belle Jolie presentation in season one? The site was P.J. Clarke’s, one of the oldest bars in New York. Truly a Big Apple institution and a popular hangout among ad execs in the 1960s, P.J. Clarke’s was once described by one of its beloved barmen as “the Vatican of saloons.” 915 Third Ave., www.pjclarkes.com

Mad men, mad ‘dos: What the late ’60s really looked like

STAY

When Draper and friends started their own agency at the end of season three, they set up shop, at least temporarily, in a suite at the Pierre hotel. The fabled lodging, which overlooks Central Park, was renovated and modernized a few years back, so your room might not ooze nostalgia. But if you close your eyes tight enough, you might just be able to imagine Joan typing away in the corner or Pete squawking on the phone with a client. 2 E. 61st St., www.tajhotels.com/pierre

Given that the Hotel Elysée in Midtown Manhattan is the scene of a lunchtime tryst between copywriter Peggy and a fellow named Duck from a rival agency, it’s only appropriate that the prestigious property is offering a special “Mad Men” package for fans of the show. It includes accommodations in one of its luxurious suites, which will be stocked with a dozen roses, strawberries and a box of chocolates, as well as two free cocktails either at the Monkey Bar or brought to your room. The package starts at $425 for a regular suite and $1,450 for a presidential suite. 60 E. 54th St., www.elyseehotel.com

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SHOP

In season one, Pete Campbell was caught returning a wedding gift at Bloomingdale’s, one of the city’s most legendary department stores, where stylish lads and ladies have been filling the brand’s signature Little Brown Bags with luxury goods since 1886. The doorman there to open the cab door for you only adds to the allure. 1000 Third Ave., www.bloomingdales.com

WORK

The pitchmen of Sterling Cooper officed at an address on Madison Avenue that doesn’t actually exist in real life, but a number of big-time ad agencies can be found along this historic avenue. Take a stroll down its sidewalks, and you’ll rub elbows with the idea men and women who churn out award-winning copy for powerhouse firms like DDB and TBWA and smaller boutique agencies like StrawberryFrog and MacDonald Media. Madison Avenue, primarily between 26th and 52nd Streets

Buzz abounds for the return of ‘Mad Men’

TOUR

If these classic “Mad Men” sights leave you wanting more, consider signing up for “The World of Mad Men: NYC During the Early 1960s” excursion from NYC Discovery Walking Tours. In addition to stops at spots like the ones noted above that have been mentioned on the show, you’ll visit iconic locations representative of the era, including the Pan Am Building and Lever House. Tours are scheduled for April 6 and 7, May 5 and June 22; tickets are $20. For reservations, call 212-465-3331.

Time to herself, especially for fun, was simply nonexistent during her marriage, but after nearly a week of skiing and celebrating her freedom in Park City, Utah, Nilib decided to make getting away with her friends an annual event.

“It was five days of pure mindless fun, especially after they took my cell phone away from me on day two,” Nilib says with a laugh. “When you are suddenly single and live in a world that feels like it is designed for couples only, it can be depressing. It’s nice to get away and feel alive again. It’s great therapy for your soul.”

10 trips that can change a child’s life

Karen Schaler agrees.

“Traveling is an ideal way to reboot and refresh after a divorce because it gives you a chance to physically and mentally get some distance from your ex, and look at things in a whole new light,” says Schaler, author of “Travel Therapy: Where do you need to go?”

Schaler, who once spent five nights in a Vera Wang-designed honeymoon suite in Waikiki with her mom after deciding that her boyfriend at the time was not worthy, says taking the right trip after a breakup is all about inspiration and garnering the power to create a fresh start “so that you’re looking forward, not backwards.”

In addition to missing out on a super-romantic trip, Schaler says her then-boyfriend also lost his airfare. Meanwhile, she gained a personal travel ritual: “It turned out to be one of the best trips I’ve ever taken and a new tradition for mom and I to do a special trip together every year.”

If you’re looking for a change of scenery to inspire a shift in mindset, consider these five ways to say hello to the rest of your life.

Take a dare

Six months after a nasty breakup, one 39-year-old woman from Boston (who asked not to be named) found herself flying, literally, in an indoor wind tunnel.

At the suggestion of a friend, she signed up for a bodyflight lesson while on a business trip to Salt Lake City. “I didn’t realize how much I was still holding onto until I was forced to concentrate completely on something else,” she said.

Indoor tunnels are used by professional skydivers around the world to improve or practice their skills, and they offer “flying” experiences (usually one or two minutes long) for anyone who wants to feel the thrill of skydiving in a protected, controlled environment.

Schaler is a big fan of taking the leap to leave your past loves behind. Her recommended “dare list” includes trapeze school and driving a few laps on a professional racetrack to help leave memories of an ex in the dust.

Trying anything you’ve never done before can work: Schaler and her mom took surfing lessons during their “romantic” Hawaiian holiday. It was a challenge she couldn’t resist, since the lessons were included in the hotel package, plus, surfing was on her mom’s bucket list.

Set sail

A cruise vacation is one way to send the blues sailing, and it’s a top choice for the newly single, “ready to mingle” crowd, according to travel industry veteran Bob Diener, co-founder of Hotels.com/Getaroom.com.

For those on the fence about how much to mingle, cruises offer a cornucopia of activity, or the option to stowaway in your cabin.

Diener says sites that cater to singles such as www.singlescruise.com are a big reason vacations at sea are gaining popularity with the freshly divorced, and he expects to see more programs developing to serve the demographic.

With sunshine, sand and solitude often high up on the must-have list for post-breakup departures, Diener cites Cancun, Hawaii, Jamaica, the Caribbean and South Florida as destinations popular with the suddenly single, whether by cruise or otherwise.

To Disney or not to Disney?

Help someone else

Nothing ends a pity party faster than coming face-to-face with those less fortunate. Organizations such as Habitat for Humanity have proven track records and opportunities all over the world; or choose something dear to your heart, whether it’s volunteering at a school in Africa or working with animals at a local shelter.

Sometimes you can combine a thrill ride with a charity mission, such as the annual “Klicks for Chicks” event at Montana’s Triple Creek Ranch. On this all-girl getaway, women saddle up for a three-day, 100 kilometer (62 mile) trail ride into the wilderness and the ranch donates a dollar to Parkinson’s awareness for every kilometer completed.

