Auld acquaintance, indeed — when it comes to public NYE bashes, there’s pretty much no acquaintance aulder than that of the Scots. With some traditions dating back to the Vikings, Hogmanay (the word's reckoned to come down from, variously, Anglo Saxon, French, Flemish, and the old…

Sometimes the most impressive destinations require a trip to someplace more off the beaten path. Taking a side trip from Napa Valley is a great example.



Iconic in its own right for wineries, stellar culinary scene, and vibrant arts, after spending a week on tastings and soaking in Napa's ambiance, you just might be ready to head north up…

The Riviera Nayarit is a tourist corridor of a little more than 160 kilometers in length which has become one of the top recreational destinations for travelers seeking new experiences and activities which are out of their reach in their homelands. With a tourist offer to suit all budgets, thanks to its incredible landscapes, the…

The north Pacific coast of Guanacaste, Costa Rica is known for its unforgettable beautiful beaches of white, gold, gray, black and even pink sand. Guanacaste beaches are preferred vacation destinations, having the sunniest climate in all of Costa…

Life is a variety of experiences – depth, quality, lived in the details. In a previous post I talked about how I want to be defined by actions, not interests. Here, I want to talk about how those actions are defined not by what they are, but how they are done.



Not long ago…

Christmas in the UK, where I grew up, thrives on tradition. Although conventionally considered a Christian celebration, a British Christmas has roots in ancient pagan festivals, subsequently layered with influences from around the world. In today's cosmopolitan (and largely secular) Britain, December 25th concerns itself as much with the Eastenders…

Imagine my surprise, not long ago, to discover I wanted to write a glowing article for my travel series “Best of London” about a department store!  (Just when did I fall and hit my head, anyways)?  But no, there were no mishaps involved.  If anything, our discovery was what I would term a “happy accident” as we wandered down Piccadilly Street, the atmosphere…

Dining Journeys  (part 1 of 3)

Ron's Swedish grandmother had once said "I live to eat...I don't eat to live." That sounds like our philosophy. This journal recalls our most memorable dining experiences, in loose geographic order (and mostly chronological) , during 30 years of travel outside the…

It has been a long-standing rule that when traveling through Kansas, it is best to do so at night because there is a common thought that there is nothing to see, but I believe I can prove that notion wrong. We had three days, two kids, and a small budget to drive out to one of Kansas’s geographic wonders and back again, finding new places along the way to explore.



The seven-hour drive from Kansas City was always too much to tackle so I had put Monument…

If your usual Christmas is cold and gray, and you can’t go outside without wearing at least 10 layers, wouldn’t it be nice instead to spend Christmas in the Caribbean with your toes deep in warm sand instead of wool socks?



Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica is already merrily decorated for Christmas…

Cachaça is alcohol made with sugar cane, which is created by distilling the fermented juice from the cane. It's widely used in creating the caipirinha, a cocktail which mixes it with ice, sugar and lemon, and which is popular internationally. It has an alcohol content of between 38% and 50%.



In Brazil, cachaça also has many other names:…

Yountville, California embodies many quintessential visions you undoubtedly have when planning a Napa Valley excursion. It all started in 1836, when George Calvert Yount founded the town planting Napa Valley's first official vineyard. Today, vines…

Any flight that leaves at 1:20 in the morning is already doomed as far as I’m concerned.  It can only go down hill from there, especially when the airplane seat back doesn’t seem to want to recline backward.  But this one’s worse than that.  Not only do I arrive…

Balboa Park is one of San Diego's largest and most historic vacation destinations. While touring California, this place just can’t be overlooked, so make sure that you stop over and take a scenic view that will give a revitalized feel to you. The total area of this mammoth park is 1,200 acres and it is an urban cultural park named after Vasco Nuñez de Balboa, who was a Spanish maritime explorer.…