Welcome Gutsy Travelers!

In Nepal, child slavery wasn't on the national radar until Olga Murray came upon the scene. This is Olga arriving at the Kathmandu, Nepal airport, surrounded by the children she has helped. Photo credit: Nepal Youth Foundation. When Olga and I met  she told me  "some...

When the walls feel like they are closing in and I need a boost again, I return to the wide-open spaces of the southwest and the healing peacefulness of the canyons for a road trip in Utah and Arizona.                 Nothing can put life into perceptive better than...

This is what you need to know about car rentals during the pandemic By Christopher Elliott  Alex Davis didn't know what to expect when she rented a car from Alamo in Chicago recently. Agents in hazmat suits? Antibacterial car washes, maybe? Perhaps an extra cleaning...

How do you know if your hotel room is really clean? By Christopher Elliotts It's almost impossible to find a hotel that hasn't introduced a new sanitation program, promising its rooms are squeaky clean and coronavirus-free. But how do you know if your hotel room is...

How do you practice social distancing on a plane? Many airlines are not blocking the middle seat.  By Christopher Elliott When Robyn Wilkov boarded a recent flight from New York to Dallas, she was surprised to find a masked passenger in the middle seat next to hers....

When you think of Sonoma County, images come to mind of vineyards and vine-covered hillsides, elegant tasting rooms and fabulous dinners at intimate restaurants. Beyond the famous food, wine and vineyards, Sonoma offers plenty more to discover. Go West Beyond the...

Paso Robles, mid-way between San Francisco and Los Angles, is known for wine tasting and summer concerts. Recently  my husband and I drove 3 ½ hours south of San Francisco to visit the famous wineries. An added bonus was the temporary outdoor exhibition of British...

We fed the bears marshmallows from the back seat of the family car when I was kid. Cranking down the window a few inches we’d toss leftover peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and sweets to the fat bears who waddled from car to car along the road into Old Faithful....

Think Telluride is all about powder skiing and film festivals? Thing again! This is the place where Butch Cassidy began his bank-robbing career at the San Miguel Valley Bank on June 24, 1889.  After the heist, Cassidy and two buddies mounted their steeds, shot their...

With the famous span of the Golden Gate Bridge as the backdrop, The Presidio is San Francisco’s great escape. This huge National Park is nestled along the Bay and Crissy Field extending through 262 acres of historic forests to the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean. The...