I love to travel.

I don't know many people who don't love to travel.

Whether we travel worldwide, within our continent, our country, state or region, it's always worth it.

Travel is GOOD for you.

It opens you up to new cultures, cuisine, language, dialects, geography, attitudes, climates, and outlooks on life.

It helps you relax, breathe deeply, and release stress and tension.

When you choose wisely travel can be one of the most restorative things you do. 

(Mind you, you MUST choose wisely.  Travel can also be stressful, frustrating and anxiety provoking. Once you set your boundaries, know what kind of travel WORKS FOR YOU, and do your best to stick to those boundaries, getting "away" is replenishing and expansive. I,  personally, am done with the rush, rush, too many places in too few days travel.  If you travel abroad you can't avoid the red-eye travel. BUT get where you are going and ease into it, if at all possible.)

What came to me recently when I was walking through a beautiful park about 10 miles from my home was:  "I feel like I'm far, far away from home. I feel like I'm somewhere exotic, unusual and refreshing."

I was in the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve near Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

​It was a cloudy day in winter and most everything was dormant, but it was still stunning.

It felt like it could be ANYWHERE tropical.

​The landscape is lush, full of birds, lizard and, yes, gators. 

​There are 5 trails of varying lengths - 2 to 5 miles - to explore. 

Take a short walk, take a long walk or one in-between.

Languish by a river or sit on a bench on a marsh. 

Listen to the wind in the trees, the birds singing, and the water flowing.

It can be so quiet that you almost hear the grasses grow. 

It was hard to imagine that THIS oasis was in my "backyard". 

​No matter where you live there are parks, preserves, reserves, sanctuaries, forests, mountains, lakes, and rivers that are made for "escape" and renewal. 

Some of us spend so much time desiring to travel to far-off continents and lands we feel are much more interesting, or have much more to offer, that we miss places close to home.

(I can't tell you how many friends of mine from New York City say they've never been to the Statue of Liberty, Staten Island, the Empire State Building or ridden a ferry around the island. That would include ME when I lived in NYC!!  I only visited the Empire State Building. I lived in San Francisco for several years and NEVER went to Alcatraz!)

There IS a great, big, beautiful world out there. If you CAN explore it, then by all means HIT THE ROAD.

BUT...

​... if for some reason you can't fly long, long distances, can't leave home for extended periods of time, have health issues that prevent you from trekking to parts unknown, don't have the (sometimes very costly) means to traverse foreign soil, THEN discover what is in your "neighborhood".

​I guaranteed there are a myriad of destinations much, much more within reach.

​You might be amazed at what your town, county, state or region has to offer.  

Need some ideas?

Don't hesitate to contact me and I'm happy to give you some ideas in your own "backyard".




As always, thanks for reading.  

See you again next time.

Today I was going to continue with a few more meditation exercises to use while you are on the road.

BUT I decided to talk about something more pressing and more important.

Friendship.


Thus far in my life I've moved 46 times.


I've met a lot of people and many marvelous people.
 

I have made short term, for the moment or situation,  long term and life long friends.


I’m fortunate that my friends are spread throughout the world.


It’s heartbreaking when you find out that one of those beautiful people has a terminal illness.


I just found out that my friend is in hospice. I wondered why I hadn't heard from her in a while.


My first reaction was tears. 


Then ANGER. (BUT anger does me no good. Who am I going to blame?)


Later Sorrow.


NOW?


JOY!!


Joy because I know her. Joy because she is in my life. 


AND


Joy because when she is gone she leaves an INDELIBLE impression on my heart.  


How many people can we say that about?


For me, quite a few.


You know who you are.


You are in Spain, Germany, France, South Africa, Canada, California, New York, Florida, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Ontario, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Tennessee,


I have very little family left in the world (I started off with a really small family to begin with) and these friends ARE my family.


Just to make sure there is NO misunderstanding. 


I love you.


I love each and every one of you.


I do my best to say it as often as I can in person, by email, text, What's App, Signal, etc.  


If there is a mode of communication to use, I am going to use it.


Does it scare me to express my love?


Absolutely not. 


Not everyone can express it as openly as I do, and that's ok.  


I have friends who, culturally, it's not in their nature to hug and express verbal love. BUT THEY DO WITH ME!!


My mother used to chastise me when I was a child because she said that I never met a person I didn't like.  (I 'm a little less like that now. You know time and experience has a way of shaping you. I do my best to be open AND cautious these days.)


My friend is a kind, caring, generous, funny, and compassionate person. 


