A flight connection can look perfectly reasonable on a booking screen and still become the most stressful part of a trip. Two itineraries may have the same destination and similar prices, yet one gives you enough time to move comfortably between flights while the other leaves very little room for a late arrival, terminal change or security check. That is why connection time should be treated as part of the itinerary, not just a number … [Read more...]
Things to Do in Belém in One Day: What to See and in What Order
Belém is where Lisbon keeps its most famous postcards. The Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries all stand within walking distance of each other on the bank of the Tagus, a short ride west of downtown, with Portugal's best-known custard tart bakery in between. That closeness is also the trap. Most visitors do the same loop at the same hour, and by late morning the lines spill down the street. The answer is order, … [Read more...]
Day of The Dead in Cancún: Why We Keep Going Back to Hanal Pixán
When we first moved to Cancun, Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos in Spanish) was one of those Mexican traditions we had been curious about for years. Our first real glimpse of it came through the opening sequence of the 2015 James Bond film Spectre, with Daniel Craig walking through a spectacular Día de Muertos celebration in Mexico City surrounded by skulls, costumes, giant skeletons and crowds of revelers. We remember watching it and thinking: we … [Read more...]
Mila Rooftop, Glendale California – November 2026
This nearly 5,000 outdoor space is located on the top of the upscale Glenmark Hotel on the 7th story. Features excellent and expansive views in all directions of the nearby mountains, Glendale's downtown and beyond. The Mila offers a full kitchen and bar with plenty of comfortable seating throughout the space including at the bar. Besides the excellent service and commanding views, the food is arguably the primary highlight of a visit. We love … [Read more...]
What To Pack For A Winter Cabin Break In Scotland
A cabin in the Highlands in winter is hard to beat. Short days, long evenings by a stove, crisp walks and very little to do except slow down. It's the kind of trip people come back from feeling properly rested, as long as they've packed for the conditions. Scottish winters can be beautiful, but they're also changeable and often wet, and remote cabins don't always have a shop nearby. A bit of thought before you leave means you'll spend the trip … [Read more...]
Solo in Ubud: How to Spend a Week That Feels Like the Real Bali
Most people turn up in Ubud with a list. Monkey Forest, the rice terraces, a swing over the jungle, a smoothie bowl with a view. All of that's there and most of it is worth seeing. But if you are travelling on your own, the thing that tends to stay with you is something else: the slow morning before the scooters start, the offering someone sets down on the step outside your room, the conversation you fall into over dinner with a stranger who is … [Read more...]
A Full Day in Mijas Pueblo (And I Still Didn’t See Everything)
Four years living twenty minutes from Málaga, and Mijas Pueblo was the trip I kept bumping to next month. Everyone who'd been gave me the same rundown of white walls, donkeys, and a coach park. I figured I already had the picture, so why rush it. I finally drove up a few weeks ago thinking I'd give it two hours before lunch back on the coast. I left at 5pm with a list of things I still hadn't got inside. The lift that drops you into the … [Read more...]
Is Helsinki Expensive? A Practical Budget for First-Time Visitors
Helsinki is not a cheap European city, but its reputation for being extremely expensive can be misleading. For travelers used to major cities in Western or Northern Europe, many everyday prices will feel fairly familiar, while accommodation, restaurant meals, drinks and several paid attractions can push the total higher. I would focus less on finding the cheapest possible options and more on knowing which expenses are worth paying for and … [Read more...]
Komodo Island Scuba Diving at Sixty – A Hotel, a Liveaboard, and What I’d Change
I taught high school chemistry in Modesto for twenty-nine years, and I've carried the same dive logbook since 1989, a green vinyl binder with a Monterey dive shop's sticker peeling off the front cover. My first entry is a forty-one-foot dive off Breakwater Cove in a seven-millimeter wetsuit I can still smell. I turned sixty in February. My wife Linda doesn't dive, and when she asked what I wanted to mark the year, I said Komodo before she'd … [Read more...]
Lone Pine Before Whitney – What a PMS for Small Hotel Does
I pulled into Lone Pine just before seven on Friday, August 15, 2025, with a day-use permit for Mt. Whitney in my glovebox and a 38-liter pack on the passenger seat that I'd packed twice that morning. I'd booked two nights at a 16-room motel on Main Street, $148 a night, so I could sleep a few hours, start up the trail around two in the morning, and come back down to a bed. The lobby was full of people in trail runners. All of them wanted the … [Read more...]
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