Istanbul is a melting pot — Asia butting up against Europe, Byzantine symbols displayed along Muslim icons and a food lover’s mashup with diverse tastes from throughout the centuries.
The immense myriad of attractions means many visitors spend their days hoofing it from neighborhood to neighborhood, sometimes hopping on the local tram along the way, trying to see it all in just a few days. The result is often a sweaty end to the day, …
Napa Valley in California; Tuscany in Italy; The Rioja region in Spain; and….Michigan? While the aforementioned destinations are top of mind as a wine lovers paradise, don’t overlook this lesser known but beautiful hidden gem just 90 minutes out of Chicago.
All up and down the southern shore of Lake Michigan are more than a dozen individual wineries often set on lush grounds offering a number of varietals. Some tasting rooms are private and require …
Do research. Plan trip. Get on plane, train, or in an automobile. Spend hours, sometimes days, in transit. Get to XYZ amazing destination and immediately begin thinking about how to have the best Instagram posts, take the most amazing photos and use all the amenities at your hotel.
Unfortunately, the stress of getting to a destination, along with the pressure to make the most of it and document every moment, can cause a traveler to …
Just barely 30 minutes outside the hustle and crowds of Puerta Vallarta lies charming Bucerías, a beach town offering the best of two experiences: Traditional Mexican beach town with lots of over-ocean restaurants, a town square and cobblestone streets and a more modern, upscale district offering trendy boutiques, rental condos and a variety of cuisine options.
Long a popular getaway and destination spot for Puerta Vallarta residents and seasonal snowbirds, Bucerías has been growing with …
Baja California’s raw beauty and stunning contrasts draw visitors year-round. Most common is the entry point at Tijuana, just south of San Diego. While convenient to accessing the area’s coastal towns of Puerto Nuevo, Roasarito and Ensenada, the border crossing is large and somewhat confusing, and drivers need to be quick on their toes to catch the right road out of town. Coming back into the United States, this crossing can be a nightmare, with …
Sayulita, Mexico isn’t Cancun or Cabo San Lucas — The coast is not dotted with all-inclusive resorts, and it’s not a Spring Break mecca — And that suits those just fine that that choose to visit this sleepy hamlet about an hour north of Puerta Vallarta on Mexico’s Pacific Coast in the region known as “Riviera Nayarit.”
Built around the protected Bahia (Bay) de Banderas, the Sierra Madre mountains ring Sayulita and provide immediate elevation …
Any trip to San Diego is likely filled with visits to the beach, perhaps the World-Famous San Diego Zoo, maybe even Sea World, or the museums of Balboa Park. Once you’ve checked off the ‘must-do’ tourist items on any San Diego sightseeing list, how about some off-the-radar stops popular with locals to grab a little peace and quiet and re-center?
#1 Self Realization Temple and Gardens — Encinitas
Located 20 miles north of Downtown San …
Iceland’s most scenic and popular route is the “Golden Circle” of approximately 300 kilometers of breathtaking views, often traversed in a circular pattern out and back from Reykjavik. Within the Golden Circle lie some of the country’s top attractions, including Þingvellir National Park, the spectacular Gullfoss waterfalls, and Geysir in the heart of an active geothermal valley.
One of the best parts of the Golden Circle is Iceland’s well-developed and easy to follow system of …
Imagine an overseas trip without spending a single Euro, Pound, Yuan, Yen, or Peso – at least not in the literal sense.
I recently returned from a 3+ week trip to Stockholm and several Baltic nations, including Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, along with a quick stop in Poland. The entire time, not a single coin or bill passed from my hands to a restaurant or store owner.
OK, fair disclosure — I did spend one …
Colombia — The land of drug runners, cartels and kidnappings, right? You might be thinking of the Colombia of old. This diverse gem nestled at the top of South America with coasts kissing both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea has successfully emerged from underneath a less than desirable reputation a few decades ago due to rampant drug trade and violence.
Now, tourists have been dipping their toes back into the country, enjoying some of …
Whoosh – a giant burst of air breaks out of the water, and you are showered by a gentle mist that smells vaguely of salt and fish. Immediately next to your small fishing (panga) boat, a gentle giant rises to the surface for an up close and personal encounter like nothing else on earth.
The warm, protected lagoons of Baja California’s central Pacific coast, about 400 miles south of the US-Mexico border, are the perfect …
Do research. Plan trip. Get on a plane, train, or in an automobile. Spend hours, sometimes days, in transit. Get to XYZ amazing destination and immediately begin thinking about how to have the best Instagram posts, take the most amazing photos, and use all the amenities at your hotel.
Unfortunately, the stress of getting to a destination, along with the pressure to make the most of it and document every moment, can cause a traveler …