Why her?


So many questions and most, I know, will never be answered.


Sometimes answers are REALLY overrated. 


Does she know how much I treasure her friendship?


In this fickle world of here today, gone tomorrow friends, this friendship stuck, even when I moved out of the country, thousands of miles away from her. 


She vacationed in the town where I moved and I got to see her every year. She made a point of letting me know when she was going to be in town. 


We would have lunch, breakfast (she always insisted on paying. I tried but...generous) or would make me a scrumptious meal at her home.


The last time I saw her she had mutual friends over for dinner and we had a blast.  

Whenever I was in town we did our best, given our schedules, to see each other. 


We became even better friends once I moved than we were when we lived in the same town.


It’s funny how that works.


Some friends simplyfade away when you aren’t in close proximity. Life has a way of moving forward and despite our best efforts friendships just fade.
 

AND THAT'S OK!  It doesn't mean you are loved any less.


Then when you least expect to there are some friends who make an effort to stay in touch. 


Or to visit.


Her illness and rapid decline have left me in shock.


And...


In tears.


That is NOT what she would want.


I stayed awake most of last night thinking about her. About us.  


She would want me to CELEBRATE her! 


Lift a glass of wine to her. (Preferably Prosecco.)


Name an outfit after her.


She would want me to dance the day she leaves on. her continuing journey.


So...


I will.


Although I know she cannot see or speak due to her advancing illness, still, I wrote her an email.


An email she will never read.


I did it anyway.


It’s the best way for me to say “bon voyage.”


Tell them NOW how you feel.


Without fear.


Give them a generous hug. 


Who cares who hears or sees it? 


My friend would not want me to be kept awake at night grieving for her. ("You need your beauty sleep." Then she would laugh this raucous laugh.)


She would tell me to live my best life. To be the ambassador of my own happiness. 


To celebrate every precious day and NOT to forget how precious every day is.


She loved to travel so I will continue to travel carrying her with me in my heart - seeing it through her eyes.


I won’t say I miss you. I know by just thinking about you that you are always here with me.


*NOTE:  I was just now on the phone with her best friend and we were talking about our relationship with our mutual friend.

​Immediately after we hung up she got the call that our friend had passed away 10 minutes before.


​While we were talking about her.


So....


...guess what I'm doing now?


​DANCING!!

​






​

​

I don't know about you but for me other's experiences, insights and wisdom really inspire me.

Inspiration is everywhere.

I've even made random comments that seem to resonate with people. They weren't pre-meditated. They just seemed to pop out of my ever-active brain.

So here are some quotes I've either heard, mentioned or read while traveling.  

I hope one, some, or many resonate with you.

Enjoy!

1. "Not another hour to your life will worry add."
2. "Everyone and everything is an opportunity to serve. The filament of your destiny lies not in your awesome capacity but in your capacity to love and to sacrifice." Both quotes by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (I read these on the wall of a cafe in Portland, Oregon)
3. ."Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world." Gustav Flaubert. (From travels in France).
4. "I'm in love with cities I've never been to and people I've never met." Melody Truong (incorrectly attributed to John Green. Not sure where I read this, but I love it!)
5. "Take only memories, leave only footprints." Chief Seattle (Seen in Colorado.)
6. "If it’s all gone to shit, lets have a dance.” English singer Paloma Faith. (I heard this on the Graham Norton show. It made me think of the story below.)

The preceding quote reminded me of a poignant story I heard from the taxi driver who picked us up at the Copenhagen, Denmark airport. He was a  very personable and REALLY content person.  He was also a tour guide and had a million stories about his Copenhagen home.

He was born and raised in Copenhagen. He moved away for a brief time and returned home because he said there was no place as relaxed and easy to live as Copenhagen. We discussed what it was like to be a citizen and the advantages they have economically, in healthcare, for families, and financially.  It was definitely enticing to fantasize about living there. The story he told, to emphasize their happiness quotient, went something like this:

"I have a friend who as an adult lost his eyesight. Regardless, he is the happiest, most easy-going person I've ever met.  He has a little daughter.  One day the daughter came up to her father and said 'Daddy look at me in my pretty princess dress.'  Her father reminded her that he could not see her dress but said he could imagine that she looked very beautiful. He said "I can't see your dress SO let's dance!'  Then they both danced around the room."  No matter what your concerns and challenges - go ahead and dance!

7. "It’s not right or wrong, it’s sense and nonsense." Carl Jung Originally heard in a discussion of morals in Scandinavia. I believe it was in Stockholm, Sweden. 

