I will be honest. India was never high on my travel wish list. But as my aunt and I started looking for our 2026 iteration of our annual trip together - always a guided tour through a company that doesn’t have a single supplement so we have some space from each other - this one…
It’s about time for my annual (or semi-annual depending on the year) trip to visit my father. Ever since he moved to the Cincinnati area, I’ve tried to make seeing him into a writing trip, whether only doing things in the greater Cincy area, or more recently, making it into a road trip. This year,…
When I was younger, I went on a lot of cruises. I mean, A LOT of cruises. (Here’s my take on cruises.) At this point in my life, and at this point in my travels, I’d be less likely to take one based on a number of factors. But there are a couple of large…
About ten years ago, I promised my nephews (best friends’ kids but don’t tell me I’m not their “actual” uncle) that I’d take each of them on a trip for their high school graduation, assuming they were still nice to me at that point. Well, the first one graduated, and - somewhat surprisingly to me…
Do you all remember last year, when I was invited by Visit St. Maarten to come to their amazing island? I spent a week exploring the history of both the Dutch and French sides, and experiencing some of the culture of the world’s smallest divided landmass. It was amazing, and you can check out my…
I know, I know. It seems like I just got back from Europe. And really, it’s true. After less than three weeks at home, it’s back across an ocean. But this time, it’s the Pacific. Unlike some trips, this one is mainly a “people” trip. Namely, both A and I have family in New Zealand…
It’s hard to believe it’s down to my last month of this Europe trip. This month I’ll be based in Toulouse in southwestern France. It’s the first major stop on this trip that isn’t on the coast, not that this is a major consideration for me. I was in Toulouse for part of two days…
After a wonderful whirlwind month in Genoa and northwestern Italy, it is time to head into France. The destination: Nice. I’ll have roughly a month here, exploring both the city itself and some of the surrounding towns along the Côte d’Azur, Azure Coast. And while February isn’t the prime season for sunbathing by the Mediterranean,…
Welcome to the first installment of the day to day itineraries of my 2026 Europe trip! For this chapter, we are based in Genoa, but exploring the northwest of Italy. Why Genoa? Why not? It’s a large city (Italy’s sixth largest), but not so big as to have too much to try to see in…
For the first time since resuming travel coming out of the Covid shutdown, I didn’t make it to Europe in 2025. And while I had an amazing travel year, that absence was felt, both in that I missed my favorite place in the world and that I didn’t have my “normal” (I’ve only done it…