Travel Tips and Plans

Prior to September 2023, I’d visited Italy twice, once in my 40s and once at age 50. I was traveling solo then and opted to book with tour groups of around 20 people. The 1st visit was a food and wine tour through Tuscany and Umbria, the 2nd…

I am essentially a planner, but I love spontaneous events. There is something wild and wonderful about an unplanned experience in your life. Nothing too dramatic and certainly nothing bad – a sudden fall or, worse, a sudden death – are not part of my thinking…

Have you been thinking of doing a pilgrimage walk? More and more women over 60 are slipping into their hiking boots and heading out to do long pilgrimage walks. Pilgrimage walks are multi-day walks taken for personal, spiritual, or religious reasons…

At the last second, my husband had to bail on an upcoming cruise. Family couldn’t swing it either, so I asked – as one does – the busiest woman on the planet if she’d like to be my plus-one. As busy women do, she quickly said yes and went about shutting…

I had a dream trip planned for August of 2020, but we all know what happened that year. COVID put an end to everyone’s travel plans. That summer, I had planned to take my oldest granddaughter to Prince Edward Island to celebrate her 12th birthday…

What sort of person are you? Introverted? Sociable? More of a thinker than an extrovert? And do any of those personality traits have any bearing on what sort of holidays you take? Search online and you’ll find multiple quizzes to determine…

With gorgeous landscapes from the Pacific coastline to the North Cascade mountains, Washington State offers a delightful array of activities for every interest. I’ve lived here for over 30 years and am still amazed by the endless opportunities…

A month or so into winter now. Short days, lots of rain, sometimes heavy. And quite a few cold, grey days. It’s not all miserable and depressing though, as we have the wild Atlantic on our doorstep, with kilometers of coastal boardwalks for exercise and fresh sea air…

Are you a train enthusiast? Is a memorable multi-day iconic train journey on your bucket list? There are many ways to travel and to get places, but train trips are typically embarked on mostly for the luxurious and elegant once-in-a-lifetime adventure…

There are so many fun things to do right in your hometown that, if you are like me and keep putting them off, they never happen. So, how about creating a “Local Bucket list of Adventures”? Not only will it beat off the local humdrums and send them packing…