Sometimes it’s a single photo that moves me to seek out a destination. When I came across a shot of Chinese fishing nets silhouetted against a setting sun in Fort Kochi, a city in the southern state of Kerala, India, I knew I needed to be there. I admit to having a love affair with India, so it was with boundless enthusiasm that I
Da-Bach-na-Fahrt Raft Race, going "Wild on the Water!" As an American, I had never even heard of Schramberg, Germany much less any of the shenanigans going on during their famous Carnival river raft races. What on earth had I missed? Apparentlly people come from all over Europe just to see and experience such a fun carnival river raft race known as the Da-Bach-na-Fahrt Raft Race. Literally
There are so many interesting and fun things to do in Ecuador. This small coastal country offers travelers a wealth of outdoor adventures - you can explore the vibrant Amazonian rainforest, discover the rich wildlife of Galapagos Islands, or simply soak in the scenic views of the Andes. Since it’s filled with a wide array of wonders squeezed into one tiny country, narrowing a list
There are many honeymoon destinations around the world to explore, but one that is off-the-beaten-path for Americans is the country of India. I have complied a list of best 10 Indian honeymoon destinations for couples. So ff you ever get a chance to go to an Indian wedding or be invited to one, be sure and go! They are certainly interesting from an American perspective.
Guide to celebrating Carnival in Schramberg, Germany The anticipation was thick in the air when we arrived mid-morning for our very first peek deep into Germany’s Black Forest where Carnival comes alive! Not the Carnival you may be thinking of with drunkenness and bead throwing like in New Orleans, but a traditional type that has been going for centuries in the forests of
Carnival Black Forest Germany Carnival - Enchanting creatures lurking in the Black Forest Ding, Ding, Ding! “What was that?” I hear it again. Ding, Ding, Ding! I glance over at the clock in the pitch-black hotel room and try to remember where I am. “It is 5 am!” I have been on a whirlwind tour of the Black Forest in Germany and being
I was peering at him from the distorted window. His eyes smiled to his ears as I saw him wipe the sweat from his brow with the back of his wrist. He was ruggedly handsome, mid 50’s and had the roughness from years of manual labor. The lines on his face were deep and his skin tone told me he was a man who works
Thinking of ways to show someone you love them? A box of chocolates or a fancy night out is great, but what about giving them a massive marble tomb that will take 22 years to build and cost over 30 million rupees? Now that's a display of affection. It also happens to be the story of the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings
I was talking to my friend today, and she was telling me about her quick trip to San Miguel de Allende over the long weekend. She was in Mexico City and decided to take a drive up to San Miguel. By car from Mexico City, you can get there in approximately 3 hours. San Miguel de Allende is a historic treasure, high in the Sierra
Doha, Qatar is located within a tiny Arab nation that has unbelievable architecture, a huge expatriate population, and the highest per capita income in the world! As the smallest country in the Middle East, it has grown in population super fast over the last 40 years. Back then it was a desolate desert with virtually little going on other than a lonely Sheraton Grand Hotel
It was very late into the wee hours of a rainy morning when my plane landed at the Jiangbei Airport near Chongqing, China. After gathering my luggage, I handed the non-English speaking taxi driver the address to Tongjing Hot Springs Resort. He shrugged his shoulders as if to say he had no idea where to go, then plugged the address into his GPS. Some 45
London is undoubtedly one of the world's tourist hotspots, there’s so much to see and do that you can actually live there and not get to experience everything that London has to offer. In fact, there’s even an old saying ‘if you’re tired of London, you’re tired of life’ which summarises nicely how much this city has to offer. But what should you prioritize on
Make This Your Next Authentic Italian Vacation Americans love Italy Vacations. Yet many times when we go, we get bogged down in the massive cities and we begin to feel that the vacation becomes "too touristy". In Rome, the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain are so busy that they are almost avoidable areas to go to anymore because of the massive crowds. Even Rome has
I had always wanted to go to Guadalajara, in fact, I had already purchased a flight and hotel to go there years ago, but a different trip came up for work and I had to cancel our trip to Jalisco. Believe me, my husband was not happy about it, as he was looking forward to going there as well. So here we are five years
Things to do in Istanbul For so many years, I have wanted to go to the city of Istanbul. I never really had an idea about what it would be like, but knew that it was a right dab in the middle of the East and the West. Straddling both Europe and Asia, making it the only city in the world to sit across two continents.
