Travel Tips

Multi-generational vacation ideas are not all that hard to come up with. You do need to think about how you are going to accommodate the different generations, and how you are going to keep everyone occupied, but you have a lot of options if you just start using your imagination.

Some grandparents want to create once-in-a-lifetime adventures with their adult children and their grandchildren.

One way to vacation together as a family that seems to be very popular among people we’ve talked to is cruising.

Cruising offers the best of both worlds depending on the cruise line you … read more

I don’t care what anyone says… tipping when you travel is confusing.

You know what you’re supposed to do at home in most cases.   When you’re on the road, the rules vary country by country around the world.  We’re not going to give you guidelines here… we’re just going to give you things to think about… dare we say tips to think about?

In the U.S., the gratuity is generally fifteen to twenty percent of the bill.  Remember that in the U.S., tax is added on to the price of the meal, so generally, you figure that gratuity on the price of … read more

Travel is dreaming… at least we think it is.  It’s dreaming about a place, thinking about it, and learning about it, and finding a way to get there.

Long, long ago, my hubby came home from work one day and said, “Kathmandu.  We’ve got to go there.”

When I asked why, he said because the name sounded so exotic.  So why shouldn’t a bewitching name call to you?  If travel is dreaming about where you want to go, something has to set you to dreaming.

Following another dream, we went to Morocco because as a boy my hubby had seen a TV program … read more

Responsible travel, eco-travel, sustainable travel – there are slightly different meanings to each of these travel phrases, but they do overlap.

The eco-tourist is concerned about how travel affects the environment.  You might buy carbon offsets to compensate for your flight or make sure your hotel offers the chance to reuse towels.  If you’re hiking, you stay on trails and “pack it in, pack it out”.  You respect wildlife you encounter.

For sustainable travel, you want to make sure that your tour operator gives back to the community… that your travel helps to sustain the local culture, not destroy it.  You use … read more

Travelers don’t just need tips on what clothes to take, you need security packing tips so you can make it through the airport with a minimum of frustration.

Travel security alert regulations have remained pretty steady over the last few years. Most people have come to grips with the limitations… we all know they’re not going to go away in the near future, so let’s go over some tips to help get you through the security checkpoint that has become the bane of many travelers.

After all this time, we’re amazed at how many people still haven’t paid attention to the … read more

Niagara-on-the-Lake gave itself that name to let you know that you’re not in Niagara Falls… not that you would confuse the two once you’ve seen them.

This cute little town with its Victorian architecture is only about twenty minutes from those world famous falls. If you don’t want to stay in the hubbub of Niagara Falls, this is a great alternative.

It’s a well-preserved 19th century village with spruced-up, charming inns and restaurants and oh-so-cute bed-and-breakfasts. Where Niagara Falls now has modern high rise hotels, Niagara-on-the-Lake has retained the romance with cozy accommodations.

If you’re flying into Toronto, you … read more

When we take friends on our trips, we tell them they must travel light. Just one carry-on suitcase each is our rule… well, one carry-on and a “personal item.” Just like the airlines!

We’ve had people moan and groan… and say, “I just can’t travel that way.” But they do… and when we get home from our trips, they’re usually converted. Now THEY are telling everybody that the only way to travel is to travel light.

It seems easy to say and hard to do, but it really isn’t that hard. It just takes … read more

After traveling for many years, we know there are many ways to travel. We understand that each of you will be traveling for different reasons and have different goals and experiences in mind.

We’ve offered many suggestions on what we think is good travel, but the bottom line is, there is no right way or wrong way. There is no better way to travel than the road that you choose.

Sometimes you’ll find that you don’t even choose… fate steps in, and you should let serendipity lead you to great experiences. But to begin with, you will … read more

There are a whole host of reasons why we travel — and why we should.

I think it probably started with our ancient ancestors wanting to know what was just over the next hill, if there was better hunting just in the next valley. The explorers of more recent history were anxious to find the “new world” in hopes of riches, but also to experience the vastness of the world and marvel at its wonders.

In the last century, all young gentlemen of culture did a Grand Tour of Europe to become more well rounded… to understand cultures and business better.

I … read more