Ranch manager Leslie McConnell says the Klicks for Chicks weekends are ideal for emotional healing, because riders take on a “physically demanding, emotionally purgative wilderness adventure where one is focused not on one’s deep-seated problems, but instead on one’s seat in the saddle.”

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Get pampered

Hopefully, a divorce departure is a once-in-a-lifetime scenario, so if you have the funds, go ahead and splurge (and skip the guilt trip). Check in at a destination spa such as Canyon Ranch or Miraval, where achieving precious “me” time is a priority, and the search for life balance is conveniently woven into everything from meals to massages.

Or disappear into the cosmopolitan scene of a big city with a glamorous stay at a hotel with plenty of perks, including fabulous views and a prime location. The Mandarin Oriental in New York or The Roosevelt in New Orleans fit the bill, with fabulous spas to match.

For those who prefer a countryside getaway, Barnsley Gardens Resort near Atlanta has a staff Fairy Godmother on hand to help with the healing.

“Broken hearts are serious business,” says the resident fairy, Denise Webb, who has managed countless girlfriend getaways for the recently divorced and insists that pampering comes in many forms. Sometimes it’s a scavenger hunt for hidden bottles of champagne, other times it’s a poolside margarita party. Still other women find themselves with a rifle in hand on the sporting clays course, where they can take out any remaining resentment by shooting at clay targets.

Push yourself

If you’re coping with aggression, tackle something that will exhaust you physically, but also make you feel like you’re on top of the world. Grab your loyal allies and head for the challenging slopes out West. Cruise down a mountain bike trail through the wildflowers in summer or race down some fresh powder on a black diamond run in winter and soon you’ll be on your way to full-body wellness.

“As an alternative to buying all the self-help books at my local bookshop I began planning a trip that would allow me to embrace the change and reconnect with my childhood,” said Belinda Lovelace of Louisville, Kentucky, describing a ski trip she took after finalizing a bitter divorce.

“I lost so much of myself in my marriage and even stopped skiing,” she said, noting that finding wellness on the slopes had been a big part of her pre-marriage life. After four days with her mom and sister in Deer Valley, Utah, she says she was ready to face her new life. She now takes an annual trip to celebrate her “un-niversary.”

If you are SCUBA certified, a shark diving experience might be the ticket to getting a close-up reminder that there are other fish in the sea. That’s the escape that Schaler recommends for anyone with the phrase “bite me!” resonating in their head. An extreme underwater adventure could be just the right move to break that mental audio loop.

Dos and don’ts for breakup escapes

Do leave the ex at home, in every way possible. That means no photos, no phone calls, not one single text message or Facebook shout out. Delete those photos on your phone and tablet while you are sitting at the gate so you aren’t tempted to do any electronic wallowing, especially after a few cocktails. Schaler reminds those tempted to contact an ex during a vacation for any reason, “Move on! Even if you broke up on good terms, done is done. This trip is for you, period.”

Do not go to a place with ghosts. Not the kind that say boo, but the ones that make you feel like boo-hooing when you walk by that favorite restaurant, dance club or the playground where he romantically carved your initials into a tree on a starlit night. Just say no to any destinations where you went with your ex, no exceptions.

Do choose your travel partners wisely — or not at all. Should you go solo or travel with a dependable shoulder or two to cry on during this transition time? If the breakup is fresh, running away is probably better done with at least a small cheering squad. “A smart choice is to take a great friend who is always upbeat and fun and won’t let you get away with any whining or reminiscing. Don’t take anyone related to your ex, no matter how good of friends you are,” says Schaler.

If you’ve firmly closed the door on your past and are ready to strategize for the future, traveling alone usually means more time for reflection. When you’re done having those conversations with yourself, take a confident step forward and opt for a trip designed for singles — you’ll be in an ideal position to meet your next Mr. or Ms. Right.

Have you ever taken a break-up recovery trip? What did you do and how did it work out?

On a recent chilly evening, an unmistakable smell has drifted across the street from an industrial space in the SODO neighborhood. Inside, a DJ spins an eclectic mix of rock while a man in a tie-dyed hoodie distributes cannabis-infused buttered rum and root beer-flavored hard candy to a diverse crowd of revelers. Another volunteer passes around a 12-foot-long “vape bag” filled with marijuana vapor — one way to get around the city’s indoor smoking ban.

Four glassblowers demonstrate the art of making bongs while attendees sip beer, munch on Greek meatballs, and dip an assortment of fruit, marshmallows and gummy worms in chocolate fountains.

If only the party wasn’t running low on grilled cheese sandwiches.

This “Member’s Frolic,” hosted by the organizers of a huge “protestival” called Hempfest, is but a fraction of the size of the annual pro-pot rally that drew an estimated 250,000 people to the Seattle waterfront last August.

But with last year’s legalization of recreational marijuana use for adults in both Colorado and Washington State, the gathering offers a telling preview of how a creative counterculture may be poised to go mainstream and reap the rewards of a new “green economy” based on pot tourism.

Just imagine how much the food truck vendors are salivating.

Sound-off: What do you think?

Despite a host of unanswered questions — not the least of which is whether federal authorities may harsh the mellow by filing a lawsuit that voids all recreational use — many so-called “ganjapreneurs” are treating the potential for marijuana tourism as a serious business. Recent calculations by a state-hired consultant projected that Washington State might earn up to $180 million in yearly tax revenue from marijuana sales (yes, retail pot shops), not to mention the revenue from a quickly growing list of related cottage industries.

On his blog, travel guru Arthur Frommer wrote that observers should expect a “torrent of new tourism to Seattle and Denver” due to marijuana legalization, and added both cities to his shortlist of hot destinations for 2013. Officials in New Zealand, British Columbia, and multiple U.S. states have openly wondered whether pot tourism might help fill their own coffers.

Sorting out new laws

In Washington State, residents over the age of 21 can now possess up to an ounce of cannabis, one pound of “a solid marijuana-infused product” like peanut butter fudge brownies, or 72 ounces of an infused liquid like a green tea smoothie. But as the Seattle Police Department helpfully notes in “Marijwhatnow? A Guide to Legal Marijuana Use In Seattle,” public puffing is still illegal, just as the state’s open container law prohibits public consumption of alcohol.

Pot smokers enter legal limbo in Washington, Colorado

Buying or selling marijuana won’t be legal until December, after Washington’s Liquor Control Board has ironed out all the necessary licensing and enforcement regulations. Police will be able to arrest drivers above the legal limit of 5 nanograms of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in pot, per milliliter of blood (officers already use roadside sobriety tests to issue DUI tickets, but the new law establishes a defined impairment level). And the police department dutifully notes that because it’s still illegal to grow, sell or possess any amount of marijuana under federal law, “you probably shouldn’t bring pot with you to the federal courthouse (or any other federal property).”

