The first time I started planning a trip to Ireland, I quickly realized that choosing where to stay was almost as exciting as deciding what to see. I had pages of castles, coastal villages, and scenic drives saved, but I…
I have a drawer at home full of gear I bought expecting it to change my trips, and most of it is still sitting there unused, a graveyard of good intentions and convincing product descriptions. But every so often, something…
We’d spent the first half of our Costa Rica trip doing exactly what most itineraries recommend, zip-lining, waterfall hikes, a full day of adventure activities around La Fortuna, and by the time we sat down to book the second half,…
We landed in Dublin with a loose itinerary, two rental car reservations, and a plane ticket out of Glasgow two weeks later, mostly trusting that the middle would sort itself out. It did, but not in the way either of…
When people think “all-inclusive,” they picture a beach in Mexico or the Caribbean, not the Texas Hill Country or a working cattle ranch, somewhere with sand and a swim-up bar rather than longhorns and a trail ride. That assumption cost…
I almost missed one of the prettiest villages in Ireland because I was too focused on keeping up with a cruise excursion schedule. The day was carefully planned, with a list of attractions to visit, a set time to return…
I have always been the kind of traveler who is happy to leave the main road if something interesting catches my attention. A small sign pointing toward a village I have never heard of or a quiet road leading somewhere…
I ruined a three day hike once because I packed like I was going on a weekend city trip, tossing in things I thought I needed and skipping half of what I actually did. By day two, my shoulders were…
I’ll never forget the morning I decided to take a trip to Madeira. The kids were still asleep, the house was unusually quiet, and I was sitting by the kitchen window with a cup of coffee, enjoying one of those…
My husband and I saved for three years for our Bora Bora trip, and I still remember the moment our boat transfer rounded the point and I saw Mount Otemanu rising behind a row of thatched roof overwater bungalows. It…