Historic Oak Alley Plantation is located in the tranquil community of Vacherie, about fifty miles outside New Orleans, Louisiana. Twenty-eight majestic live oak trees were planted in dual rows over 250 years ago, their tangled limbs now forming an intimate canopy overhead. One end of this “alley” leads to the antebellum mansion (built many years […]
This week’s travel tip comes in the form of my very first product endorsement!* I first used Pack-Mates™ on my trip to Europe this past May. Basically, they are like giant Ziploc bags, only they have one-way valves on the bottom. What you do is place your folded clothing inside, zip it shut, and then slowly […]
One of the most iconic images of California, the Bixby Creek Bridge in Big Sur is a sight to behold. Its graceful concrete structure nicely complements the scenic vistas along California’s rugged central coast. Located between San Simeon and Carmel, this section of Highway 1 is loaded with hairpin turns making for a very slow journey. […]
If you’re anything like me, you can never remember how to calculate exchange rates when you travel abroad. On my recent trip to Europe I had to keep track of three separate currencies and their exchange rates against the U.S. dollar. Something I found useful was to print out a miniature pocket guide like this […]
Medieval castle perched high atop a hill… Dense alpine forests clinging to rocky mountain peaks… Pastel-painted buildings on the banks of a lazy, winding river… Salzburg, Austria is like a page out of a fairytale. The heart of Salzburg is its Old Town, the Altstadt—a warren of narrow cobblestone streets and extravagant, baroque architecture. The […]
This photo was taken at the Keukenhof Gardens in Lisse, Holland. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a kaleidoscope of color as this before or since. The park is only open for two months a year (from mid-March to mid-May), when the tulips are in bloom. It was a crisp spring day and the overcast […]
I was thinking about my favorite travel destinations and came to realize that the places I’ve enjoyed most are all recognized by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. Every time I see their logos on a building or in a guidebook I know I’ll be impressed. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks […]
This photo was taken at dusk in front of Malahide Castle, just outside Dublin. I loved the mood of this place—the December mist hovering above the lush, green landscape and the solitary bench next to a leafless tree. It was so quiet that it felt almost eerie to me.
This week’s “Snapshot” is a bit closer to home. Well, at least it’s in the United States, albeit at the very, very tip. I was only in Key West, Florida for one day so didn’t get to fully soak in the laid-back island lifestyle. However, in the brief time I was there I fell in […]
