Orlando: Free walking tours beyond the theme parks

Some bulls lunge when you ride them. Others airwalk. Still other buckle like an earthquake. To appreciate the fine differences, you need to attend a bull riding competition. And I highly recommend the American Royal Pro Rodeo Dodge Prairie Circuit Finals, taking place this weekend as part of the American Royal, which is a five-week long celebration of the pioneer spirit at Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Mo. Allow me to wax poetic for a moment: As a born-and-bred KC girl (go Royals!), I've spent many a fall day over the years attending the Royal with my grandparents. I think nothing says "fall" like a good old-fashioned rodeo, especially for a kid (or the young at heart). This weekend, in particular, is a great time to visit the American Royal. Bull riders, cowboys, cowgirls, and 4-H kids will descend upon Kansas City to watch regular Joes mainly from Kansas, Oklahoma, and Nebraska compete in seven events—two that will get your heart racing are bull riding and barrel racing. This Saturday is also one of two Family Fun Days. There are activities for agriculture enthusiasts: the American Royal Rodeo University (where your kids can learn to rope!), a piglet birthing clinic, and a colt-raising area. There's also the Western Marketplace, for those of you more inclined to shop. There are events at the Royal scheduled into November—including more bull riding. Kemper Arena, 1800 Genessee. Rodeo tickets start at $22; you can buy tickets online. Admission to Family Fun Days is $5 per person or free with any rodeo ticket. MORE TO DO IN KANSAS CITY The new $800 million, nine-block pedestrian cultural district The Truman Library in the Kansas City suburb of Independence offers a large collection of presidential memorabilia Check out the great blogger Kansas City Kitty for more ideas MORE TRAVEL BLOGS Visit travel.alltop.com

For the past 15 years, a trip to Beantown has meant maneuvering around the Big Dig: the massive public-works project that replaced the city's elevated highway with tunnels. With the Dig finally finished, people can now stroll where they once sat in traffic. The new Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway (rosekennedygreenway.org) is a mile-long park that follows the path of the former highway all the way to the Charles River. —Alison Lobron *CORRECTION 12:31 p.m.: A typo in this headline has been corrected.

One of the largest problems with the typical drip coffee maker is its weak wattage. You need a lot of electrical power to heat water up to its ideal brewing temperature. Otherwise, you lose out on many coffee flavors and aromas. Most hotel room coffee makers aren't up to the task, but I have three workarounds for you to follow (below). CooksIllustrated.com, one of the best magazines out there, recently tested drip coffee makers. The editors pointed out that the typical machine's electrical juice is "divided among several different components, including burner plates and clocks and other electronic features, in addition to the heating element." In other words, the devices can't brew your coffee at the perfect temperature, which is roughly between 195 degrees and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Specialty Coffee Association. Is there anything you can do to overcome this handicap and brew decent coffee? Here's my first tip: Do a "trial run" of your coffee maker—without coffee—to heat up the machine. Pour the heated water back into the device and brew your coffee as usual. While you won't get the water to a perfect level of hotness, you will get it pretty darned close. A second problem with drip coffee makers is that they tend not to work fast enough, resulting in bitter coffee. I'll quote again from Cook's Illustrated: To extract the desired degree of flavor compounds from the coffee grounds, brewing time should be no more than six minutes. Longer brewing times (especially more than nine minutes) can make coffee taste harsh. But most hotel room coffee machines brew too long. What to do? Take the pot (or glass carafe) off the burner before the brewing cycle finishes. You obviously need to have a spare mug to put in place of the carafe while emptying it, or else coffee will splash out everywhere. Better to have a cup of coffee that's decent but only two-thirds full than a full cup with a harsh taste. And don't worry: A simple mug or cup can catch any excess coffee and prevent any splashing. One more tip: Brewed coffee has a short life when it's left on an electrical burner. If you leave brewed coffee in a pot or glass carafe for 15 minutes or more, it will taste like liquid ashes when you drink it. Avoid the problem by pouring the coffee into a cup as soon as it's brewed. [Thanks to Chris for suggesting a post on this topic.] Feel free to share your own tips below.

