Great travel accessories can literally change your life. Ok…well at least for the brief moment they are serving a purpose. Example A: Screaming child behind you on the airplane, enter noise cancelling headphones….ahh the sound of silence! Not all travel gear is created equal, but a few budget friendly and 1-2 luxury travel accessories expertly chosen (by me of course) can be game changers! These are in no particular order as I find them all…
Wading through the mud-soaked pineapple fields of Moorea our jeep tour guide asked how long we’d spent in Bora Bora. I answered, “six days.” He laughed heartily and said, “After 3 days Bora Bora becomes Bora-Boring.” We all had a little chuckle. TIPS 1. DO get in the water! Snorkeling tours, fishing and scuba diving are well worth it. They are pricey, but if I had to do it again I would pay for at…
It took a full week of being home to pull me out of the rain-drenched reverie and dream-like state that was Scotland. I admire most of the places I travel to, but with Scotland, I stumbled into something altogether bewitching. I was under a spell. Maybe it was the pitch-black nights and windy Highland roads of the night photography workshop I was on or the unrelenting drizzle and misty clouds. From the moment my plane…
The first thing I read every morning is travel news. Not because my job or life depend on it, but because it makes me happy. I’d like to share 6 of my favorite articles that’ll whisk you away to far off places and leave you dreaming of yoga retreats in Bali. Need a packing list? Check out my MUST HAVES! 1. The BBC Travel’s “Ingenious Story Behind Michelin Stars” by Anita Isalska BBC Travel has…
Taking an international trip can be daunting, especially if it’s your first one. Where to stay? How to get around? Do you need a guide? Talk about overwhelming…. Most people I talk to already have a dream location in mind. Here’s a quick guide on how to make your dream a reality! Before you book, check out The Art of Travel on finding the best locations and vacations for YOU. 1. Buy an Airline Ticket!…
I am not a millionaire, I cannot afford business class tickets or luxury accommodations. But I have figured out how to do both!I’ve spent a long time traveling and figuring out what works and what doesn’t. From the bottom of my long list of travel mistakes has come a few gems of knowledge saving me thousands. Here are my top travel secrets that will save you a LOT of money on your next vacation. *This…
As I sat atop a rocky outcrop overlooking the vast Kenyan Serengeti, I looked down to realize there were black tiny spots all over my jeans. A closer look revealed…pepper ticks. EEEEKK! Thank goodness for the duct-tape I had around my water bottle for emergencies. A little duct-tape over the jeans and good-bye pepper ticks! In addition to clothes, shoes, and toiletries there’s a lot more that goes into packing for a developing country. Being…
The global sharing economy has unlocked a whole new world of home-away-from-home experiences. As a result, hotels have lowered prices and introduced fantastic award programs to stay competitive. I’ve provided my favorite travel sites and companies to book hotels, apartments or homes for the best possible price and value. Enjoy!! 1.Booking.com. We have found some great apartments and hotels through this site. I haven’t found a hotel booking site (expedia, hotels, hotwire) that has the…
Like many visitors to Sintra, we came for the photographs and other-worldly castles that sit atop a mountain overlooking the sea. Despite three days of relentless fog and rain threatening to drown us, we fell head over heels with this adorable Portuguese village. As the moorish and pastel colored castles rose out of the fog before us, we were HOOKED. Most people hope to cram Sintra into a day trip. Even with three days to…
Travel Before Smartphones I used to buy white envelopes with the words “Air Mail” plastered across the front. If you didn’t, then you would have to write “AIR MAIL” in big fat letters and hope someone at the post office put it in the right bin. The alternative was mail by boat. That could take months! The thought of my recent news floating in the black underbelly of a ship that may, or may not,…