India, March 8 -- Before I travel, I tend to remind myself that my perception of a place is rarely the reality - particularly in a destination like Canada's Banff National Park, which is world-renowned for its jagged peaks, glaciers, turquoise lakes, and picturesque alpine villages. I told myself it couldn't be that great, especially since I was visiting in the heart of winter.

It turns out, I didn't need to spend all that time tempering my expectations. Banff and Lake Louise, even under a blanket of snow - or perhaps because of it - are everything you see in photos and then some. As Clare McCann, my cross-country ski guide, summed up so perfectly: "It's the magic of water and ice and snow and crystals."

But Banff National Park wasn't j...