While staying in a Marriott hotel in Moab, Utah these are the messages that played over and over again in a video loop:

8. Make indifference a forgotten word.

9. Human being - Be good at being human.

10. Neighbors be neighborly.

11. Share! Greed is absurd.

12. Do everything you can.

13. Mankind = Kind men, kind woman.

14. "Let’s see what the universe is going to do."  
 (I took this to be a message about patience.)
 "You can’t make a mistake, because you don’t have to conform."   
 "Always be a tree growing a different branch."
 "An oak is an acorn’s way of becoming other acorns."
 "The chicken is one egg's way of becoming others."
 "It doesn't matter what other people think about you."
​From the inimitable Alan Watts. I was watching a video about him on a long train ride from Rome to Verona, Italy.

From my personal experience:

15. "The only real way to affect change is by living by example. Words are, well, words. You can influence more people by your positive, change-making actions. I admire people MORE for what they DO and how they live their lives, over what they say." 

16. “Life is so...life”
I recently wrote this to a friend in Vancouver, Canada. We were discussing some challenges we were facing in our lives. She said "That needs to be on a t-shirt." It’s kind of my mantra. Similar to the Tibetan monk who answered every statement made to him, whether it appeared to be positive or negative, with:  “We’ll see.”  
(Refer to quote 14. Maybe Alan Watts got it from a Tibetan monk??)

17. "Always look for someone’s motivations and agenda."
Yoruba Chief, Luisah Teish, when I visited her in Oakland, California.
I don't see this as a negative or pessimistic quote.  When my intuition starts to raise doubts then I refer to this quote. It's never wrong. When we follow our IMMEDIATE intuition we are always lead in the perfect direction (as long as we don't second guess it). Or at least, that's MY experience. When I ignore my intuition, I end up purchasing some TERRIBLE piece of property in a barren desert! (Metaphorically speaking.)

18. La Vida tranquilo - the peaceful or calm life. (Sign me up!!)
 "As long as you do your part, the earth is going to accept you."
Overheard on a Peru Rail train ride from Aguas Calientes (at the foot of Machu Picchu) to Cusco, Peru.  In my estimation, a peaceful and calm life is when Mother Earth is happiest. Right now I think she needs a lawyer!



​That's it for this week!  I hope you enjoyed this offbeat post.

As always, thanks for reading. 

​See you again soon!

Travel can be hard.

We get out of our routines. (Not always a bad thing, but can really disrupt your system.)

We sleep in beds we aren't used to.

We eat things we don't typically eat at home (more junk and  packaged snacks on the run or maybe we drink more alcohol and caffeine). 

We overschedule.

We rush.

We're off kilter.

We don't speak the language.

We don't recognize the food.

We are crammed into economy seats on airlines -  unless you are fortunate enough to travel first class.  That does not happen very often for me, but when it does I relish more space NOT more food or alcohol.

BUT...

all in all it IS worth it IF you can keep to some healthy habits.

The most important of which (to me) are:

* some kind of exercise.

* some semblance of decent sleep. (I ain't 25 anymore. Hostels, couch surfing and sleeping in the airport don't work for me.)

* regular, healthy meals. (That doesn't mean don't try the local fare.  Just be careful of the hot Thai food, the oily Greek food, the saucy French food, and the meaty English food if you aren't used to those cuisines.)

SO...

this is what I have found to keep me as sane, healthy and happy on the road as possible.

GET OUT AND WALK! The single best exercise you can do. AND IT'S FREE!!! Many, many cities are not only walking friendly but encourage walking. Some of the Hop On Hop Off buses are really expensive, so walking can be a better alternative.   Pick up the pace, slow it down, alternate, swing your arms, climb the stairs, park your vehicle far away from the entrance to a building you're visiting.  JUST WALK! 

I practice Qigong everywhere I go.  Qigong is a moving meditation that works on flexibility, balance and strength. It's the mother of Tai Chi.  You perform the same movement over and over again.  No need to memorize a long series of movements. OR you can string movements together. There are many simple warm-ups that get your blood flowing.  (Videos on the way!) It's unbeatable for stress, tension and relaxation. It's fun, easy and portable. Like walking, there is no equipment needed but your body.  The best place to practice is outdoors.  BUT you can certainly practice in a small space like in a hotel room, hostel or wherever you happen to be staying. 

Meditate! I suggest meditation because (again) you need nothing but your mind and body and a place to sit.  Just focus on your natural inhalation and exhalation. Take deep, cleansing breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.

OR...

