16 Awe-Inspiring American Monuments

Use these editors' tips and visual examples pulled from readers' journals on BudgetTravel.com, you're sure to come home with images you actually want to hang. SEE READER PHOTOS SO YOU WANT TO SHOOT... Panoramas Common Mistake: Trying to squeeze a sweeping landscape into one measly frame.For Best Results: Check your camera for a stitching function, which displays a guide to help you nail a smooth, multishot panorama. They're built into many point-and-shoot cameras and even sold as smartphone apps (like Pano for the iPhone, $3). Even without this feature, anyone can improvise a similar sequence by using a tripod or a ledge for support while panning across the horizon and clicking away.Our Reader Pick: Joe Routon, of Haddonfield, N.J., combined five shots to get this expansive Florentine scene. His progression appears seamless. Don't sweat it, though, if yours doesn't. Embrace the rough edges: A row of slightly off-kilter shots has a certain collage-like charm   SO YOU WANT TO SHOOT... An Iconic Façade Common Mistake: Overlooking the intricate details.For Best Results: Seek out the building's most notable elements and snap those—and only those.Our Reader Pick: Rochester, N.Y., resident Stanley Hattman's photo of these twisting, ochre forms (chimneys atop Antoni Gaudí's La Pedrera apartment building in Barcelona) works in two ways. On one level, it captures a typical Gaudí architectural feature, but it also stands alone as an abstract image with its own appeal. The camera Hattman used was nothing fancy. "But it has a zoom, which I needed to get this shot," he says. When camera shopping, go for one with optical zoom, not just digital—you'll get vastly sharper photographs.   SO YOU WANT TO SHOOT... Reflections Common Mistake: Pulling back to snap both an object and its double.For Best Results: If you zero in on just the reflection, you'll walk away with a far more surprising photo.Our Reader Pick: Ralph Velasco, of Corona del Mar, Calif., took this picture of a cluster of canoes on the Ljubljanica River in Slovenia. "I'll make an effort to walk around any reflective surface—the mirrors of scooters, the chrome of parked cars, shop windows—to see if there's a chance to take something that isn't the typical postcard shot," Velasco says. Another benefit of focusing on reflections: color variation. When you include two versions of the same thing, you get a whole lot of the same palette. But here, the bright orange of the canoes pops against the blue of the water and the paler streak of the reflected buildings.   SO YOU WANT TO SHOOT... A Group Portrait Common Mistake: Just, you know, standing there.For Best Results: Don't fight the temptation to ham it up—after all, you're on vacation. If you give every person in the group a pose to strike (however hokey), you'll ensure everyone is engaged and alert.Our Reader Pick: Kyle Murphy, of Redondo Beach, Calif., made a pact with his Nile adventure-tour cohorts that they wouldn't take any overtly touristy snapshots. That didn't last long. When a fellow Giza visitor took two normal pics of the group, then suggested they act out "Walk Like an Egyptian," Murphy recalls: "Not one of us even hesitated."   SO YOU WANT TO SHOOT... A Memorable Meal Common Mistake: Shooting down on a plate from directly above.For Best Results: Hold your camera at a slight angle to the food and tweak the place setting to play up atmospheric details.Our Reader Pick: Lynn Farrell, of Scottsdale, Ariz., staged her shot of grilled calamari at the Merolagia restaurant in Mykonos, Greece, to take in the no-frills paper place mat, the distinctive glassware, and the beer bottle in the background. "I made sure the bottle was turned so that you could see the Greek label," Farrell says, "and shifted the plate so that one of the corners came toward the camera." Above all, keep in mind that the best meals are rarely just about the food; they're as much about that hilarious waiter, the incredible view, and the botched menu translations as any individual dish. The photo you take should remind you of the complete experience.   SO YOU WANT TO SHOOT... Your Hotel Room Common Mistake: Relying on lamps for illumination.For Best Results: Go natural. Identify when your room gets the best sunlight-mornings and late afternoons are often the most flattering-then throw back the curtains and turn off your camera's flash.Our Reader Pick: For Donna Carroll, of Boca Raton, Fla., the prime time to shoot her west-facing room at South Africa's Cape Town Ritz Hotel was just before sunset. "When I checked into the hotel, the mountain was covered in clouds, but by afternoon, the weather had cleared," Carroll says. Waiting for the light offered the added benefit of geographic context: Carroll's photo combines her room's interior with a striking cityscape in a single shot. SEE MORE POPULAR CONTENT 25 Most Photographed Places on Earth 12 Most Beautiful Lakes in the World 10 Best Affordable Beachfront Hotels

