I have traveled in 28 countries and 38 US states for work and travel. I almost always plan my own travel. I never travel in groups unless required by political conditions: a tour to Iran in 2019, where an authorized tour was required, and one to Cuba in 2024. Both were led by a well-travelled friend and were small groups. If you like to stay in all inclusives, go on cruises, and buy packaged tours, this is not the blog for you. If you are ticking off a bucket list, go elsewhere. If you crave authentic adventures, surprises, and challenging yourself, give this a try. Maybe you will want to submit your own post here! Or, you can just enjoy some of the 100+ stories.
In early March I read that April 8th, 2024, would be the date of a special kind of solar eclipse. As happens these days with a 24/7 news cycle, scads of news stories hyped the big event to attract readers. The build-up to this unusually rare astronomical event grabbed my attention. My husband’s birthday is … More Under the Banners of Heaven, or the Stars
I must admit that when our little tour group of 7, plus our leader, landed at the Havana International Airport, I was woefully ignorant of Cuba’s political history prior to 1950, and its geography. Our itinerary had us going by bus from Havana, the capitol, to Cienfuegos and then ending in Trinidad on Sunday. On … More Cuba, at last: Part two
Long before 1980 I had learned, sadly, that the countries my government decided to label as enemies were not necessarily my enemies. Take Vietnam: It was a proxy war fought during the Cold War which was aimed at the USSR. Fast forward to 2000. Vietnam has achieved its “Freedom and Independence” (Ho Chi Minh) after … More Cuba, at Last: Part one
I have been a fan of the very silly movie version of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Especially the opening, when we are informed that the dolphins were really the smartest creatures on planet Earth, and left before the destruction of the planet took place. Apparently, I’m not the only one, because when I put … More So long, and thanks for all the fish!
Thanks to today’s internet of all things and Google’s ability to sort through billions of key words, it’s possible to follow the life of a person known only in one’s youth to the end of their natural life. That is, provided the person is had enough achievements worth recording in print, and eventually, digitally. It … More Digital Time Travel
My daughter invited me to visit her for a week in Helena, MT, in mid-February. The purpose was to help her and her husband to convert his rental house into a second Airbnb. It sounded like fun, as it was a particularly boring time in Minneapolis, and I also love designing interior spaces that are … More Unbroken
Did you know that the UK has a piece of territory that is semi-tropical? Why is it semi-tropical? Because of the north Atlantic drift of the Gulf Stream. The Isles of Scilly have a long history dating back to the 1st millennium. Now much of it is owned and run by the Duchy of Cornwall. The … More Have You Heard of the Isles of Scilly?
I don’t have a bucket list, per se. My choices of where to travel are based much more on finding connections to my life so far. They are often serendipitous. This post is about one of those trips: Cornwall, UK. Minneapolis, where I live, is a few hours from a former mining town in southern … More A Cornish Vacation, Pasties Included
(ED: One main goal of this travel blog is to encourage people to plan their own travel, rather than opting for group travel designed and led by professionals. Why? It’s less expensive You choose your own adventures and can modify as you go along You immerse yourself in other cultures more readily Some research shows … More The Cornwall Trip that Took an Unexpected Turn
Six years ago, my husband and I spent one early spring month mostly car camping around the southwest of the US. We ranged from the boundary with Mexico to the lower part of Utah, covering parts of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and the “four corners”—where New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Arizona touch perfectly like … More Southwest road trip reprise
Other states, other lives, other souls 