Earlier this year I was introduced to a Stearns & Foster Mattress with a stay in the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. This particular Fairmont is located on top of Nob Hill which already gives you nice views of parts of San Francisco simply based on the elevation. However one can be treated to more spectacular views by staying in a room on one of their uppermost floors. Visually I feasted on memorable views from the 14th floor overlooking Coit … [Read more...]
Playing with a new Drone
I had been researching various drones for the past few months and finally decided on the DJI Phantom I. I made a quick test in our house before we left for Thailand. That did not go very well at all. The drone took off by itself as I was unable to get it calibrated - it repeatedly banged into the ceiling and then got tangled in some wires. These soon snapped and shot across the room into the blinds and fell to the ground. Lucky it landed upside … [Read more...]
Start Building a Bucket List For 2015. Consider these!
It is never to late to build your personal bucket list - creating a list of must do activities and experiences. Our motto as it relates to travel is, "do it while you can", and now is the perfect time to start planning some trips and experiences for 2015. One company, Contiki Tours offers a number of worldwide based activities and experiences for those in the 18-35 range. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Climb a Mountain - choose … [Read more...]
Travel Writing Contest Winners, 2014
We are excited to announce the three winners for this year's travel writing contest. There were many submissions this year (thank you to everyone who submitted an entry or two). The three judges unanimously picked the top two winners in that order - competition for the third winner was more intense. We received entries from a number of countries and US states - for the past 6 or 7 years one of the winners has been from Los Angeles or Orange … [Read more...]
Testing out the Can Am Spyder RT-S on California’s Open Roads
As I rode through the California foothills on a late Spring day it certainly felt very summer like. Warm temperatures and the wonderful smell of dry grass baking in the sunshine greeted me as I made my way up to Brentwood, California to test out a new Can Am Spyder Model RT-S. In the early morning I rode past all the windmills that dot this part of California enjoying the fact there wasn't yet that much traffic around. As I rode through the … [Read more...]
This Holiday, Send Your Loved Ones Away
As a huge fan of traveling, I think there’s never a wrong time for travel-themed gifts. But the circle I buy for at this time of year falls into two distinct groups: those who always travel, and those who never do. And this presents a problem. The ones who do it a lot have such a practiced routine that they’re reluctant to disrupt it by trying something new. And the ones who never leave their own zip code are often baffled by the process of … [Read more...]
My Winter Wish List for the Holidays
As the weather cools, travel heats up this time of year- visits to friends and family during the holidays, local trips to experience outdoor activities or destination trips to warmer locales certainly sounds appealing - especially as I write this - huddled next to a space heater. The warmth of this heater is making me reflect upon warm weather destinations that I visited earlier this year; Bermuda (an easy flight from the East Coast), Sydney, … [Read more...]
Has Travel Come to This?
During a recent trip to South America my friends and I were joking about walking around sightseeing while taking distracted glances upwards from our phones. Some of us were addicted to our phones - jumping online when any free Wifi opportunity became available. I polled a family member currently on vacation in Croatia - who enjoys using his phone while traveling. I had a good laugh when we read this. "Travel is all about staying in touch … [Read more...]
2013 Travel Writing Contest Winners & Honorable Mentions
Of all the past travel writing contests, this was the most difficult year to narrow down the entries to the top three winners. We initially selected 11 from over 100 entries. One entry stood out from the others and was the unanimous choice for our top spot. After discussion among the three judges - the three top entries are: Bring Adventure Back to Europe, by Richard Bangs Without An Address, You Can’t Go Home, … [Read more...]
Tips for staying safe abroad
Whilst most trips abroad pass without any problems when a problem arises and you are in a foreign country it can be very stressful and quite frightening. There are a few things that you can do to minimise the odds of finding yourself in such a predicament though – and here are a few of them. Try not to stand out Tourists are often considered easy pickings by crooks, pickpockets and fraudsters. Their lack of local knowledge, customs, money … [Read more...]