I was born and raised in Rochester, NY, home of Kodak, the world’s largest lilac collection, and Susan B. Anthony. Even though I no longer live there, I still take the opportunity to travel home to visit family and the beautiful surrounding area as much as I can. Here’s how I took the perfect leaf-peeping … More A Perfect Leaf-Peeping Vacation in Upstate, New York
My travel plans have looked very different during the Covid-19 pandemic. Gone for now are my overseas trips to Europe each spring. Instead, I’ve been taking short, socially distant trips to places within driving distance, staying in cabins or remote Airbnb apartments, cooking instead of going to restaurants, and enjoying activities that don’t require a … More A Perfect Midweek Finger Lakes Wine Vacation
Instead of cooking at home as I usually do, my family decided, for the first time ever, to get away for the Thanksgiving weekend, spending the holiday hiking, cooking and enjoying the outdoors. We chose the Red River Gorge area in Kentucky, which is just over a 2-hour drive from our home. The weather this … More A Long Autumn Weekend in Red River Gorge, Kentucky
Beautiful Torch Lake, located in Northern Michigan just off Lake Michigan, is famous for its Caribbean-like clear turquoise blue water and large party sandbar. It’s considered one of the jewels of Michigan’s Chain of Lakes, and with its near-perfect summer weather with temperatures average 75 – 80 degrees, is a great destination for summer travelers … More Planning the Perfect Week in Torch Lake, Michigan
With two state parks, spectacular hiking, a lake and a state forest, the Hocking Hills region in Ohio makes you feel like you’ve left the state and entered another world. Starting with Old Man’s Cave, the most popular destination, you can wind your way through the 6-mile journey, connecting to two of the park’s other … More A Perfect Weekend at Hocking Hills, Ohio
In 2020 we embarked on what was supposed to be a complete EF Tours trip to Spain. We were able to finish about half of the tour before we found ourselves returning to the U.S. unexpectedly and without warning due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The itinerary was to include: At that time, the Coronavirus … More EF Grand Tour of Spain
For my 50th birthday I wanted to see Alaska, choosing this time to travel by cruise ship, something I’d never done. We chose Holland America Cruise Lines and booked the 7 day Alaskan Explorer cruise, which departs from Seattle, then ports in Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan and Victoria, BC, returning to Seattle with one day at … More Alaska Cruise Review: Holland America Cruise Line
Although I’ve been to London on the EF Tour of European Capital Cities, and Scotland was never really on my bucket list, I signed up for this tour because I couldn’t stand the idea of NOT going to Europe in the spring. It’s become a habit and one I knew I would miss, so I … More Edinburgh and London | EF Tour Review
Louisville, KY is a short, 2 to 3-hour drive from our home and, we discovered, a great weekend getaway. If you love history, bourbon, horses and hiking, here’s how to spend a perfect three-day weekend in Louisville, KY. Mammoth Cave, Kentucky Tours Before heading to Louisville we drove on to Mammoth Cave National Park. It … More A Perfect Three-Day Weekend in Lousiville, KY
In 2017 I once again embarked with my son on an EF Tour organized through Wilmington College, this time to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. I’ve shared in past blogs about my Irish heritage, being raised Irish Catholic with a mother whose maiden name is Sweeney. Read about that trip in my EF Tour review of … More Germany, Switzerland and Austria | EF Tours Review
Off Duty Traveler 