Travel Tips & Adventures

Scotland: Fall 2009

DAY 11
AVIEMORE

Okay, we’re staying put for the day … sort of …

We’re looking at a train ride, a little clan homecoming, and lots of scenery.

As I mentioned in a previous installment, my reasoning for staying in Aviemore (yes, it’s really on a map) for several days was due to its centralized location in the highlands. It is also the middle of recreation country.

The Cairngorm mountains and Cairngorm National Park host a plethora of sporting activities: fishing, canoeing, mountain biking, rock-climbing, hiking, golf, horse riding … even skiing in the winter (if there is enough snow). (more…)

When traveling in Hawaii, you envision soft breezes, sunsets, luaus, and palm trees. One thing that a traveler does not expect is the obsession with SPAM®, not the e-mails, but the canned meat. In one store, they had actually created a giant, boat-shaped display with multi-colored cans of SPAM® as the construction material! (more…)

Dramatic cliffs, tropical scenery, gorgeous sunsets and beaches, pop culture and great food – that’s Kaua’i.   Although we don’t usually go on tours, we signed up for two in Kaua’i: (more…)

Since my husband and I have both worked for the hotel industry in our careers, we have a healthy respect for those who run hotels and the employees who really make everything function. As a result, when we travel somewhere, we do not leave our room messy when we go out for the day. We gather our stuff and stow it so they can clean the room properly.

 
That said, our stay at a picturesque B & B on the Big Island of Hawaii, led to some confusing reactions. We performed our customary gather and stow in our room and left for the day to enjoy the scenery and tourist attractions. (more…)

Part 7

Scotland: Fall 2009

DAY 8 (cont’d)

We are settling in Aviemore for several nights as a base to explore the Highlands. Okay, you had to ask! Where is Aviemore, and why would anyone want to stay there?

Actually, there are three reasons: (more…)

Scotland: Fall 2009

DAY 8 (cont’d)

We are settling in Aviemore for several nights as a base to explore the Highlands. Okay, you had to ask! Where is Aviemore, and why would anyone want to stay there?

Actually, there are three reasons: (more…)

When I was given a choice of anywhere to travel within eight hours of my central Arizona home, I immediately, without hesitation, chose Bryce Canyon National Park as my destination.  Why?

See the photo – and you’ll start to understand.

Inspiring spires at Bryce Canyon

(more…)

Sometimes, travel is not at all what you had hoped to experience. Despite best intentions and great facilities, a stay becomes memorable for the wrong reason.
I can give several examples of travel that should have been great, but wound up being anything but.

Photo better than the reality

For several years, I had saved a promotional card for a hotel in Santa Fe, New Mexico that looked perfect for a romantic stay. The photo made the place look perfect for an opportunity to be really immersed in the culture and center location of the old Santa Fe. I couldn’t wait! (more…)

On a misty morning, I waited eagerly for Catalina Island to become visible in the distance.  The Catalina Express shuttle from San Pedro was fairly full, with tourists, the high school lacrosse team and other locals keeping busy during the one-and-one-quarter hour trip.  

As the picturesque harbor came to view, I saw houses terraced into the hillsides and boats anchored in a quiet mooring.  The vista was quaint and charming.  An unusual round building, the Casino, also dominated the coast. 

A 1950s song by the Four Preps called Catalina “the island of romance.”  I wanted to see for myself. (If you’re seeing an unusual looking building with boats in the harbor at the top of this blog, you’re seeing something of Catalina.)

(more…)