Stare at the sky, focus on a lake, the ocean, the mountains, wandering wildlife, or a flower. The options are endless. Ride a horse, pet your dog, dance, do some rhythmic, gentle exercise. It's all meditation.

I once meditated in the New York Subway.  As detached as possible I watched the trains rush in and out, and the people scurry AND I did it with a smile on my face. I may have looked a bit demented BUT the simple act of smiling releases oxytocin, the feel good hormone. 

If you need more ideas for meditation, feel free to message me. I've got a million of 'em.

While traveling I always seek out vegan restaurants.  That's because I'M vegan. Luckily, they abound in nearly every place I've been, or at least vegetarian restaurants or vegetarian choices. 

Even if you AREN'T vegan ditching meat and dairy for a day or two won't hurt you, as a matter of fact it may help you. Meat can make you lethargic, disrupt your digestion or make you out and out sick while on the road. Vegetables and fruit are often locally sourced -  farm to table - or organic.  A vegan eating program is full of fiber, vitamins, mineral, and phytonutrients.  Many of which we may lack while we are traveling. We ALL know what happens to our system when we're on the road.  It's important to keep the pipes running smoothly. (Hey, that's the best way I could possibly put it!)

My cardiologist says he never does blood tests on his patients after the holidays because the results are always too high or too low.  He lets his patients get back to their regular routine before he feels he can make an accurate assessment. I'm one of those people who traveled then had a scheduled routine blood test just a few days after I returned home. The results weren't stellar compared to the previous year because I was out of my eating, exercise, and sleeping routine. As soon as I got back to my clean eating, exercise and sleep hygiene everything went back to normal. No need to have the life scared out of you because you mistimed your annual blood work. 

AND...

Don't forget your supplements, or medications, because vacations are especially not the time to wean off of medication. Most of us need at least a multi-vitamin, copious amounts of water and to be extremely careful with caffeine and alcohol while traveling. It's TOO easy to celebrate, party and overindulge on vacation.

Need a pick me up in Peru or another high altitude South American country?  Drink Coca from Coca leaves.  It's unparalleled for altitude sickness and a perfect replacement for caffeine without the jitters, nervousness, anxiety or acid.  It's perfectly legal in South America.  How do you think the terraced Andes mountain farms and Machu Picchu were built? Yep, Coca! Children can safely drink it, too. The reputation of this life affirming tea has been decimated because of the chemical process that it has been subjected to to make cocaine. Leave it in its pristine state and it's a miracle herb.  

If you are interested in more tips to stay healthy while seeing the world, don't hesitate to contact me.   


As always thanks for reading! 

Take a look at the slideshow. I add new photos every week.

I'm writing from a hotel computer somewhere between Denver and Grand Junction, Colorado.

WHY?

Because early this morning a cup of coffee (not mine, I drink tea) was accidently deposited on my MacBook Air. 

I got the kiss of death on the computer screen: a white folder with a black question mark in it.

What does that mean? Au revoir, MacBook Air.

It turned on for a while after it was dried out with a hair dryer.

Now?

Nada.

To say I am frustrated because most of the last 15 years of my life personally and professionally was on that computer, is an understatement.

I hadn't backed it up to the external hard drive for over a year.

I wasn't using it that much, except to cross reference information with my desktop and occasionally write on the road.

SO my BAD for not backing it up with a vengeance every week.

There are no Apple stores for many, many miles from where I am staying.

An authorized store trained to take a look at my computer to see if I can retrieve anything from it is also at least a hundred miles away from where I'm staying.

This trip was purposefully one off the beaten trail.

YES! Shit DOES happen. 

First, my Air was not synced with the iCloud like my Desktop, iPhone and iPad.

How I overlooked that, well, OPERATOR ERROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say I'm angry but I can't be too angry because it was truly an accident. 

It's a good lesson to stay present and the moment you go on autopilot things like this happen.

We start going through our day, often mindlessly executing tasks, we space out and then BAM.

Plus, when you write for a living, or are on the road for business, it's essential to keep files backed up and do your best to make allowances for hiccups. 

Or big, ugly burps.

Let my misfortune be your forewarning.

Back it up.

Keep the liquids a mile away from your computers.

MOST importantly, even on holidays and vacations, don't check out.

I love this saying from the 1936 Olympic rowing team: "Keep your mind in the boat."

The biggest lesson?

When both of your hands are full, don't try to do anything else.

Unless you sprout a third arm and hand.

I'll let you know next week if my computer is now a really pretty, shiny paperweight.



