My husband and I are big fans of Rick Steves’ travel guides. Steves is a big proponent of maximizing your travel time by “sleeping on the move,” meaning taking an overnight train or boat between destinations so that you spend your waking hours at the places you want to see. On our 2011 trip to…
Category: Tips
OLD BLOG – The Northern Lights Chase Tour Was Necessary & Worth It
We had the unexpected opportunity to go to Oslo in 2011, and decided that, since we’d be in Norway in November, we’d really like to try to see the Aurora Borealis, aka the Northern Lights. I did a bunch of research and found a city called Tromso that is known for sightings and is large…
OLD BLOG – We Recommend the Osprey Porter 46 (and our skate fairy)
On our most recent trip to Europe in November, we decided to go the backpack route rather than traditional rolling luggage. For one thing we had a flight in the middle of our trip that we didn’t want to have to worry about checking luggage, and we knew we’d have a bit of time in…
OLD BLOG – You Know That Resort Where Dirty Dancing Takes Place?
You know that resort where Dirty Dancing takes place? We found something similar, albeit smaller, in Italy. And it was the best place we stayed on our whole trip. It is called the Cuccaro Club and is in the hills outside the Cinque Terre, about 30 minutes from Levanto. I titled my Trip Advisor Review…
OLD BLOG – My Favorite New York Tip
The tip I always like to tell people who are going to New York is skip the ferry out to Liberty and Ellis Islands and just take the free ferry to and from Staten Island. You get the same great sea-based view of the Statue of Liberty. The Ellis Island Immigration Museum just doesn’t seem…
OLD BLOG – At least Try to Speak the Local Language (except in Scandinavia; nobody expects that)
Even when your attempt at Italian comes out in Spanish, they seem to appreciate the effort. We discovered a Europe full of English speakers, as long as we never assumed that the person would speak it. Start in the native tongue, no matter how garbled (but it has to be genuine), and we found that…
OLD BLOG – The Math on Why the Airport Lounge Entry Fee is Worth It
You’re traveling with your spouse or partner and are facing a 3-hour layover in a busy airport. Here’s the calculation my husband and I use to know that the $100 (when the fee is $50 per person) we’re forking over to our airline to enter their lounge area is worth it: Wi-fi $10 This…
OLD BLOG – Always Say Yes to “Frutti Di Mare” (or “les fruits de mer” or “sea fruits”)
One thing we learned in France and Italy traveling along the Mediterranean coast: if a dish includes “frutti di mare” or “les fruits de mer” (which I guess literally translates to “sea fruits;” a server in Italy adorably translated it that way the first time we asked, rather than the more correct-sounding “sea food”), order…
OLD BLOG – Why I Always Try to Fly Out of Our Regional Airport
Or, Delta Airlines, Please Bring Our Midday Flight Back. Pretty, Pretty Please! Update 2/7/2013 – After much airline drama, Delta will be leaving our town next week, and American Airlines will be starting service here on February 14. I am already booked on a Saturday morning flight that weekend to celebrate (and visit family). However,…
OLD BLOG – Surviving the Layover
If you live in the Midwest like we do, it can be hard to find a direct flight to the destinations you want, and even when direct flights exist they can be budget breakers. A one-stop flight isn’t a bad option if you know how to make the most of a layover. Here are our…