Naysayers have warned that an open embrace of pot tourism and ads that position Seattle or Denver as the Amsterdam of America could tarnish the cities’ reputations and invite illegal activity. Then again, both destinations already allow medical marijuana and have had a long history of tolerating the occasional toke.

In Seattle, Hempfest is a major tourist draw as one of the largest annual events in the Pacific Northwest, and minor pot possession has been the lowest enforcement priority of the police department for nearly a decade. Hempfest executive director Vivian McPeak has held brainstorming sessions on marijuana tourism with some city boosters — he calls it “vision-questing.” Publicly, however, government and tourism officials have taken a conspicuously low profile — a defensive posture that advocates say is likely due to fear of federal intervention.

Optimists assert that the Obama administration is unlikely to take a hard line against the end of pot prohibition here, and have been buoyed by a new Pew Research Center poll that is the first to show majority support among Americans for legalizing the drug. Pessimists, however, point out that the federal Drug Enforcement Administration has regularly exercised its authority to shut down medical marijuana growers and dispensaries around the country. The clear contradiction between state and federal laws has left nearly everyone guessing whether parts or all of the new pro-dope reality may be, well, nipped in the bud.

Entrepreneurs making business plans

Even so, the opportunities are proving hard to resist. Hilary Bricken, lead attorney for the Canna Law Group, a practice area of Seattle-based law firm Harris & Moure, has fielded dozens of pitches from enthusiastic entrepreneurs seeking help in developing business models and navigating the legal issues. One company in the adult entertainment industry even sought her advice on branching out into hemp-based adult products.

“I’ve heard everything pitched to me from gaming lounges, where there would be a series of recliners and you can get stoned and play Xbox all day, to cannabis cafes where there’s a full menu that really adheres to the cannabinoids (the chemicals in cannabis) and how they affect your taste buds and your interaction with food,” Bricken says. Some entrepreneurs have talked up the idea of “evaluation bars,” where people could bring their own marijuana and experts would educate them on each strain’s composition and its potential effects, and Bricken says the sophistication level could eventually rival that of high-end wine purveyors.

Washington’s wine industry, in fact, is often cited among cannabis enthusiasts who envision similar tours through bucolic, organic pot farms. Bricken says she has already spoken with winemakers and commercial farmers in eastern Washington who are considering whether a certain new crop might help them tap into a big curiosity factor and generate new revenue. Cannabis farmers markets — currently limited to medical marijuana patients — also are popping up around the region and poised to expand their customer base.

Following the lead of several establishments in Colorado, at least two bars in the Seattle region have opened BYOP (bring your own pot) private clubs, while party promoters are gearing up for this month’s big “Studio 4/20″ bash, complete with acrobats, food trucks, a beer garden and a latex fashion show. Toking while drinking at local watering holes may be a fleeting attraction, however: the Washington State Liquor Control Board has begun a rulemaking process aimed specifically at banning marijuana consumption in bars that serve alcohol.

Christopher Russek, who runs a cannabis bakery called Zzyzyx out of his home in suburban Issaquah, is betting on marijuana edibles instead. Russek, who has a medical marijuana license due to a heart condition, provides fully-loaded confections like Chocolate Raspberry Hazelnut Brownies and Tie Dyed Rasta Cookies to other patients. He has fielded multiple inquiries from people who have come to Seattle on business or vacation, however, and views Washington’s new law as an “incredible” opportunity to add tourists to his business model. Does he see a baked goods storefront in his future if the law remains intact? “You can bet on it,” he says.

Seattle’s takes on pot tourism

Most tourists will need a guidebook, of course, and Brendan Kennedy, CEO of Seattle-based startup Leafly, is positioning his company to become the Fodor’s, ZAGAT and Yelp of cannabis. The company’s Leafly iPhone and Android apps, among the most popular of a burgeoning class of electronic ganja guides, help medical marijuana users chose among more than 500 strains (with names like Wonka’s Bubbilicious and Blue Dream), find nearby dispensaries, and then post their reviews.

Kennedy says the app already has the necessary code to add on retail locations in Colorado and Washington once they come online. In the meantime, he and two partners are using their Privateer Holdings equity firm and its $5 million-plus in capital from private investors to scout out other promising cannabis startups. In essence, Privateer is helping to fill the void left by skittish banks that have all but refused to grant loans to pot-friendly businesses until they discern which way the legal winds are blowing.

Despite the uncertainty, Bricken says companies are still rushing to join what she calls the “secondary risk market,” the modern-day equivalent of Seattle’s early entrepreneurs selling pickaxes, supplies, and services to prospectors seeking their fortune during the Yukon Gold Rush of the 1890s. Instead of directly providing marijuana — a model that may prove too risky for many — businesses are positioning themselves as experts in enhancing the experience.

“They’re coming up with things like ‘Cannabis Crawls,’ going from dispensary to dispensary and showing you how to get there and providing you with food and transportation along the way,” Bricken says. Others are creating art and merchandise ranging from coffee mugs to hand towels that depict some of the most popular marijuana strains.

Whatever tourism model emerges here, many observers say it’s likely to be uniquely Seattle. With the region’s long tradition of art glass, glassblowers are already setting their sights on the high-end cannabis crowd. One recent ad touting a $175 “Create Your Own Bong” class fizzled when only one person inquired. But other glass studios in the area say it’s no longer taboo for people inquiring about one or two-hour lessons to specifically ask whether they can make a bong or pipe instead of a “modified vase.”

At the recent Hempfest party, one of the four artisan glassblowers holds his partially molten creation aloft at the end of a blowpipe and parades it through the crowd as the bidding begins. It’s a detailed, richly colored and surprisingly large bong in the shape of a monkey wearing a yellow top hat and suit coat, and it fetches a winning bid of $350.

Behind a nearby table laden with smaller, handmade pipes fashioned from art glass and recycled guitar wood, a volunteer points out the grand prize for a raffle at Hempfest’s own upcoming “420 Fest”: a colorful hand-stitched quilt with a stylized marijuana leaf in its center panel. On the reverse side, a dark green camouflage motif features a grinning Scooby Doo in various poses.