Arrival in the small city of Basel, Switzerland was fast and cheap from the train station in Zurich. Basel is located where the Swiss, French, and German borders meet. It is the third largest city in Switzerland. It also has suburbs in France and in Germany. I had heard that the Basel Christmas Markets were Christmas markets NOT to miss, as the market at Barfüsserplatz and Münsterplatz
I'd say the Amalfi Coast is right on up there with the top 10 places to see before you die! You have got to experience it for yourself. Take your spouse on a romantic getaway. Fly into Rome, rent a car, and drive from Rome to Positano by car. See it for yourself, at your own pace and leisure. That's what we did on our
Landing in Colombo, I had no idea what riches lie in front of me. Sri Lanka sounded to this American Girl like an exotic, far-off land. This trip for me was intriguing and mysterious all at the same time. Any country’s UNESCO World Heritage sites are always of interest to me, so I was ecstatic to learn I would take a visit to an ancient
An important part of any tourist experience visiting a new country for the very first time is the food. Guyana is one place where you can dive deep into the culture when searching for and tasting the local Guyanese food. In fact, in Guyana, the food appears to be a melting pot of age-old cultures, traditions, and flavors - many coming from Africa, Britain, the
From charming and colorfully painted fishing villages to beehive huts and stunning handmade pottery, the Dingle Peninsula offers a wide variety of things to do while visiting this portion of the Wild Atlantic Way. Dingle, Ireland has been isolated from the influences of the modern world until recently which has resulted in fun local culture and a dialect that is quite different than the rest
I fell in love with the Liguria region where Genova, Italia (Genoa, Italy) is located. It is squeezed in between Monaco and Tuscany and is the thinnest and the smallest of all the regions of Italy. It may not be the most popular area or an area you think of when it comes to a visit to Italy, but take it from me, you will
As I meander down each street, I think about Mexico and its colors. Zihuatanejo, Mexico Color, color is everywhere and they are serious about their colors. "Why, o, why can't the USA be like this?" I have decided that I love color. I love how bold and striking Mexico can be. Zihuatanejo, Mexico With all its dilapidated old parts and doors
If you get a chance, go to Coronado Island for July 4th, it is a lot of fun. Make it a day on the silver strand! Although it is probably the busiest day of the year, you will want to come back when it is not so busy, You can take the ferry ride over from San Diego, if you don’t want to be bothered
Every year since I started this blog about world travel in 2012, I have written a travel year-end review showcasing world travel. I guess this year will be no different, although I do seem to get lazier and lazier about writing it and putting it off to the last minute! 2018 was a wonderful year of change, as I continued working with well-known travel brands
It was a foggy morning close to the Black Forest near Breisach, Germany where we had gotten up early to catch the bus to go into the southwest state of Baden-Wurttemberg, near Bavaria. Along the way, we saw many church steeples and stork nests, where on one steeple they actually had their own stork webcam. I have posted it here for you to view and see if
Chora Church - No Ordinary Place The sights and sounds that are Istanbul are so difficult to explain, I tried to show you this thru my streets of Istanbul photograph post. At first, I was so overwhelmed with the mass difference between the USA and Turkey, that I had a hard time describing my emotions and thoughts about Istanbul. It has taken me a while
Truly we all have wondered what it would be like to travel to an Arabian country after watching Disney's Aladdin, a tale from the book One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights, كتاب ألف ليلة وليلة) and the joys of a camel ride in the desert! Indiana Jones also sparked my interest in Indian Jones and the Last Crusade. In his search for the Holy
I not only like to travel, but I love to travel. So imagine my surprise ,when even for me, I end up out of my comfort zone! Where on earth could this be? Where was I when I felt this was? It happened to be Montañita, Ecuador. It was just one of those places that made me feel a little uneasy. Montañita is a small
Petra, Jordan By Night - A Practical Guide Petra by night is an after-dark, guided excursion down the Siq to the Treasury in Jordan's famous carved city. It gets mixed reviews on the travel forums and Tripadvisor about whether or not it is worth it to go while visiting Jordan. I thought it was an amazing experience and one worth doing, so don't let the
Crowded in the back of a forest green jeep with the top down, I was hanging onto the metal bars of the truck. A slight breeze touched my face in the muggy weather when suddenly light droplets began to fall from the sky. Crouching down into the vinyl black seat below the metal racks, I covered my head, iPhone and DSLR camera with my scarf.
Have you ever heard of Lviv Ukraine as a tourist destination? I hadn’t really. It is a popular weekend retreat for many Ukrainians, Russians, and Europeans, but somehow it has not been discovered by the American tourist yet. It seems there are many cities in Eastern Europe that will take your breath away and Lviv Ukraine is now on my bucket list as one of
Bonjour! Won’t you come with me to Provence in the South of France? Let the Romance Begin in Southern France Don’t blame Southern France; they just can’t help themselves with their lavender-filled shops, hilltop villages, old churches, and their seductively gorgeous coastline. Heck, even the Vatican transplanted to Provence in southern France during the fourteenth century, as they decided they just might like this location
Photo by Donnie Sexton Hands down, the most spectacular event I’ve ever witnessed has to be the Carnival of Venice. I didn’t rent a costume or pay to attend any of the masquerade balls, but I had the time of my life wandering this historical city and being utterly bedazzled by the continual parade of costumed people there to celebrate the Venice Carnival.
Let me be the first to admit that this travel experience was a little out of my comfort zone. But nonetheless, at a jungle lodge in Guyana is where the simple rugged life of the Amazon River Basin and South American Rainforest began for me. From the hustle and bustle of Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana, to the howling of the Guyanese Red Howler
I will admit to being slightly disappointed when we rounded a hill that overlooks Chefchaouen. I was expecting to see an entire city awash in blue, which this northern Moroccan town is renowned for. What I saw was a mix of blue and lots of white clustered together down in a valley. But by the time I left "Chaouen," as the locals call it, I
