Many of you who follow me on Twitter may know by now, but for everyone who doesn’t, I recently took a trip to England over the holidays and it was a really enjoyable experience.

Traveling is such a great way, one of my personal favorites, to relieve stress, get you out of the daily grind, and create some lasting memories with your loved ones. I took my twin daughters with me – they weren’t big fans of the rain, but overall I’d say it was a really great shared experience that is hard to get anywhere else, especially with such a hectic schedule.

I love the outdoors – whether it’s swimming, hiking, or skiing – it’s one thing to always visit your regular getaway destination, but it’s a whole different ballgame when you’re on the other side of the planet. Especially for kids – it really expands their perspective on life I think. Maybe not as much as it used to because of the internet and the information age, but to actually hear Big Ben tell you what time it is while you’re taking in all the sights is impossible to reproduce on a screen.

Oh – and did you know that “Big Ben” is just the name of the bell of the clocktower? The tower just got renamed in March to “Elizabeth Tower.” Before that it was just “The Clock Tower,” so I think that’s an improvement, but I always thought the whole shebang was “Big Ben.”

Aside from that, we went to see the largest agricultural maze in the world. I was really blown away by the scale. I brushed up on my history – after the fact of course – and it’s been part of Hampton Court Palace since 1695. Can you believe that? It’s been part of the Palace for about 80 years longer than America has been its own country, and it’s a maze made of hedges. It’s the perfect combination and image of nature and man’s structuring impact on nature. Georgie didn’t seem too impressed, but I’ll blame the rain for that one.

If it’s the winter, you’ll have better luck winning the lottery than being able to walk around in London without rain, but you’re not really getting an authentic English experience if you aren’t in the rain, now are you?

Overall, it was a great experience and I can’t wait to go back sometime soon. What kind of exciting places did you go to in 2012? Leave a comment below or tweet me @DrBillDorfman #travel.