Aspiring comic book artist Joshua Boulet has set up shop at a smaller table, with a duffel bag full of several issues of his tongue-in-cheek comic, “The Green Reefer,” which follows the antics of a pot-smoking anti-hero and his beer-drinking sidekick, Six-Pack. In many ways, Boulet is the embodiment of Seattle’s new entrepreneurial optimism. After attending Hempfest as a tourist last August, he fell in love with the city and moved from Dallas two months later. Boulet says he is now hoping to sell his comic books in Seattle’s thriving head shops — for $4.20, of course.

Stephanie Harwin, who writes the cat-obsessed blog Catsparella, will go to great lengths to get her feline fix. On her quest to fulfill a lifelong dream, visiting Japan’s Hello Kitty theme park, Harwin endured a bout of severe food poisoning, a language barrier and a long journey to reach her happy place.

Japan is the ultimate travel destination for cat enthusiasts and Hello Kitty is just the beginning. Tokyo has become famous for its cat cafés, where you can hang out with the furry creatures, and each February brings the celebration of “Nyan Nyan Nyan Day” (a name inspired by the sound cats make).

Meet Grumpy Cat

While the Japanese have the highest per capita cat ownership in the world, there are people crazy for cats everywhere. London’s Zoological Society even created a global cat map that allows you to plot the location of your own pet and upload its photo. All this cat love has resulted in some strangely charming places where travelers can stop to pay tribute.

These vacation ideas are the cat’s meow.

Cat Cafés, Tokyo

Japan’s obsession with all things feline is well documented. After all, this is the homeland of YouTube star Maru, a Scottish fold whose antics have amassed more than 200 million views. Tokyo itself counts more than a hundred “neko” or cat cafés, where patrons come to sip lattes and socialize with numerous cats, who lounge around on chairs, sofas, baskets and occasionally the laps of their human fans. Some of the more popular: Shimokitazawa’s Cateriam, Nekobukuro in Ikebukuro, Curl Up Café in Haramachi, and Nyafe Melange. There’s even a handy map to locate them.

Festival of the Cats, Ypres, Belgium

The Kattenstoet (Festival of the Cats) is held every three years on the second Sunday of May; the next is scheduled for 2015. It celebrates the noble feline with a street parade of floats, music, stilt walkers and costumed townsfolk, many of whom dress as cats, witches or mice. The festival culminates with a performance in which a jester tosses children’s toy cats from the Cloth Hall belfry down to the crowd—a tradition that harks back to the harsh Middle Ages practice of throwing actual cats from the belfry in the spring. (Not to worry: no kitties are harmed in the modern reenactments.)

Travel + Leisure: Coolest vacations for dog lovers

Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum, Key West, Florida

Cat fanatics who are also Hemingway fans will find nirvana at the writer’s former Key West home. The grand, plantation-style limestone house is the domain of around 50 cats descended from Papa’s original Maine coon, Snowball, who was given to him by a ship’s captain. The cats are polydactyl (six-toed), which lends them their distinctive appearance—some say it looks like the cats are wearing mittens. Hemingway named many of his cats after famous people, and the estate carries on the tradition today; look for Lionel Barrymore and Hairy Truman.

Moscow Cats Theatre

This second-generation Russian theater, founded by Yuri Kuklachev and his son Dmitri in 1990, performs in Moscow when the troupe—which includes around 120 cats—isn’t touring the world. Shows feature a revolving series of madcap acts with names like Catnappers, Cat Clowns and Love, and Cats from the Universe. Expect to see the Kuklachevs’ furry stars performing stunts: walking a tightrope, teetering on a rocking horse and posing on top of a mirror ball.

Kuching Cat Museum, Malaysia

Cats are considered lucky in Malaysia, as in many Asian cultures, and the Kuching Cat Museum in Sarawak pays respectful, if slightly wacky, homage to these fortune-bestowing felines. For starters, you enter the UFO-style building through a giant cat face. Inside await exhibitions, artifacts, artworks and ephemera dedicated to cats. The pièce de résistance: a 1,000-year-old mummified Egyptian kitty. The museum is on a hill, with great views of the city of Kuching, which translates as “cat city.”

Travel + Leisure: Outrageous hotel perks for pets

The Supreme Cat Show, Birmingham, UK

At the UK’s largest and most prestigious cat show, held each November at the National Exhibition Centre near Birmingham, you can watch cats relax in their pens and be judged in the ring, and browse for every cat product imaginable at an array of stands. Each cat gets a large double pen, decorated by its owner with brightly colored drapes or more creative trappings based on a given theme. In 2012, it was “Diamonds are forever.”

Torre Argentina Cat Sanctuary, Rome

The mission of this sanctuary is to “work together to raise the quality of life of Rome’s abandoned cats”—and it welcomes volunteers. Expect to perform duties such as cleaning cages and distributing food to some of the 300-odd cat residents; if you’re living in Rome you can volunteer as a “foster parent” for young kittens in your own home. The site, which contains ancient ruins, has a glamorous pedigree: while filming at the nearby Teatro Argentina, Italian actress Anna Magnani famously spent her breaks here feeding the cats.

Dominique and His Flying House Cats, Key West, Florida

Dominique LeFort is one of the more idiosyncratic locals—and in Margaritaville, that’s really saying something. The performer and his troupe of trained house cats entertain regularly at Sunset Celebration, a nightly arts festival at Mallory Square Dock. The shaggy-haired Frenchman ushers his nonchalant cats across tightropes and through flaming hoops, all while keeping up a madcap banter with the audience (including his catchphrase, “Clap, clap, clap!”), a shtick that has earned the act a cult following.

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Poezenboot, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Cats and water don’t usually mix well, yet this floating cat sanctuary on Amsterdam’s Herengracht canal has proven a grand success. Founded in 1966 by a local legend named Henriette van Weelde—who took in stray cats and eventually moved them onto a houseboat in the canal—the floating barge has become a tourist attraction, drawing cat lovers and the curious alike. Visitors can volunteer, donate or adopt.

Hello Kitty theme park, Tokyo

A pilgrimage to Tokyo’s Hello Kitty theme park, known officially as Sanrio Puroland, is a must for fans of the cult cat character (a Japanese white bobtail). The park attracts 1.5 million annual visitors of all ages, who come from far and wide to watch Hello Kitty-themed musicals, take a spin on cat-tastic rides and visit Hello Kitty’s house, which features portraits of the famous cat’s family and a bathtub shaped like her face. There’s also a boat ride in which another Sanrio character, Cinnamoroll, leads visitors on a trip to Hello Kitty’s party.

