The family vacation from California to Japan had been planned for nearly six months. Bags were packed and the pre-dawn drive to the airport complete. At the ticket counter, four bags, a folding stroller and playpen were placed on the baggage transom. Printed out boarding passes were ready and passports handed over when the agent asked for the baby’s papers. The birth certificate wouldn’t do. Where was the 18 month olds passport? It didn’t exist. “But we all went on a cruise in Mexico just a couple of months ago!” Unfortunately, airlines have different requirements. It may be different country  [ Read More ]

The dive boat bucked in a white capped sea while rain blew in at a slant – it was not the tropical experience I’d imagined. When the dive master finished his briefing and announced, “Pool’s open,” I flopped heavily over to the back of the boat and stepped off. “Warm, too warm” was my first thought! After diving in chilly San Diego waters, it was a shock to sink deep into a steady 80+ degrees all the way to the bottom. That impression faded as I descended, surrendering to a circus of color and shape floating in an expansive blue.  [ Read More ]

Flu symptoms and the new Swine and Avian strains Flu is a nasty infection whatever the source but especially so for new strains that are developing around the world. In the next couple of paragraphs are some suggestions on what symptoms to watch out for, what the sources of current strains are and when you should see a doctor (always when pregnant). Staying healthy and rested is the best way to combat infection but getting ready for an overseas trip can be a stressful and demanding task. It can also lead to a compromised immune system more open to infection  [ Read More ]

It was nearly 3 am as our rental car was careened through the early morning darkness on a pre-dawn mission. We’d left our lodging just north of Lahaina to drive up to Maui’s Haleakala crater for sunrise and were on the first leg of our journey up the steep slope to the crater over 10,000 vertical feet away. The road was nearly empty and well maintained. There were road signs but they sprang out of the black and were gone almost before our sleepy minds could translate the white markings. It was time for special measures and as cell service  [ Read More ]

If you’ve never gone on a backpacking trip before, you may be wondering what you should fill that brand new backpack up with before you head off. The key to backpack travel is to keep it light and pack strategically. You tend to spend more time with a backpack attached to you than you would on a trip where you take a suitcase, so it’s important that you don’t carry around a lot of stuff that you simply don’t need. It’ll also allow some space to bring back souvenirs you decide you can’t live without! Start off by piling everything  [ Read More ]

Alaska, sun holidays and the human spirit If you’ve ever spent much time in Alaska, especially the rain forests of the Inland Passage, the idea of a sun holiday might lure you still. While working for a couple of years in Ketchikan, I learned that taking a week off every few months to return to the lower 48 was almost mandated. Another four years in Juneau, where it would rain in a variety of degrees from October into early summer, the rare days of sunshine called for special dispensations. The Governor must’ve know the benefits to health from the sun  [ Read More ]

Solo travel can be exhilarating, relaxing and a great way to meet wonderful people. Alternately it can be stressful, scary and isolating when you travel alone. What makes the difference? So much depends on how prepared you are and how you approach each situation. Here’s some tips to help you stay safe and have fun the next time you travel solo: 1. Resist electronic temptations: You haven’t come this far to spend your precious time doing just what you do at home – catching up on emails and social media. It’s tempting and sometimes unavoidable but if you can’t go cold  [ Read More ]

For those people who find it hard to get through an entire winter without some sunshine, then a heading off for little winter sun break is always a good idea. You don’t necessarily need a hot holiday, but just to be able to stroll around in a t-shirt and shorts for a week in flip flops instead of being bundled up in winter clothing and boots can give you a real lift. For Northern Europeans, though, the problem is that the sunshine is always quite a distance away in the winter – so unless you feel like a long-haul flight  [ Read More ]

Getting ready to announce a trip there in early June. Two days in Toronto with a train trip for 3 days in Quebec. Join me? Top sites in central Toronto: Source: typeverything.com via Janice on Pinterest

Americans cling firmly to the belief that bigger is better. From super-sized food to amplifying body parts, America is hard at work at creating the most gargantuan version of anything and everything imaginable. Southern California has it’s share. There’s a giant doughnut at a 50′s bakery in Long Beach, California and until recently, a towering fork in Carlsbad, just north of San Diego. The sentinel fork was short-lived. Inspired by a Muppets movie prop, an anonymous, local retiree used his wood working skills to give his visitors a literal ‘fork in the road’ to turn at. Standing tall in a  [ Read More ]