As always, thanks for reading.

See you again next week! (Hopefully!)




​

I post articles and pictures Monday through Thursday for your viewing pleasure!



​

I'm writing from a hotel computer somewhere between Denver and Grand Junction, Colorado.

WHY?

Because early this morning a cup of coffee (not mine, I drink tea) was accidentally deposited on my MacBook Air.

I got the kiss of death on the computer screen: a white folder with a black question mark in it.

What does that mean? Au revoir, MacBook Air.

It turned on for a while after it was dried out with a hair dryer.

Now?

Nada.

To say I am frustrated because most of the last 15 years of my life personally and professionally was on that computer, is an understatement.

I hadn't backed it up to the external hard drive for over a year.

I wasn't using it that much, except to cross reference information with my desktop and occasionally write on the road.

SO my BAD for not backing it up with a vengeance every week.

There are no Apple stores for many, many miles from where I am staying.

An authorized store trained to take a look at my computer to see if I can retrieve anything from it is also at least a hundred miles away from where I'm staying.

This trip was purposefully one off the beaten trail.

YES! Shit DOES happen.

First, my Air was not synced with the iCloud like my Desktop, iPhone and iPad.

How I overlooked that, well, OPERATOR ERROR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Needless to say I'm angry but I can't be too angry because it was truly an accident.

It's a good lesson to stay present and the moment you go on autopilot things like this happen.

We start going through our day, often mindlessly executing tasks, we space out and then BAM.

Plus, when you write for a living, or are on the road for business, it's essential to keep files backed up and do your best to make allowances for hiccups.

Or big, ugly burps.

Let my misfortune be your forewarning.

Back it up.

Keep the liquids a mile away from your computers.

MOST importantly, even on holidays and vacations, don't check out.

I love this saying from the 1936 Olympic rowing team: "Keep your mind in the boat."

The biggest lesson?

When both of your hands are full, don't try to do anything else.

Unless you sprout a third arm and hand.

I'll let you know next week if my computer is now a really pretty, shiny paperweight.



As always, thanks for reading.

See you again next week! (Hopefully!)

I am on the road somewhere between Moab, Utah and Ouray, Colorado (the Switzerland of the U.S.).

There is spotty to no cell reception or Wi-Fi. I’m sneaking this little blurb in before I become incommunicado again.

SO I’ve decided just to practice my Jedi Mind Tricks on this solitary leg of the journey.

Instead of being antsy about posting a long article and some great pics and video I have taken, I will say:

“Please come back next week and for the weeks to follow for A LOT of info about our travels, our experiences, the people we have met, food we’ve eaten, our health and a really exciting Jeep Rubicon 4x4 daredevil off-road tour we took.” (I do NOT say that lightly and have the video to prove it!! Let’s say I’m still a bit of an adrenaline junkie and hubby...not so much.).

I’ll be back next week at my desk with full internet and full use of my desktop computer.

By the way, we were able to log onto my laptop, while plugged in, just long enough to transfer all my files into an external hard drive. Then it went dead.

Whew!

Grateful!!

​
As always, thanks for reading.

Will definitely see you again next week.

The above quote is from my sweet next-door neighbor.

She's right. We travel.

A LOT.

We are away from home about as much as we are at home.

As we move forward in life we decided to "get it while the gettin's good."

PLUS, we are REALLY fortunate that we CAN travel.

So WHY am I transitioning into a travel website?

It's not REALLY a travel website.

Travel IS one of the great joys in our lives AND because we travel worldwide we have amassed a TON of information about travel.

All kinds of travel.

AND we have experienced so many facets of travel...

retreats with meditation, water sports, nature, wildlife, soaking in hot mineral water, dealing with health issues while traveling, visiting friends and family, making new friends, cuisine, culture, the arts, history, language, traveling with a service dog, eating right, exercise, and the delays of travel.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. (And by the way I just saw a mind-boggling number of icebergs in Alaska recently. Get yourself to Alaska, if you can!) 

I was chatting with another writer friend yesterday and he said the subjects I can write about embodied in travel are practically limitless.

What better to write about than the things you enjoy the most AND the things that affect you the most, coupled with expeditions?

I've taught meditation and Qigong while traveling, had singing gigs,  percussion performances, taken care of family, rescued lost, injured and displaced animals and made sure, on many occasions, that families on the street got a decent meal.

We have connected with interesting and unusual people.

Not the least of which, we have benefitted from it all with a world view.  We see life beyond the four walls of our little town. THAT helps us to understand others and be more global citizens.

