Monticello is located about an hour and 20 minute drive from the airport in Richmond Virginia (RIC) or about 2 hours from Dulles Washington Airport in Washington DC, (IAD). Tickets can be purchased online or in person – a Monticello day pass includes a guided tour of the first floor of Jefferson’s iconic home. And additional ticket can be purchased for tours of the upper floor. Shuttle vans leave regularly for the approximately 1/2 a mile ride up to the home. Highlights of the house tour include the main parlour, […]

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Q. Briefly tell us about yourself and what are your roles at the Guam Visitor Bureau (GVB)? My name is Carl T.C. Gutierrez and I am a former governor of Guam. I have worked closely with the Guam Visitor Bureau in the 1990’s to build up our tourism industry. Under my administration, tourism thrived and broke records with over one million visitors a year. We reimagined the tourist capital of Tumon with then General Manager Gerry Perez to create Pleasure Island as a long-term attraction that both local and visitors enjoyed for over […]

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Meet Russ Hedge, CEO of Hostelling International USA (HI USA) – The largest hostel network in the United States. HI USA was founded in 1934 and is a non-profit organization that offers hostel accommodations, activities and programs promoting inclusivity and diversity. Russ joins the interview to talk about how HI-USA is more than just an ordinary hostel that provides guests a bed to sleep in for the night. Q. Tell us about your journey into hosteling business. Growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin, my early interest was all about football, […]

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This impressive property features what is the largest still privately owned family home in the United States of America – the mansion is over 178,000 square feet featuring 250 rooms. It was built between 1889 and 1895 by businessman and art collector George Vanderbilt (part of the banking and steamship family). More then 1,000 laborers were hired to complete this uniquely impressive home – that somewhat resembles a French chateau. Vanderbuilt acquired 125,000 acres of land – including numerous forest land which was the first professionally managed forest in the […]

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When my son finished 6th grade, I promised to reward him with a trip to anywhere he wants, as long as it was centered on American history. I am a firm believer that true learning happens through classroom theory is paired with experiential learning. So we set out on a long weekend to bring his history lessons, past and future, to life. After a week of research and contemplation, he selected Washington, D.C. as his destination. Off we went on a father-son trip to see the nation’s young but storied […]

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Just two blocks from the White House and within walking distance to everything the nation’s capitol has to offer, it’s easy to see why The Willard InterContinental in Washington DC is known as the “Residence of Presidents” and has remained an anchor in a town that’s undergone countless transformations over the hotel’s 200 year existence. In 1862, National Hawthorne wrote, “The Willard may be much more justly called the center of Washington and the Union than either the Capitol, The White House, or the State Department.”  Welcoming its first presidential […]

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In the summer of 2017, I was in Charlestown, WV on business and it occurred to me that Washington D.C. was only a couple of hours away. At the time I was working to develop my photography hobby into a potential career, and D.C. seemed like an excellent place to get some good practice shots. I was currently learning the settings of my first DSLR camera and some entry-level techniques for capturing images. I was no Mike Carano, but as I played with the different functions, I could see a […]

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Sometimes, the most beautiful places you have left unexplored may be in your very own backyard. Now, I don’t literally mean the backyard of your house (although, that also may encompass of a lovely garden your wife busily planted away). By “backyard”, I mean the spots and locations within your country or city. United States is a huge piece of land, and without a doubt, has innumerable, beautiful places that are any tourist’s or vacationer’s dream-come-true. For right now, we’ll stick to the lovely and lustrous locations of Michigan. Ditch […]

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Brac (pronounced ‘brach’) Croatia is an easily accessible island (about 50 minute ferry ride from the city of Split on the mainland). A visit here is well worth a day trip…at minimum. For the adventurous, renting motorbikes is a must. The island has some beautiful beaches as well as more intimate private bays. Picturesque villages dot the shoreline around the island and small cut off roads often lead down to these villages or connect them below the higher main road. In the summer, swimming, eating and drinking as you slowly […]

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Secret America by Barb Karg and Rick Sutherland This interesting book covers the gamut of American secrecy. The information contained within its covers are not found in your typical high school history book! From super secret societies which contain a plethora of influential individuals such as the men’s only Bohemian Club or the Bilderberg Group to information about the US currency possibly including “secret symbols”, this book guides readers from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It should be no surprise that names such as Dan Brown are mentioned a number […]

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Having loaded up on fresh prosciutto this morning we were set for the rest of the day. Its not Italy so the prosciutto is not served with melon. Wanting to duplicate our love for the Italian prosciutto experience, we bought a melon from one of the numerous vendors in the fruit/vegetable market for the equivalent of a dollar. Thinly sliced, fresh – makes all the difference in the world. Like most niche foods – go to the source for the authentic originals. We caught a ferry from Split to the […]

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“The future is an opaque mirror. Anyone who tries to look into it sees nothing but the dim outlines of an old and worried face.” –Jim Bishop The morning of September 11, 2001, as a Peace Corps trainer I’d scarcely opened an HIV/AIDS seminar in a shabby hotel two hours north of Port-au-Prince, when the Haiti health program manager pulled me aside. “The World Trade Center and the Pentagon have been attacked by planes,” she whispered. “It’s not a joke.” She shared what little she’d heard with the Volunteers. Horrified, […]

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Harry Truman’s Excellent Adventure by Matthew Algeo This is a delightful fast paced read about a 19-day road trip Harry Truman and his wife Bess took from their house in Missouri to Washington DC and back again in 1953 soon after leaving the presidency. Times were simpler back then for ex Presidents as they were able to make this trip as private citizens (President Truman drove) without the accompaniment of secret service. They were actually able to mingle with locals for much of this trip. This is definitely *not* a […]

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12 hours prior, I was walking along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington DC just down from the White House. 3 hours after touching down in Accra, the capital city of Ghana in Western Africa I was in the middle of the rural countryside far removed from the hub of activity in the two nation’s capital cities. I arrived in Ghana and walked down the jet-way to the tarmac welcoming the warm sun, heat and humidity that only the tropics can deliver. With a not so full plane I exited quickly and breezed through customs. […]

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As we talked to locals in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital city, people were so proud to talk about the things they love about their country. “We are free here, our country is so peaceful, you don’t have to be afraid,” said one. “You can criticize the government, you have free speech, free elections,” said another. Botswana is indeed an incredible country. Home to not only the most beautiful wildlife we’ve seen yet, including elephants, giraffes, impala, kudu, and warthogs, Botswana is also where we’ve met some of the friendliest people. And […]

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