If there's one man who's made a business of pushing culinary boundaries, it's Anthony Bourdain. His now-classic television series, No Reservations, begins its seventh season this month, continuing the intrepid eater's global quest for unforgettable food. From Beirut to Kerala, the chef and author has tried his share of stomach-churning specialties (iguana, fermented shark), and picked up smart strategies for vetting street carts, scouring morning markets, and more along the way. His most lasting lesson? That local food is the best gateway to extraordinary travel. What's the first thing a traveler should do after hitting the ground?If you're in a place like Vietnam, Thailand, or Spain—with a strong food culture—go to the morning market, where the average merchant and home cook do their buying. You'll get a quick idea of what everyday consumers enjoy. When you film, you have a lot of resources at your disposal. How can regular travelers find the kind of folks that you learn from?A lot of the people that we reach out to are bloggers. It's relatively easy: If you type in, say, "Saigon street food," chances are, you'll eventually come across somebody who has dedicated himself to that subject. Then it's just a matter of reaching out—which is easy, given the way we communicate now. What do you say to those who might be intimidated by street food?Street stalls are in the business of feeding their neighbors. You're far more likely to be poisoned by a big hotel chain buffet. I mean, if no one drinks the water in a particular country, you certainly shouldn't either. But a crowded food stall where a lot of locals are eating something that doesn't look very familiar to you? That's the good stuff. And in a way, the filthier the place looks, the better; clearly they're feeling pretty confident about their food. Is there a destination you think is underrated right now?Beirut. It's a thrilling, wonderful place. It feels like a European Miami but much better. Better food, nicer people, better all-around city. Have you ever gotten really sick?Twice in 10 years, and it wasn't a surprise. Simple diarrhea is another story; it's something you just have to be prepared for as a traveler. You bring your appropriate medications, but it's hardly the end of the world. And I always try to remind people: Leave yourself open to the perfect meal by leaving yourself open to the occasional really bad one. The best kind of vacation is one where everything goes marvelously and memorably wrong. Those are the incidents you laugh about 20 years later. No Reservations airs on the Travel Channel Mondays at 9 p.m. EST.     See more popular content: 26 Stunning Photos of Ireland The World's Best Street Food Our 10 Favorite Cherry Blossom Festivals How to Take Better Food Photos  

Our favorite part... Each landing that we made on the continent and on the surrounding South Shetland Islands. The local names have an incredible allure, from the Drake Passage and Half Moon Island to Deception Island and Port Lockroy. We felt the history pages come alive! It was the thrill of a lifetime to explore the glorious ice- and snow-covered landscapes and to spot the abundant wildlife: chinstrap, gentoo, Adélie, and emperor penguins; Weddell, crabeater, and leopard seals; pelagic sea birds; and humpback and orca whales. Navigating from the ship to shore via Zodiac boats and kayaking among the icebergs were part of the extraordinary adventure. Worth every penny... Splurging to travel with Lindblad Expeditions on the National Geographic Explorer. After comparing various programs, we found that Lindblad offered the best value. Our trip included one night at the Grand Hyatt Santiago; a lunch allowance; an afternoon city tour; a welcome dinner; all airport transfers; a charter airfare from Santiago to Ushuaia; a cruise of the Beagle Channel with lunch on a catamaran in Ushuaia prior to boarding the National Geographic Explorer (an extremely comfortable and well-equipped ship); all meals and nonalcoholic beverages on the ship, including afternoon tea; two captain's receptions; special expedition parkas that we got to keep; kayaking; a visit to a local museum in Ushuaia followed by lunch after disembarkation; the services of the naturalists and Zodiac drivers; and the presence of special guests on the ship, including Peter Hillary, National Geographic photographer Ira Block, and underwater naturalists, whose videos we watched during our nightly cocktail hour. Wish we'd known that... Every expedition has a different itinerary depending on the movement of the other ships in the area and the daily ice and weather conditions. We were so eager to see it all, but could visit a particular area  only if the captain and expedition leader were able to negotiate the right to land and if the weather complied. One day, ice conditions hampered our ability to visit a second location that we were looking forward to seeing in the afternoon, so we had to stay at our morning location for further activities. We learned to be flexible. What we should have packed... We actually packed very well because we are a skiing family. Essential clothes: ski pants, thermal underwear, gloves and liners, wool ski socks, ski goggles, ski hats and ear muffs, waterproof backpack. We purchased inexpensive rain boots instead of expensive insulated arctic boots, and our feet were very comfortable with thick wool ski socks for insulation. Our only complaint: We needed to bring two suitcases each to account for the hot, summery weather in Santiago and Valparaiso. Great local meal... We spent an extra night in Valparaiso, Chile, after our trip to Antarctica ended, and had two memorable meals there. Our best lunch was at Allegretto, a cheerful, funky restaurant evoking a '50s-style diner with wooden booths and a jukebox playing old rock 'n' roll songs. The large stone-baked, thin-crust pizzas are delicious and meant to be shared. We ate a late dinner at Pasta e Vino, enjoying the lively atmosphere at the family-run restaurant. Every dish was excellent and flavorful, and the pisco sours were amazing! Fun surprise... The captain's willingness to modify the itinerary so that we could follow whales and search for emperor penguins in the Weddell Sea. These were especially memorable experiences because both took place in the evening after dinner with the sun still high in the sky (in December in Antarctica, the sun does not set until very late and only for a brief period of time). We would all be out on deck hanging over the bow of the ship, our noses and fingers freezing, snapping photos and thrilled to be watching nature as it is intended to be appreciated. We're still laughing about... My husband driving in the hills of Valparaiso! The streets are extremely curvy, narrow, and steep. Dogs run around without leashes and stop traffic. One-way streets come up suddenly. Street names are very difficult to find, much less to see in time to turn, especially at night. It was so funny to watch him navigate this incredibly difficult city for drivers! Hotels we liked... At the Grand Hyatt Santiago, we were lucky enough to get an upgrade to the Business/Concierge level because it was my 50th-birthday celebration. We had a lovely family lunch on the patio overlooking the pool and a delicious welcome cocktail hour and dinner in an open-air restaurant. The pool was gorgeous, with a giant waterfall cascading into the deep end. For our stay in Valparaiso, I'd found the Robinson Crusoe Inn on the Internet and was very pleased. We were assigned to the newer of the hotel's two buildings and had a gorgeous view of the harbor. It was a two-bedroom, two-bath suite for approximately $260 per night, including a full breakfast. There was a patio with outdoor seating that overlooked the city and the harbor. The entire hotel had a bit of an eclectic, charming feel. It was walking distance to quite a few of Valparaiso's attractions, including Pablo Neruda's house, San Sebastián, and the Open Air Museum.