All-inclusive resorts have pros and cons that need to be carefully considered before you make a reservation. Depending on the resort, and what you want from your vacation, the pros can be cons and vice versa . Was that helpful? No? OK we'll go into some specifics The Pros of all-inclusive resorts Budget: The primary positive aspect of all-inclusive resorts for most … [Read more...]
Using wi-fi safely when you travel
Safe wi-fi when you travel (you know you want it) Using wi-fi safely when you travel is like your (probably unrequited) lust for the object of your adolescent desire in high school. You have been told not to go there; it isn't safe. But your hormones are urging you down the path to self-destruction. We all want wi-fi all the time and for free. We know it's risky and we have … [Read more...]
Our travel blogger code of ethics
Why we need to have a code of ethics Blonde is sitting at her kitchen counter writing about our code of ethics. She was supposed to be leaving on a cruise today. Not only a free cruise but one she was actually going to be paid to take. What happened that resulted in this situation? Illness? Stupidity? Couldn't get George Clooney out of her bed early enough to still make … [Read more...]
Planning travel to other hemispheres
Planning travel to other hemispheres When you're planning to travel to another hemisphere a good starting place is to answer the question: What other hemisphere are we talking about? The world has two circles around it (not literally). One divides it in half horizontally and uses the equator to separate the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The other one is vertical and … [Read more...]
Rick Steves is right (but not all the time, according to us)
Rick Steves' presentation for PBS in Naples, Florida According to his own website "guidebook author and travel TV host Rick Steves is America's most respected authority on European travel". It should come as a huge relief to Rick that we agree. When we learned he was coming to speak at a fundraiser for the local PBS station we got tickets for the event. We showed up early … [Read more...]
No need for a Zika Freaka(out)
What is Zika? Per the Centers for Disease Control: "Zika is a disease caused by the Zika virus spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week." That does not sound like … [Read more...]
Travel where terrorists don’t go
What attracts terrorists? Terrorism and travel have, sadly, become topics that many of us now consider in tandem when we do our trip planning. We may not like to admit to ourselves that terrorists scare us away from travel destinations we would like to visit. And we all know that terrorists could theoretically strike anywhere at any time. But there are places that have not … [Read more...]
How to keep travel memories alive
Why it can be hard to keep your travel memories alive We travel like fugitives on the run (think El Chapo but with much nicer accommodations and sans Sean Penn) which makes it challenging to keep our travel memories alive after the trips have ended. One time, years ago when Blonde was still employed in a grown-up's job, she returned late on a … [Read more...]
5 Easy steps to take to avoid travel fees
Yes, travel does cost money but here are 5 easy steps - most of which we learned the hard way - that you can take to avoid unnecessary travel fees. (Please keep in mind that we're travel bloggers, not lawyers, CPAs or financial advisors. That should be a relief to everyone.) Don’t buy unnecessary travel insurance We have purchased travel insurance for every … [Read more...]
2015: Where we traveled, what we liked and what we didn’t
2015 Travel Looking back on where we traveled in 2015 we (meaning at least one of us) went to 12 countries; 4 for the first time. Now we can see why our friends think we travel all the time. We, oh so cleverly, tend not to travel to places we don't expect to enjoy so when we do our year-end review sometimes it can be hard to come up with a lot of things we … [Read more...]