Mark Johanson

Tuesday's Vernal Equinox heralded the first day of spring, an occasion marked by several celebrations across the Northern Hemisphere.

Whether you're sun-lovers, culture-seekers, or budget hounds, one of these family-oriented spring break destinations for 2012 is sure to fit the bill.

Winding along country roads exploring historic bourbon distilleries and listening to the sounds of the rolling hills, Kentucky's Bluegrass Country will overwhelm you with its gentle, honest charm.

Holi 2012 doesn’t officially start until Thursday, but in Lord Krishna’s land -- Barsana, Vrindavan, and Mathura -- India's festival of colors started nearly a week in advance.

Greek tourism revenues could drop by up to five percent in 2012 due to a fall in pre-bookings from Germany, industry officials said Wednesday, denting hopes the key sector will help pull the country out of the Eurozone financial crisis.

Somewhere on the edge of reality lies Slab City, a free RV oasis just east of the Salton Sea in the Colorado Desert of southeastern California.

Sunday is the first anniversary of the Japan tsunami and earthquake that left a confirmed 15,850 dead and 3,287 missing. Yet out of the unimaginable tragedy of that day arose a story of grace and global compassion - a story of paper cranes.

Prince Harry arrived in Jamaica to race Usain Bolt just hours after the Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller called for full independence and a cut of royal ties.

In honor of International Women’s Day 2012, here's a look at the best and worst places to be a woman. Caution: The results may surprise you.

The Bihar Mahavir Mandir Trust held a foundation-laying ceremony on Monday for a $20 million Angkor Wat replica project in India's Bihar state.

Though India's Festival of Colors doesn't officially start until March 8, Lathmar Holi attracted thousands of revelers over the weekend to the small villages of Barsana and Nandgaon.

Prince Harry began his Diamond Jubilee tour with visits to Belize, the Bahamas, and Jamaica.

All-inclusive resorts, dazzling azure waters, hilltop golf courses, voodoo mysteries, fire-breathing jerks, and kissing dolphins... all of this awaits in Jamaica's Montego Bay.

A Humboldt penguin escaped from Tokyo's Sea Life Park zoo over the weekend and was last photographed swimming in a city river.

United Airlines battled service problems including flight delays, faulty kiosks and jammed phone lines this weekend as it worked through technical glitches during the merger of the United and Continental Airlines reservation systems.

Thousands of people reported seeing a meteor or fireball in the sky across the UK from northern England to Scotland.

Jamaica's Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller welcomed investors at the Jamaica Investment Forum 2012 to share her government's pro-business attitude and political will.

John Salemme explores Sarajevo 20 years after the start of the Bosnian War.

The ways in which business gets done in today's global marketplace is evolving at a rapid rate. Even in the midst of new paradigms and emerging technologies, one thing remains constant: big deals often come together over meals.

KLM's new ‘Meet & Seat’ Program to make flying a more social experience by allowing passengers to choose their own seatmates based on social media profiles.

The Costa Allegra fire -- which has stranded 1,000 in the Indian Ocean near Seychelles -- threatens to hurt a cruise ship industry that is already suffering from the Costa Concordia catastrophe.

Frankfurt airport operator Fraport and airline Lufthansa will seek an injunction after trade union GdF urged control tower staff to join walkouts by airfield staff at Europe's third largest airport.

“The World’s Biggest Party” just got a little smaller in The City of Samba, Keith Loutit's tilt-shift look at Rio Carnival.

Carving a 10-mile-wide snake a mile deep in the earth, the Grand Canyon churns your adrenaline; the Painted Desert proves that barren doesn’t always mean bleak; the Navajo Nation shows that America is no “New World;” and the road to Zion confirms that the Wild West is as wild as ever.

Disney Fantasy will arrive in New York Harbor on Tuesday and take its maiden voyage out of Port Canaveral, Florida on March 31. But before it does, here's a sneak peak inside ...

A decades-old dispute between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the remote Falkland Islands, which the Argentines call the Malvinas, heated up Monday when two Carnival Corp. cruise ships were refused entry at the port of Ushuaia.

The Costa Allegra is adrift off the coast of Seychelles after a fire erupted in the electrical room. The incident comes just weeks after another Costa Crociere ship, the Costa Concordia, ran aground off the Italian coast killing at least 25.

The last silent film to win an Oscar was Wings in 1929 and the story of what happened to the movie after its release closely echos the plot of 2012 winner The Artist.

Here's a look at the complete list of Oscar winners in 2012 and the surprises and snubs.