See More Places for Cat Lovers at Travel + Leisure.

Planning a getaway? Don’t miss Travel + Leisure’s guide to the World’s Best Hotels

Copyright 2012 American Express Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.

But years ago I spotted some graffiti in Washington that struck a chord. Someone had spray painted the symbol for anarchy — a circled “A” — on a Chinatown grocery store.

And I wondered: Did they know?

Did they know that that building, a century earlier, had been Mary Surratt’s boarding house? Did they know that conspirators had gathered there to plot the kidnapping and assassination of an American president? Did they know that the site had played a role in the biggest act of anarchy in this country’s history?

Was the graffiti just accidentally appropriate? Or could punks with paint be profound?

I don’t know the answer, of course. But I know that this city is teeming with people who, like me, relish its hidden history.

Washington is a town of majestic monuments and memorials. And those are worth visiting. But if you limit your sightseeing to the obvious — if you ignore the obscure — you’ll miss the good stuff.

That is what I had in mind when I asked historians and history buffs to show me places — off the beaten path — that have stirred their love of history and this great town.

WASHINGTON COLISEUM: “I Saw Them Standing There”

Four boys, in dire need of haircuts, come to town, looking to conquer it.

The British tried it once before, in 1814. Burned the city. It left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

But this time, they try soft diplomacy. A little twist and shout. A little ditty about wanting to hold your hand.

And it works.

Improbable as it sounds, it happened in a barrel-shaped architectural ruin just north of the Capitol on 3rd Street NE.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 11, 1964 — two days after appearing on “The Ed Sullivan Show” — the Beatles took the stage in Washington Coliseum. It was the Beatles’ very first stage concert in the United States.

Critics later say the concert is as singular moment in rock history — a moment when the early Beatles seemed even more joyous than their shrieking teen-age fans.

Richard Layman, who fought to preserve the Coliseum, cherishes this place for many reasons. Built in 1940 and 1941, the building served as an ice rink, sports arena, worship hall, trash transfer station and parking garage. Nation of Islam leaders Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammed spoke here. It hosted numerous professional sports teams, and was home to the Ice Capades.

For Beatle devotees, this is a shrine.

They still have ticket stubs, and remember whether they paid $2, $3 or $4. They gush about how Paul smiled at them.

An age of innocence? Not exactly. The Russians threatened us from outer space. The pains of segregation and integration were rocking the country. And, just three months earlier, an assassin felled the leader of the free world.

But for about 35 minutes on a cold February night in 1964, four boys from Liverpool entered a converted ice rink and warmed a generation’s heart.

COURTROOM DRAMA: Last act of the Civil War

The man, a tavern owner, took the witness stand.

“I was acquainted with John Wilkes Booth,” he said. “Booth came into my restaurant [adjoining Ford's Theater] on the evening of the 14th of April.”

Booth “walked up to the bar, and called for some whiskey, which I gave him; he called for some water, which I also gave him; he placed the money on the counter and went out. I saw him go out of the bar alone, as near as I can judge, from eight to ten minutes before I heard the cry that the President was assassinated.”

Peter Taltavul spoke those words, in this room, just one month after Lincoln died.

By then, authorities had already tracked down Booth, cornered him, and killed him. And they had rounded up eight people who they believe had assisted him.

They convened a military commission to conduct the trial in the third floor of what was then a federal penitentiary. The co-conspirators, they reasoned, were not “civilians,” but were “enemy belligerents.” The nation was seeking justice and vengeance, and it would come swiftly.

On July 6, 1865 — less than three months after the assassination — the commission found all eight conspirators guilty. It sentenced four to hang, and four to prison terms. The condemned were hanged the next day.

A year later, the Supreme Court would rule that a defendant could not be tried by military commission when civilian courts were functioning. But it was too late.

The penitentiary is now closed and largely demolished. The land is part of Fort McNair at the southernmost point of Washington.

Visitors — mostly lawyers and Civil War buffs — are frequently overwhelmed when they enter the room, said Susan Lemke, a special collections librarian who has accumulated artifacts related to the trial. “There’s no substitution for actually witnessing or being in the middle of a historic site like that,” she said.

THE GALLOWS: Where generals “serve,” conspirators hanged

Michael Kauffman is struck by the incongruity of it all.

On the edge of a Fort McNair tennis court, where generals now casually toss their gym bags, Abraham Lincoln’s death was avenged.

Here in this spot, near the penitentiary room where the sentences were handed down, on a miserably hot day in July 1865, Union Army Capt. Christian Rath raised his hands and clapped three times. On the third clap, soldiers knocked supports out from under a gallows, and four prisoners fell. Their bodies jerked violently at the ends of their ropes. The prisoner in the dress appeared to die instantly. But one of her three accused accomplices writhed for five minutes before surrendering his ghost.

“I am one of those people who think that if you really want to understand history, you have to go to where it happened,” says Kauffman, an expert on the Lincoln assassination.

So Kauffman leads me to this empty tennis court. It is drizzly and cold, and there is little here to evince the images and emotions of that hot July day. The penitentiary’s tall wall has been demolished, and a building prominent in photos of the hanging has been altered almost beyond recognition.

Almost.

Kauffman shows me the place where the wall met the building. And in my mind’s eye, the gallows fall into place.

“There’s this strange sort of excitement that you get when you’ve read about something, and you visualize it, and you think you know all about it. And then all of a sudden you go there and it’s right in front of you. It surrounds you. And it’s always somehow different from what you had imagined,” Kauffman said.

Different, to be sure. But more real than ever.

CHADWICKS: Where the U.S. was shaken, and stirred

It is known as “The Big Dump.”

On June 16, 1985, CIA officer Aldrich Ames walked into Chadwicks, a Georgetown pub, with two shopping bags full of classified information and, over lunch, gave them to a Soviet diplomat.

“In those bags was every piece of paper he could get his hands on that revealed almost all of our operations in the Soviet Union,” said Peter Earnest, a former CIA official who is now executive director of the International Spy Museum in D.C.

Five to seven pounds of secrets.

The enormity of the breach became known only after the Soviet Union began rounding up some of the United States’ most valuable assets in Russia. At least 10 were executed.

The CIA launched a hunt for a possible mole. It compiled a list of 190 CIA officers with access to relevant classified information, and culled it to 28. And in 1994 — nine years after the Big Dump — Ames and his wife were arrested.

