Anyone who travels knows that way too much time is spent waiting.  You have to wait at the airport, the train station, even for a taxi.  Sometimes it seems like all we do is hurry up so that we can wait some more.
How can you put all those precious waiting minutes to good use?  You can keep a book nearby, but often you just get into the plot and it’s time to put it aside.  You can talk on your phone, annoying everyone around you and risking private information being overheard my many.  You can stare into space, day dream, …read more

Just in time for Halloween, I received a review copy of Encyclopedia of Haunted Places, compiled and edited by Jeff Belanger.  This guide to ghostly locales from around the world is geographically organized, so you know the first thing that I did was look to see what’s nearby where I live.
I live in Seattle, and there are 5 haunted locales list in the state of Washington:

The Bush House (Index)
The Oxford Saloon & Eatery (Snohomish – I knew about this one)
Murphy Family Farm, a private residence (Longview)
Rutherglen Mansion Bed & Breakfast (Longview)
Port Gamble (Port Gamble, near the Hood Canal Bridge …read more

Today I have a guest post from a recent friend, Sue Henly.  Sue and I met at a travel event, and charmed me with her Australian accent.  I think she’ll charm you with her writing as well.
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In the soft grey light of early morning, we sit quietly on a bamboo mat, wicker baskets of sticky rice beside us, across from a shuttered colonial mansion heavy with bougainvillea.  Birds chatter in the flame trees until a gong sounds, momentarily startling them into silence.
Around a corner, dozens of barefoot monks and novices appear in a swish of saffron, golden bowls hanging …read more

I watched a movie earlier this evening, and after wiping away more than a few tears from my eyes, it got me thinking, once again, about the United States’ travel embargo to Cuba.
First, the movie.
It was, ostensibly, a baseball movie – The Lost Son of Havana – about former baseball pitcher Luis Tiant.
In 1961, the Cleveland Indians brought the young pitcher to the United States to play professional baseball, following in the footsteps of his father, also a pitcher, who played in the Negro League for the New York Cubans.  While living out his dream, Tiant received a …read more

Reading time once again.  I offer up a good variety to keep you informed and entertained this Sunday afternoon.
Consumer Traveler – Chris Elliott shares good advice about dealing with a bankrupt, or soon-to-be bankrupt, airline.  Ignore this advice at your peril.
Ciao Amalfi – Taking the boat from Salerno to Amalfi.  Just a little slice of heaven.
Travel Blog Camp – Registration for this travel blogger meet up opens. . . and closes.  If you’ll be in London next month, it may still be worth getting on the waiting list.  I’ll be there, so let me know if you will too!
Almost …read more

I keep track of the college campuses that I visit much in the same way that I keep track of states and countries I visit.  I’ve found that visiting a campus is a little snippet of real life, a trip off the beaten tourist path to people live, work, and play.  In addition to some great campus architecture, there’s a host of businesses and activity that go into into supporting what is, in essence, a mini-city.
Earlier this summer, I had a chance to visit Southern Methodist University in Dallas.  It’s officially located in University Park, a part of the greater …read more

Our hectic pace of life takes its toll on our physical and emotional health, so when it’s vacation time, why not consider a trip that’s part of the Slow Cities movement.  The movement, started by the Italians in the 1990’s, is a way of protecting traditions and traditional ways of living.  You remember those – before gadgets and communications systems demanded that we be available 24/7?
Slow Travel gives you an opportunity to connect to a place and its people, rather than racing through a bunch of cities.  It’s about experiencing culture and heritage, not just about finding the nearest fast …read more

For most of my life I spent Thanksgiving with one family member or another (or all of them), eating a huge turkey dinner, listening to football-related yelling, and navigating the delicate balance between family arguments and peaceful co-existence.  If that sounds familiar, and the thought of spending another holiday like that is truly painful, consider taking a Thanksgiving vacation this year.
And I’m not talking about a vacation to go visit family – I’m talking about a real vacation – for everyone!
I first tried the holiday vacation plan nearly 10 years ago, and while I don’t do it every year, it’s …read more

On one of my first visits to San Francisco, I crossed the Golden Gate bridge to explore the Marin side of the Bay.  I stopped off for what I thought would be a short while to explore Sausalito, and had such a great time there, that I never went any further.
Due to its prime location at the end of the Golden Gate Bridge, much of Sausalito’s history has been playing a supporting role to nearby San Francisco.  The area has been a fishing village, transit hub, and a center for bootlegging during Prohibition, and during World War II was a …read more

I hope you’re enjoying the long Labor Day Weekend, but also hope you’ll make some time to check out some of these great blog post from the past week.  It’s always hard to pick the best of the best, but these captured my attention this past week:
Up, Up, and A Gay, a recently discovered blog from another Flight Attendant, dishes about why we’re always dishing about work.  It’s true, too!
Los Angeles Times tries to makes sense of the security rule regarding exact name matchups.  There may be flexibility now, but what little there is will be going away soon.
The …read more