Articles from this Category
January 27, 2014
Looking for a beach destination but can’t afford a jaunt to the Caribbean or one of the best beaches in the US? No problem. . . pack up the kids and head for…. summer in Chicago! Ohio Street Beach on the shore of Lake Michigan is sure to please everyone in the family. Less crowded […]
January 27, 2014
Just six miles south of the popular tourist beach town of Tamarindo in Costa Rica, is a pristine beach loved by locals…and the tourists who can find it. Playa Avellanas is an oasis at the end of a long warren of dusty, bumpy dirt roads. There are no souvenir shops here, no high-rise hotels, and […]
January 27, 2014
The graceful beauty of stingrays, multi-colored tropical fish, swaying sea grass and coral, dawdling giant sea turtles, and yes, even the sand-papery skin of nurse sharks are part of the Belize diving. Whether you do it once a day, once a year, or once in a lifetime… just do it! No Experience Necessary Belize dive […]
January 8, 2014
Apparently, mom was right — my eyes ARE bigger than my stomach! Still, I gave it a good go as I scoffed my way through my recent trip through the Yucatán, stuffing myself with the fantastic Yucatan food. From the colonial cities of Merida, Valladolid, Izamal, San Pedro Nophat, Kanasín to the Gulf beach towns […]
November 26, 2013
Jousting knights, kings, queens, wenches, fairies, and even pirates, the Carolina Renaissance Festival is considered one of the best in America. The fair comes alive every weekend in October and November on a permanent 25-acre 16th-century theme park that Disney would be proud of. Non-stop, day-long amusements delight children and adults alike. Activities and entertainments […]
November 16, 2013
While visiting the French Polynesian island of Mo’orea recently, I was introduced to the “homegrown lipstick fruit” that grows on the island. This spiny red fruit has hard red seeds that are can be used as a spice as well as in industrial dyes. It has also been known to be used for indigenous body […]
November 5, 2013
TSA rules! Tell me…. do I look dangerous to you? Apparently, the TSA still thinks so. Rapid City Regional Airport. Just another nondescript launching pad in the life of a travel writer. Or so I thought. But it turned out to be a no-good, very bad, terrible day. As I’m going through security in the […]
October 4, 2013
The fact that I was the only one on the Kemah Boardwalk Bulletcoaster would have been a red flag to most people. But I love roller coasters… how bad could it be? It was one of those wooden, old-school types, not the sleek high-drop kind that leaves your stomach in your mouth. But within seconds […]
September 11, 2013
Updated 3/23/2023 Once impenetrable shogun castles now standing sentry to empty chambers… ancient shrines wafting incense across ethereal Buddha images… slick skyscrapers and neon lights that surpass even New York City’s Times Square… Geishas on their way to the shrine. Bullet trains aside, seeing “the land of the rising sun” in a week – a […]
September 5, 2013
This is why I love traveling with my peeps, Marie and Rebecca… On our recent trip to Japan, we were stuck in the Osaka railway station, waiting to be picked up by our guide, who was late and still stuck in rush hour traffic. After wasting an hour in a jam-packed restaurant, I suggested that […]