Earnest says he doesn’t “romanticize” the Chadwick’s site, but says “the repercussions of what he did ripple through the government today — the need to have more polygraphs, the concerns about our records … the nature of the questions asked.”

It’s also a waypoint in the Spy Museum’s bus tour, which notes the role that Ames’ “high-maintenance” wife Rosario played in his betrayal of his country.

Tour guides note that after Ames was arrested, FBI agents who eavesdropped on their conversations made an astonishing comment: They were so disgusted with Rosario’s constant badgering about money, her criticisms of Ames and her treatment of their son that although they could never forgive Ames for spying, they said, they would have understood if he had killed his wife.

ALEXANDRIA SLAVE PEN: From slave to freeman

“PRICE, BIRCH & CO,” the sign read. “DEALERS IN SLAVES.”

The sign is long gone, but the building, known as the “Alexandria Slave Pen,” still stands in Alexandria, Virginia, just across the river from Washington.

“I often tell my students, ‘You’ve gone into towns where you just see row after row of car dealerships. Duke Street was that — but slave dealerships,’” says Chandra Manning, associate professor of history at Georgetown University.

In 1861, the slave trade was thriving when Virginia seceded from the union. But on May 24 of that year, the Union Army’s First Michigan Infantry marched into town, and one of the first things it did was liberate the slaves.

Ironically, the slave pen became a refuge for runaway and freed slaves seeking the protection of the Union Army.

Today, 1315 Duke Street is home to the Alexandria branch of the National Urban League, a civil rights organization. A historical marker stands outside, and there’s a small museum in the basement.

But Manning believes most passersby have no idea about the building’s horrific past.

Most, but not all.

“If you’re walking with me,” Manning says, “you have no choice but to know what happened here.”

THE FORGOTTEN CRASH: History lost and relived

On a fog-shrouded evening on the penultimate day of 1906, a dead-heading train roared down this stretch of tracks near Washington’s Catholic University, coming upon a slower passenger train heading the same direction on the same track. There was no time to stop.

Railroad workers have an antiseptic — but descriptive — word for what happened next: Telescoping.

The massive steel engine of the speeding train plowed through the flimsy wooden passenger car of the slower train, killing and dismembering its occupants. It plowed through the next car as well, and the one after that. When the trains came to a stop, cinders and soot from the locomotive’s fire box rained down on the splintered wooden planks, clothing, Christmas gifts and human remains. Fifty-three people died, and more than 70 were injured.

Today, the “Terra Cotta” crash is all but lost to history. Every day, thousands pass the site, where there isn’t even a hint of the horror that happened.

But Richard Schaffer, a D.C. firefighter who spent 10 years researching the crash, says Terra Cotta nonetheless changed railroading. It hastened the conversion of passenger cars from wood to steel and led to improvements in railroad signaling. That happened, he says, because the crash happened on “the route to Congress.”

There’s a saying, sometimes attributed to Mark Twain: “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.”

History rhymed in June 2009 — nearly 103 years later — when a D.C. Metro subway train plowed into another subway train. The cars telescoped, killing nine and injuring dozens.

“The irony was it was practically the same location and practically all the same problems, human error, signaling problems, construction quality of the trains,” Schaffer said.

Both wrecks deserve to be remembered.

“If you forget what’s happened before you,” Schaffer says, “you don’t have a foundation to live upon.”

CONGRESSIONAL CEMETERY: The last hurrah

Can there be any doubt what happens here when the sun goes down?

Can there be any doubt that, when the gates close and the last visitor leaves this historic burial ground, band leader John Philip Sousa reaches for his baton, Civil War photographer Mathew Brady tweaks his camera, and J. Edgar Hoover tries to keep the whole mess under control?

This is Congressional Cemetery, where Washington’s political and social establishment rests in eternal peace. In the 1800s, its heyday, this was the site of grand funeral processions. Tens of thousands of Washingtonians would gather to watch soldiers carry fallen leaders down a slate path to graves or crypts.

“I’m sure there are quite a few secrets buried here,” says Abby Johnson.

Abby and her husband Ronald, professors of literature and history respectively at Georgetown University, take me to the “Public Vault,” a crypt the size of a one-car garage. Built in the 1830s, the vault was used to store the bodies of public officials until the ground thawed, or until they were moved to other locations.

You need a skeleton key, of course, to get inside.

Dolley Madison slept here. As did three presidents: William Henry Harrison (1841), John Quincy Adams (1848), and Zachary Taylor (1850). Harrison’s three-month stay was three times longer than his presidential term. All the presidents’ bodies have since been moved to their home states.

Today, Congressional Cemetery, which boasts of being “in the shadow” of the U.S. Capitol, is overshadowed by a more prominent cemetery — Arlington. But the Johnsons are devoted to keeping Congressional’s memory alive. At least as long as they are alive. And then maybe, just maybe, beyond.

It’s true that affordable rail passes and second-class coaches make train travel accessible to more people. It also offers a great way to cover lots of ground while taking in different countries’ scenery and culture.

All aboard: Train adventures for every budget

But when is it worth the splurge for first-class tickets in Europe and places far beyond?

Some travelers think of trains the same way they do airplanes: Who cares whether you’re flying up front in first or back in economy? Everyone is still arriving at the same destination at the same time. But when it comes to rail travel, you might be surprised; sometimes there’s little difference in what you’ll pay for that first-class seat and a second-class seat just one compartment away. Even when the upgraded ticket is much more expensive, some travelers will find the extras and perks worth the additional cost.

Here are eight reasons why trading up on trains with multiple classes of service can make sense:

Access to luxurious lounges. Jump-start your premiere class experience even before you step onto the train by taking advantage of in-station lounges to which you’re invited, thanks to your first-class ticket.

Virgin Trains’ lounge not only offers standard free beverages, snacks, newspapers and WiFi, but its Euston Station in London also features showers and a corporate area with desks, BBC News on the telly and a meeting room you can reserve.

Amtrak offers several types of lounges with varying amenities for upper-tier travelers, including Acela Express first-class passengers, sleeping car passengers and United Airlines Club members in cities across the United States. (You can’t otherwise buy entry to Amtrak’s lounges; they’re a perk solely for these folks.) So for example, a customer who paid $311 for a one-way Acela Express first-class ticket from New York to Washington gets to lounge, whereas one who paid $199 for a standard Acela Express ticket can’t get in.

