Florence’s Sweet Spots and Italian Men

The hardest part about your first few days in a foreign country is trying to balance your need for rest after a long week with your need to absorb anything and everything all at once. It’s kind of like trying to soak up the culture through osmosis while running erratically from one spot to the [...]

Machu Picchu’s siren call- to stand at the top of the world

It was a feeling that I yearned for. To stand on top of a mountain in the cool silence of dawn. Cliché? Perhaps. But nevertheless, I was certain that there were few moments in life more satisfying than that stillness.                                             And at last, after years of fantasizing, there I sat in an unassuming patch of [...]

Lessons learned from the Costa Concordia and Titanic tragedy?

Public’s memory is short and enthusiasm for cruising is high but there are some cruise survival tactics we can take away from this tragedy. See insurance Q&A below. Don’t panic. Have a plan. Make your own decisions.  In an emergency pack your passport, and other IDs, credit cards, all your cash and warm clothes. Listen [...]

Biking 3,000 miles across America. My athletic achievement of a lifetime.

When my daughter asked if I would bike across the US with her, I jumped at the chance. I had no idea what lay ahead. Terror in the night Many nights I woke up at 3 a.m. and my bravado gave way to fear — of trucks running us down, injuries, arguments and the enormity [...]

Ten Ways to Protect Your Eyes When Traveling

Some of us have to learn the hard way. After my two-year-around the world trip I discovered I had damaged my eyes by not wearing proper eye protection. My perfect 20/20 eyesight was compromised due to over- exposure to harmful UV rays. How do you protect your eyes from dry airports, hotels, and the elements? [...]

Seven Ways to Chart the Perfect Chilean Adventure: Part 1

1. Stroll through Santiago Santiago shimmers with so much green and reflected light from leafy parks and glass skyscrapers you need your sunglasses just to walk down the street. This city has the power to disorient you on every street corner; from the sky-scraper neighborhood nicknamed “Sanhattan” to the Bohemian Bella Vista neighborhood rich with [...]

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