We've received a lot of interest in our recent article The Secrets to Happy House Swapping. So author Joanna Goddard, who swapped to L.A. (twice), San Francisco, Berlin, Connecticut, Paris (twice) and more, fielded reader questions in a live online chat earlier this week. Here are some highlights: Saint Augustine, Fla.: In this day of identity theft, how do you insure that there is not some stray piece of paper with an account number, etc., inadvertently left around? Joanna Goddard:First, if you're nervous about having complete strangers come to your house, you can go through an official apartment swapping website (see our list, Where to shop for a swap) and then you can read reviews of the swappers. That way, you'll know that other people have been happy swapping with them, and you can feel more confident about your own swap. Before your swappers arrive, make sure to put your bills and mail in a locker or tuck them in a bottom drawer, where people won't see them. For electronic documents, you can put password protected locks on them. For instance, Word documents can be locked simply by pressing "save as," then clicking on "options," then clicking on "security." Then you can make an easy password (maybe "swap"!) for all your documents. You'll be safe and all set. That said, when you're arranging an apartment swap, you see photos of the people's house and exchange many emails (and, if you'd like, phone calls). So you get a real sense of who these people are and what they're like. After emailing with them about their favorite local restaurants and swapping keys through the mail with a nice little note, you come to feel as if you're friends with them. Trust me, once you get started, apartment swapping is a lot less scary than it sounds! Many people are worried about their personal valuables, like computers and cameras. We've done about 10 swaps and have never hidden anything—and have never had a problem. I think when people swap apartments, there is an implicit trust, since you're in their house, too! But, if you want to be extra safe, you can buy a small locker from IKEA, so you can lock things away. Or you can create an "owner's closet" by attaching a latch and padlock to a closet, and putting your valuables inside. Ventura, Calif.: What do you deem the single most important issue when swapping homes? Joanna Goddard: Good question! Hmmm, I think it's really important to be open about everything from the very beginning. Take accurate photos of your home, ask lots of questions, make sure you describe any surprises, such as a temperamental toilet or a noisy street. That way, there won't be any surprises, and you'll be starting off your swap with honesty and kindness. Colorado Springs, Colo.: I'd love to try swapping, but I'm afraid our average, suburban cookie-cutter home would hardly have the cache of a NYC flat. What do you think my chances would be in getting an offer? I wouldn't mind the equivalent in France or England or Italy...but would my traders be disappointed? Joanna Goddard: Thanks for your question. You never know what people are looking for. Some people want to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, and some people would love to hike, bike or ski in Colorado. That's the genius of housing swaps—you can stay where the grass is greener! :) So, I think you could definitely take some pretty photos of your house and also the pretty areas around you—maybe a nearby view or lovely river. Then create a listing of your home that talks about the joys of your area. You might be surprised how many people think it sounds just lovely! (P.S. Also keep in mind, when you live in a city, like me, you generally have a shoebox apartment. So a big home in the suburbs sounds like bliss! Ahh, to have a fireplace, a dishwasher and more than one bedroom....) White Rock, B.C., Canada: Is there any danger in doing the swap, and is the house insurance valid, in case something happens? Joanna Goddard: Good question. Of course, you will want to check with your own insurance company, but typically most insurance considers house swappers to be "invited guests" in your home or "permitted" drivers of your car, and so they will offer that same coverage. La Jolla, Calif.: I am interested in trying house swapping but my husband is not comfortable with having people whom we have never met live in our home. He says I am reading only positive stories but there must be negative experiences, too. Have you ever heard of any cases where people returned to find serious problems caused during the swap? I certainly do not want to be naive about this, especially since my husband is uncomfortable with the idea. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Joanna Goddard: Hmmm, the skeptical husband. I've heard of those before! :) Here's what I would do... Your husband is worried, surely, that people will mess up your home, break valuables and even steal something. Those are valid concerns. But here is how you can convince him that those odds are very unlikely.... #1. Go onto one of these reputable home exchange websites and scroll through houses you like. You can find a beautiful place or two that you know your husband will love. #2. Read the user reviews, which will tell you what past swappers thought of the house and the people themselves. That should help calm your husband's fears, since you will be able to "screen" the people before you even reach out to them. #3. Once you find a place you might like to swap with, contact the people and email back and forth with them a few times, about their apartment and their neighborhood, etc. You can see if you click with them and feel comfortable, or if you sense any red flags. (And you can show your husband these friendly emails from them!) #4. Consider the people you're swapping with. Are they professionals? Adults traveling without young kids? Does their house look neat and clean in the photos? You can choose the people you feel comfortable with. #5. Finally, you can lock away your valuables and jewelry in an "owner's closet," by attaching a latch and padlock on a closet door. That way, your husband won't be worried about specific items. #6. Try it out just for a weekend, instead of a week. You can take baby steps... :) #7. You can even tell your husband that I've house-swapped 10 times and have NEVER had a problem. Even a little problem. I hope this works! House swapping is a really great way to travel, but it is a bit of an adventure, I'll admit! If your husband still isn't into it, you can always check out Budget Travel's favorite hotels! New York City, N.Y.: What about pets? Can I ask them to take care of my two cats? They are really sweet and easy to take care of. Joanna Goddard: You can definitely ask swappers to take care of your cats, if you'd like. It's up to them. Just make sure to be upfront in your listing—tell them about the cats and exactly what they'd have to do to take care of them. And realize that people may be allergic or not want to take care of animals, so you may turn off some swappers. But definitely give it a shot! My old roommate had a kitten. When we did a swap with a woman from Paris, she loved taking care of the kitten. So it can work out well! Thank you again, and have a wonderful day! xo Joanna MORE Where to shop for a swap A CNN video of Joanna talking about house swapping Read Joanna's personal blog, A Cup of Jo