Keep connected, usually for free. Although WiFi may be standard fare in most American coffee shops, that’s not always the case on even high-speed, long-distance trains around the world. Those who can’t afford to be without online access for several hours at a time will appreciate rail services like Virgin Trains and Italy’s sleek, high-speed Frecciarossa trains traveling between Turin and Salerno that offer complimentary WiFi access in first-class cars for passengers’ enabled laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Even if you’re a leisure traveler who just wants to upload vacation pics to Flickr or pin images to your Pinterest boards, having WiFi lets you put those railway hours to good use. If TV is your thing, Italy’s ultra-modern privately operated Italo trains feature 9-inch touch-screen monitors with live programming at each club (premiere first-class) seat.

Your devices stay charged. Free WiFi’s great, but if your laptop or phone is out of juice and shuts down, you’re stuck. Many trains, including to the 230 destinations in France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Switzerland served by TGV Europe, give folks in first-class cars individual access to electrical outlets for charging their laptops, tablets or phones. First-class passengers traveling through the U.S. Northeast on Amtrak’s Acela Express also get 120-volt electric outlets at their seats. While business travelers are most likely to love this important perk, vacationers who can’t stand being unplugged even for a few hours may consider the extra dollars money well-spent.

Get there in comfort. You know how some travelers refuse to splurge for hotel rooms, claiming, “All you do there is sleep”? The same ones probably also think spending more for a comfy first-class train seat is a waste. HARDLY. Being able to truly stretch out during the ride is a gift that will keep on giving when you arrive at your destination refreshed and ready to roll.

Whether you opt for reclining Frau leather seats in first-class “Prima” seats on Italo trains or wide, leather-upholstered ones with adjustable headrests and lumbar support on Amtrak’s Acela Express line, the extra legroom you’ll get by traveling first class in the Northeast United States is a treat. Depending on the time of day they travel, Amtrak passengers going from Boston to Baltimore, for example, might pay between $293 and $405 one-way for the privilege.

Change your plans for free. Stuff happens when you travel: connections get missed, people get sick. Just like with airfares, when you buy the least expensive ticket, changes usually mean more money. Before you know it, you’ve spent as much in change fees as you have for your original ticket. First-class train fares such as Italian Frecciarossa “executive” build in flexibility, so when your plans change, you’re able to make them for free, or get full refunds as long as you ask before your initial train departs.

Business travelers who book “TGV Pro Première” fares in Europe not only get meals delivered to their seats on certain routes but also can exchange their tickets free, and without visiting a ticket counter.

Silence is golden. Travel by its very nature is disruptive, but sometimes you need a little peace and quiet in the midst of the madness. Because business people frequent first-class train compartments, they’re more likely to be working during the trip and not terribly interested in chatting up seatmates they don’t know. Truth be told, fewer families with fussy babies and toddlers are likely to splurge for these pricier seats.

So, if the only noise you want is your own thoughts, first class is a good option. Italy’s Frecciarossa “business” carriages offer a dedicated “silence area” where cell phone conversations and music are off-limits. You’ll find the same in Italo’s “prima relax” cars, where phones are forbidden and travelers are asked not to disturb others. The Eurostar “business premier” and “standard premier” service between the UK and the continent allow you to pre-book a seat in “quiet coaches” eight and 11.

Meet on the go. Want to talk business strategy in private? Frecciarossa’s executive service lets travelers book an elegant, in-carriage meeting room complete with conference table and 32-inch high-definition monitor for video projections. The Italo train’s premiere club class includes two four-seat lounges, where colleagues or companions traveling together across Italy can book their seats in a block and use them for business or pleasure (mapping out a list of Roman ristoranti, anyone?).

First-class Acela Express travelers wanting to confab while traveling 150 mph can take advantage of conference tables with seating for two or four. If you need to meet before boarding your train, Amtrak’s ClubAcela locations in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington allow guests to reserve conference rooms for two-hour blocks for free.

Sleep that much sweeter. While some transcontinental trains are designed to whisk you to your destination in a matter of hours, you can choose to get there in varying degrees of style. Australian routes like Great Southern Rail’s Indian Pacific (which travels from coast to coast between Sydney and Perth) offer everything from economical Red Service day/Nnghter reclining seats (recently about $815) to compact but private Red Service sleeper cabins to Platinum Service cabins (about $3,745) that feature premium furnishings and luxe en-suite bathrooms.

If you’re traveling on regular Amtrak trains, travelers wanting a first-class experience pay a regular rail fare (usually the lowest one available) and then purchase upgrades for sleeping compartments, with varying prices depending on when you book and the type of train.

Nothing like flying without leaving the ground.

Maureen Jenkins is a freelance travel, food and lifestyles writer who has visited nearly 35 countries and territories. She recently moved back to her native Chicago from France and blogs about international travel at UrbanTravelGirl.com.

Editor’s note: This is the first CNN.com Escape Debate, a monthly series that examines the cultural splits within travel, and why travelers divide along certain lines.

For many travelers, especially those with children, it’s not even a question they ask. They already know the answer.

“Yes.”

To these visitors, Disney is Mickey Mouse, princesses, magic and fun. It’s happy memories of childhood brought back to life in your children, a clean place where the rides are safe and the Disney characters are always happy to pose for pictures with your kids.

That’s Deb Koma, who visited once as a child and walked back into the Magic Kingdom in the mid-1990s with her young son. “It was so perfect, everybody was so happy, everything was so maintained,” said Koma, who now works for the AllEars.net, an unofficial Disney planning and fan site. “You were in a perfect fantasy world. That, and my little boy loved it.”

But for other vacationers, Disney inspires a firm “no.”

To those travelers, Disney is merely a commercial machine built to sell tickets, overpriced toys and a stereotype of girls as princesses. They may remember visiting Disneyland or Disney World when they were children, but they aren’t taking their kids there.

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That’s the Rev. J.C. Mitchell, who will be heading to Orlando, Florida, this year for a work conference but will not be taking his family with him, even though his job will cover most of the costs of his trip. “We do not enjoy Disney,” wrote Mitchell, who went to Disney World as a child, via e-mail. “We believe it symbolically represents the excesses of our extremely individualistic society.”

What is it about Disney that creates such a strong response from its dedicated fans and foes?

Whether you love or hate or merely tolerate the expansion of what Walt Disney started in 1923, there’s no doubting that Disney is popular and its influence is everywhere.

