rafting

Adventurous Escapes: Best Spots for Outdoor Thrills Across North America

North America is a diverse natural playground for thrill-seekers, from towering peaks to rushing rivers and icy frontiers. Adrenaline junkies looking for the next great American adventure should ask what they’re looking for in their next destination – strenuous mountain hiking in the Rocky Mountains? Tranquil iceberg kayaking in Alaska? … Read more

Found on Grand Ave.

It’s “Grand” – Grand County, Colorado

All Photos Credit Cynthia Dial A land of lakes and streams, forests and wildlife, the Continental Divide and the Colorado River – meet Grand County, Colorado.  Some back story: I’ve visited several of the Centennial State’s destinations over the years, but I kept missing Grand County. That changed. After landing … Read more

All About Love at The Barnes Foundation

Mickalene Thomas’s book confirms her status as a key figure of contemporary art. It features notable works arranged in thematic chapters, an interview with the artist by Hayward Gallery chief curator Rachel Thomas, and essays by scholars and curators that cover Thomas’s distinct visual vocabulary, drawing on themes of love … Read more

Marriott Puerto Vallarta Las Casitas

Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa

Beach resorts can have a generic quality—wherever you are in the world, there’s an infinity pool surrounded by canopy beds and a swim-up bar serving mai tais. The Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa features those familiar luxuries, but the resort also has a deep sense of place informed by … Read more

Tortoise at rum distillery

Walk, Don’t Run, to Barbados

All Photos – Credit: Cynthia Dial When I received an invitation to participate in Run Barbados, my reaction was a resounding “yes” – until I remembered – I don’t run.  So, how does one make the most of an organized run when you’re not ready for a relay?  For on-the-go … Read more

Trouville beach

Normandy Celebrates Anew – A Visitor’s Roadmap

Suffice it to say there will be no shortage of visitors to Normandy this summer … what with an 80th year anniversary D-Day celebration the likes of which the region had probably not seen for at least five years thanks to the COVID travel interruption and its aftermath. On a … Read more

Sayulita street in Mexico

Travel to Mexico. It’s Easy!

“It’s easy,” I was told of the San Diego/Tijuana’s CBX (Cross Border Xpress). As a San Diego resident, what I remember was a long ago flight from this Mexican border town which was preceded by a search for the long-term dirt parking lot then a taxi to the neighboring country’s … Read more

Wanaka Otago

Tips for Safe & Fun New Zealand Travel

If you’re looking to take a trip where you can experience outdoor adventure, meet friendly people, and learn about a fantastic culture, you must go to New Zealand. It’s one of the few places where you can go to the beach, see a glacier, and experience what it’s like to … Read more

Austria

A First-time Visit to Europe . . . Austria!

Picture this. Ascending the Vienna State Opera House’s marble staircase beneath gilded gold embellishments to attend a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni – mere days after toasting with a straight-from-the-barrel-drawn beer and sharing an oversized pretzel at Salzburg’s Augustiner Brӓu beer garden. Welcome to a week in the life of … Read more

JW Marriot Desert Springs Resort and Spa, Flamingos - Photo by Kathy Condon

JW Marriot Desert Springs, a Crowning Jewel in Coachella Valley

Most visitors to Palm Springs, California never think to venture beyond its fringes. Definitely the jewel in the crown of the famous Coachella Valley, it is only the tip of the iceberg so to speak.  If you’re on a little road trip to the California “desert” as its affectionately referred, … Read more

Montana’s Glacier Country

As a repeat visitor to Glacier Country, I’m unashamedly enamored with the area. I almost envy its unabashed pride and recently learned that, here, seasonal changes aren’t month to month or even day to day, but minute to minute. On my most recent visit I happily spent 7,200 minutes (i.e. … Read more

Tempo by Hilton Times Square Lobby

Tempo by Hilton New York Times Square

I’m trying to imagine what a stay at Tempo by Hilton, New York Times Square, on New Year’s Eve would be like. Alas, I was too early to find out, as my visit was timed for the last two weeks of the year.  August 2023 marked the opening of this … Read more

Typical Twillingate scene

Newfoundland – Where and Why?

Wrapped in cozy clothes and sitting atop a honed tree stump at the most welcoming of dinner-on-the-beach settings, I was definitively in what could only be called a travel trance. Positioned at a weathered wooden table with a blossom-filled pitcher at center, I sipped a glass of naturally chilled Arctic … Read more

Foodie Vacation Bahamas

Foodie Family Vacation

As I stepped onto the sun-kissed shores of Nassau Paradise Island, I was filled withanticipation for a gastronomic adventure at the 1 st annual Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival, 2023. The vibrant colors of the Bahamas served as the backdrop to a weekend that promised fun, sun, and … Read more