First published by The Journal Gazette Is a free city walking tour better than a paid city walking tour? Spoiler alert! The quality is the same. But do not let the word “free” fool you. The old saying, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch” applies even in Cologne, Germany. I went on the …
A tale of two city tours: Travel writer visits Cologne, Germany Read More »
First published by The Journal Gazette The secret is out! Molly, my interpreter and tour guide with Pinglin Tea Culture and Maokong Guided Day Tour, spilled the tea on Taiwan teas. Our first stop was to visit a tea vendor outside of Taipei, on the upper side of the Maokong mountain. It was next to …
Trip to Taipei offers tastes of tea, history, beauty Read More »
First published by The Journal Gazette I decided to spend a long weekend in Tucson, Arizona, to learn about travel content creators and the city of Tucson. I attended TravelCon, a multiday annual business event for travel content creators to learn how to enhance their use of social media platforms so they can hope to …
Trip to Tucson includes slices of history, pizza Read More »
First published by The Journal Gazette There are three things you need to know about the lifestyle of a sumo wrestler (rikishi). The first is that the young, male-only athlete must eat between 7,000 and 9,000 calories a day. The second is that he must weigh at least 300 pounds. The third is that he …
First published by The Journal Gazette It was an early December morning, and I was walking across the Charles Bridge in Prague. The cold weather and the gentle wind made it a miserable morning, but people looking at pictures of this very moment would never guess that. Smiling and warmly dressed tourists stopped on the …
A taste of Prague: Travel writer takes food tour, rides horse in Czech Republic Read More »
First published by The Journal Gazette Did I snorkel, sail and hike on the Hawaiian island of Maui? Nah! I tried glassblowing in Lahaina, and I went on an amazing tour of Wailea in a ’64 Volkswagen bus. Glassblowing is shaping molten glass into art. I took a one-hour, hands-on private lesson at the Moana …
First published by The Journal Gazette It was a beautiful weekend in Liverpool, United Kingdom, a perfect time to learn about The Beatles or soccer, neither of which I did. Instead, I learned about graffiti and candle making. I walked on 3 Kings Dock Street that went into a run-down industrial area. At the end …
Learning in Liverpool: Trip offers workshops, waterfront views Read More »
First published by The Journal Gazette It’s hard to make sense of this world when part of it is in turmoil and the other part is in tranquility. I went on the amazing and peaceful full-day tour of Torres del Paine and Cueva del Mylodon Cave Natural Monument in southern Chile. Starting in Puerto Natales, …
First published by The Journal Gazette I sat up front tightly holding a rope that ran on top of the boat’s right inflatable tube. The skipper roared the eight-passenger boat’s engine to catch up to the fast-moving dolphins. With my other hand, I nervously held my iPhone while snapping pictures. I was taking a huge …
Seeing dolphins and more on visit to Punta Arenas, Chile Read More »
First published by The Journal Gazette I was standing on the port side of the Garinko III IMERU ice breaker in the Abashiri region of Japan. I wanted to experience what it was like moving through the calm, ice-covered Sea of Okhotsk. There was a twist to this trip: everyone spoke Japanese but me. No …