That being said...

You don't have to travel the world to get a bigger view of life.

Start in your town or city, then within your county, state, and region.

The U.S. has a myriad of discoveries waiting for you.

Some cities don't even feel like they are in the U.S. They have wonderful foreign influences.  New Orleans is one of those examples.

There is a lifetime of travel in the countries that border the U.S.

It's not difficult or bank-breaking to get to Canada.  Unless you are traveling to Vancouver, THEN you may need to break into the piggy bank. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Vancouver. I lived there for nine years. But it's cheaper for me to spend a month in Thailand than a week in Vancouver. Sorry, Vancouver.

South of the U.S. there's Mexico, Central America, and South America. Gratefully, my limited Spanish goes a LONG way. ("Learn more Spanish" is on my list.)

A flight from where I live in Florida to Costa Rica is cheaper than a flight from Florida to California! 

Keeping an eye on airfare has become a hobby and we have reaped the rewards by booking airfare to Europe with a combination of points and lower flash sale prices.  

Do you have a credit card? Most of them offer airline miles:

Chase Sapphire, Capital One Venture, Citi AAdvantage (we use this card), and Alaska Airlines Visa (we also use this one) just to name a few. (By the way, NO airline, restaurant, town, or business has paid me to recommend them.)  

On the flip side of travel:  We have seen unimaginable wealth and unspeakable poverty.  We have come face-to-face with a worldwide homelessness issue.  

Everything I have been addressing in my topical "human interest" writing I have also experienced through our travels. 

We have learned to cut corners when necessary without EVER feeling we have cut corners.

We BOTH are also VERY "go with the flow."

We know so little is in our control that we don't get crazy about challenges that crop up in our travels. (Ok, sometimes maybe a little. And by that, I mean me.) It pays to keep your cool. 

We have a family member who travels constantly and it never ceases to amaze me the compensation received for inconveniences, mistakes, bad service, bad attitudes and out and out bad business. There is a way to complain and a million ways not to complain.  Freaking out gets you nowhere except with a headache, stomachache, anxiety attack and possibly escorted out of the building or off of the plane, banned for life. (I've seen it!) 

We have stayed in lousy to luxury accommodations. We prefer somewhere in between.

It doesn't mean we don't treat ourselves.  We do.

However, we don't take advantage of the higher end accommodations in certain extremely expensive cities or countries. It doesn't make sense for us. 

I will talk about that in future posts. 

I have "intel" on our personal explorations.  Some of the information came easily and some required a little blood, sweat and tears. Again, somewhere in the middle works best for us.

We shop deals and do a ton of research AND have the benefit of military perks since my husband is retired Navy.

By military perks I mean being able to stay at some military resorts throughout the world, and staying in incredible lodging on bases. A cottage in your own cove in Hawai'i? YES!  Saying "thank you for your service" is nice, however, the perks are even nicer.  My husband earned it! 

When our schedule is really flexible, we can fly military flights to destinations all over the world. For free. (That's a lot more planning and flexibility and SO worth it!)

Not to mention we are frequent flyers with 4 airlines. 

We watch websites like hopper.com , www.airfarewatchdog.com and the airline and cruise line websites. 

We monitor them several times a week.

As far as cruise lines we have sailed with three and our favorite HANDS DOWN is Celebrity. www.celebritycruises.com

​We highly recommend getting on a repositioning cruise if you can. We took one Transatlantic from Miami to Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain, France and Italy.  It was reasonable and a great way to get a taste of several countries.  The upside was a beautiful cabin with a veranda, incredible food and peace and quiet. The downside was a freak storm from the Arctic that brought with it 30 foot waves.  As dishes crashed in the dining areas the band played.  A moment out of Titanic.  My husband showed me where the life vest was, gave me a sleeping pill and I slept through it waking to a beautiful, storm-free day. I was a bit anxious, but I'd do it all over again knowing we were on a ship engineered to handle rougher seas.  Again, kudos to Celebrity!

In a nutshell, although I'm focusing here on writing about our travels, I will include human interest, holistic health, tips, ideas, feedback, reviews, recommendations, photos, videos, and more. 

I hope you enjoy traveling with us and that you, too, can hit the road in some way. 

Regardless what I say -  go and see it for yourself.

•  “Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.” - Gustav Flaubert.
• “I'm in love with cities I've never been to and people I've never met.” – John Green.
• “ Take only memories, leave only footprints.” – Chief Seattle.

As always, thanks for reading.

I'll be writing next week from Colorado!!