All of those theme parks, resorts, cruises, movies, television shows, toys and other Disney businesses earned the company $11.3 billion in the last three months of 2012. More than $3 billion of that money came from Disney cruises and its 11 theme parks and 43 resorts across North America, Europe and Asia. One more park is under construction in Shanghai.

People like Disney. It ranked as the third most well-regarded company–behind only Amazon.com and Apple–in a recent Harris Interactive survey of people’s opinions of the most visible companies’ reputations.

Fortune ranks Disney as the most admired entertainment company and the ninth most admired overall, behind Apple (1), Google (2) and Amazon.com (3).

Still, there is this cultural split. Disney just rubs some people the wrong way. Whatever people think about Disney, it’s probably what they’re also thinking about American society and its values, said Manchester University sociologist Robert Pettit.

“Disney does such a wonderful job of representing American culture, they’re almost synonymous with America,” said Pettit, who teaches a three-week course, “Disney and American Culture,” that includes a Disney World site visit. “They are master storytellers, and they have the narrative business down pat.”

And behind the magic, “Disney is a capitalistic corporation bent on consumerism, and that’s what drives our economy,” he said. “It brings out people’s opinions about our society and culture in general. You can love them or be very critical of those aspects of our culture and society because it portrays them so well.”

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The magic of their children’s reactions

Disney is magic for Edward and Harriett Yu of Los Altos, California. The Yu family and their two daughters have happily visited Disney theme parks about every two years, and the family has sailed on two Disney cruises. Edward Yu even booked a family reunion on one of the cruises last year, reserving 10 cabins for his extended family two years in advance.

“For us as parents, it’s a chance to connect back to our own childhood and brings back happy memories,” wrote Yu in an e-mail. “Now that we have kids, it’s priceless to see their reactions as they experience the parks/rides/shows for their first time. Words can’t describe the preciousness of seeing our little ones thoroughly enjoying themselves on Disney attractions.”

Because it’s Disney, “we know we can expect top-notch entertainment each time we go,” wrote Yu, 46. “And there is an expectation that guests behave properly, which I appreciate.”

Yu isn’t a Disney apologist: He says that Disney’s princess influence can be a bit much.

He also wishes there were more healthy food options at the parks. “You figure a park of Disney’s caliber could make the food experience better.” But he thinks it’s worth the occasional visit just to see the expressions on his girls’ faces.

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The Disney purist

It just made sense to Punam Patel that she would get married at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, this week.

Patel, 26, grew up 15 minutes away from the theme park and visited several times per week with her father and two siblings. Her dad would drink from his Mickey Mouse coffee cup with its free refills while the kids went on rides, and he’d bring it home to wash for another day of free coffee.

One cafe cook still working there remembers cooking breakfast for her on the weekends, Patel said.

When Patel and her future husband decided on a two-month engagement and a small wedding reception, she quickly booked the park’s $5,000 wedding garden package for just 20 people (including the bride and groom). Her father-in-law has given the couple a Disney cruise for their honeymoon to schedule whenever they’d like.

But Patel won’t visit Walt Disney World.

“I grew up going to Disneyland, and that’s the original park,” she said. “I’m a Disney conservationist. Walt Disney World looks so big, and it’s not him (Walt Disney). I think you lose the intimate magic that happens at Disneyland. It’s way more corporate. Disneyland feels like being at home.”

Excesses of commercialism

For Lindsay Potts and her family, a good vacation is spending time with their extended family, outdoors and in nature. Potts hasn’t ever visited any Disney parks but she says that paying lots of money to stand in line for “fast-paced, high-pressure” entertainment isn’t for her. (Her husband visited Disneyland and Disney World as a child.)

She also doesn’t want to support Disney.

“Spending hundreds of dollars to wait in lines and be surrounded by consumerism does not appeal to us,” wrote Potts, who lives in Brownstown, Indiana. “Disney is a brand and also portrays a certain lifestyle that aligns with current corporate American culture.

“We have chosen to live a more alternative life style that is rooted in sustainability, equality and entertainment that is independent of television and popular media.”

The princess stereotype

Alissa Guntren of Bloomington, Indiana, went to Disney World in Florida as a child, but she won’t be taking her daughters to Disney theme parks either. No matter how far Disney’s princess stories have come, she doesn’t want her daughters limiting themselves.

“While I am not averse to my daughters exploring fantasy worlds, I find that Disney and Disney products present children, especially girls, with a very limited fantasy world — one in which a prince will sweep them off their feet so that they can then live happily ever after,” wrote Guntren in an e-mail. “I want my daughters to be confident as individuals, not to grow up thinking there is a prince out there waiting to save them.”

“In addition, I have a difficult time with the princess body types that Disney presents children with, which is an idealized adult female body type and not an appropriate one for my young and impressionable children to try to emulate.”

Consumer behavior expert Kit Yarrow isn’t surprised that people have such strong emotional reactions to Disney, positive or negative.

“People have strong feelings about it because Disney is such a prominent part of their childhoods,” said Yarrow, chair of Golden Gate University’s psychology department in San Francisco. “Whether you went to theme parks or watched movies and cartoons or got the goodies in some way shape or form, it’s touched nearly everybody’s lives.”

The feelings Disney is able to evoke are incredible, she said. People who love Disney feel the perfection and happiness of the culture.

“And that’s exactly what repulses other people; a ‘plasticness’ that other people find offensive. In a world that is increasingly crass and negative, it’s a positive, predictable happy place. “

Everything in moderation

Brooklyn minister Ann Kansfield, 37, has a word of caution for parents keeping their children completely away from Disney — or anything else. Her parents didn’t take her to Disney theme parks because it would have been expensive to fly the family of four from Rochester, New York, to California or Florida. They were saving for other things.

Kansfield doesn’t remember wanting any Disney toys. “I really just wanted to ride the rides,” she wrote. “I definitely realized by high school that I wasn’t going there any time soon.”

After a couple months of dedicated Superstorm Sandy relief work, Kansfield and her family were on a cruise with the chance to take a day trip to Disney World.

“I’m really thankful that my parents hadn’t taken me to Disney before, because it made this trip extra special,” she wrote. “Plus, I did feel like a little bit of a Disney rebel — finally getting to go.

“Parents can do everything in our power to limit our children’s access to the Disney Industrial Complex, but even when we limit it, they’ll find other ways to watch the shows, sing the songs and be involved with Disney-something-or-another. We choose to enjoy it together as a family in small doses, which seems reasonable.”