Travel Tips & Adventures

We had been invited to spend time with the Queen, the ship the Queen Mary, that is.

Docked permanently in Long Beach, California, the cruise liner Queen Mary saw many years of active service until it reached its current permanent berth.

Queen Mary with Russian submarine

Now a hotel, tourist attraction and historical museum, the Queen is a venerable ship that first plied the waters in the time just before World War II. The passenger capacity was almost 2,000, with the crew representing a little more than half that number.

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Since Williams was hosting the Disney Christmas Carol train recently, I had the pleasure of seeing this quirky and historic northern Arizona town.

 
Billed as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon,” Williams is about 55 miles from the major attraction. They are small, but their marketing is powerful. (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 traveling to Williamsburg, part of the experience is where you rest your head at night…

Hotel choices in Williamsburg, VA

If you are not trying to get your last 1,000 points of affinity miles for that next airline flight, you might consider trying one of the five properties actually owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and run by the Colonial Williamsburg Company. With a combination of premium, deluxe and even a value hotel, you certainly have choices.

Few historical sites actually own their own hotels, let alone five, plus historical home/tavern reconstructions. And although you won’t find anywhere a sign above the door proclaiming, “George Washington slept here,” some are still historically significant. (more…)

Scotland: Fall 2009

Last week,  I came across a Web site that focuses on multi-stop itineraries for independent travelers. European Destinations www.europeandestinations.com lets you create your own trip or customize their suggested itineraries. As you add in hotels, car rentals, train passes, etc., the price of your trip upgrades so you know immediately what your costs are.

I tweaked my itinerary and then compared it to the hotel Web sites of those properties I selected as well as with www.hotels.com to see if the prices were in line, or even better.

What I found was the following ($1.46 = £1): (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.)

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