I went on a solo trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.  This is a British Overseas Territory made of up many islands grouped in to two sets:  the Turks Islands and the Caicos Islands. 

I stayed in Providenciales, which is part of the Caicos Islands.  This is where about 75% of TCI's entire population lives.  (That population, by the way, is only 30,000.)  Provo, as it is affectionately referred to, is known for its beautiful Grace Bay Beach, made up of pristine white sand and turquoise water.  This was my home for the next week.

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May 27th, 2008: Today I landed in Oahu where I was taken to Turtle Bay resort to interview the cast of the upcoming Judd Apatow produced comedy "Forgetting Sarah Marshall." The moment we checked in, a bunch of journalists and I hit the beach immediately.

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February 27th, 2008: Today, I went to Arizona for the day to go kayaking in the Grand Canyon. It was in conjunction with the DVD release of Into the Wild. There's a portion of the film where the lead character kayaks down the river, so the studio flew a small group of us to the location to be taught by the same person who taught Emile Hirsch.

A car picked me up at my house at 6am and took me to a private airport. There, seven of us (me and producer from TV Guide Network, two people from the E Channel, two from the video game network G4 and one guy from Yahoo) boarded a private plane and an hour and a half later arrived in Pace, AZ. Then we got on a bus for the most beautiful hour long drive to Lee's Ferry, the name of the place where the film was shot.

Scroll down to see pictures of the day trip - we crammed a lot in (and I still made it home in time for dinner!). The first picture is the seven of us with our two pilots. We're all wearing our "Into the Wild" windbreakers. It was all fleece inside and waterproof on the outside. Usually this kind of gear tends to be tacky, but these were really cool.

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Park City Utah, 2008:  An female agent that I know once called me in a panic and said: "I have to go Sundance this year.  I hate the cold, I hate the snow! What do I wear? How on Earth does one look cute in Sundance?" 

Well the answer is quite simple.  You don't.  That place is cold as all hell so forget fashion at a time like this.  Just stay warm.  As long as your outfit begins with thermals and ends with snowpants and a down jacket, who cares what you're wearing in between because no one will ever see it.   In fact, sometimes you just need to be outrageous with your outer gear because if any place will stand for it, it's Sundance.  Below, my producer Maya and I give in:

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December 2007: After last year's disasterous trip to Mexico, this particular trip was considered my "Take Two." The 2006 trip got off to bad start because I spoke zero Spanish which made me feel helpless - not a feeling I'm used to as I already speak three languages fluently and rarely find myself in a situation where I'm unable to communicate. Secondly, the previous year I was six months pregnant and therefore unable to full-fill my life-long dream of swimming with dolphins. Pregnant woman are not allowed in the water with these mamals as a growing embryo throws dolphins off balance and they will not listen to any commands.

The moment I came home from that first trip, I started prepping for the "re-take" by finding myself a private Spanish tutor. I spent twelve months taking weekly Spanish lessons so I would be prepared to navigate the terrain for this particular trip. That was the first step in making things much smoother.

My not-so-humble abode had various wild iguanas and bearded dragons on the property. After having spent a night with an iguana back in college (that's whole other story) and falling in love with it (no, not that way - get your mind out of the gutter!) I felt right at home with these beautiful creatures.

Seizing the moment, I decided I was not only going to swim with dolphins, but I would do the whole kit & caboodle, no matter what it cost, and swim with the sea lions and manatees as well.Continue reading this story...