Tag Archives: travel advice
Cooking (and a magic refrigerator) in Reykjavik
Not to ruin my budget travel cred or anything, but I didn’t try super hard to have a cheap trip to Iceland. (And by Iceland, I mean Reykjavik, because we didn’t leave the city other than a couple of day trips.) The last minute nature of the travel, plus the Covid situation meant I tried […]
Coronavirus work-around plan: send travel advice (I already have the face masks)
So what do you do when you’re about to visit South Korea and the CDC puts out a AVOID NON ESSENTIAL TRAVEL red alert? Well obviously you put on your good citizen pants and cancel your trip. Back in 2009, HOB and I came down with the swine flu at the peak of the pandemic. […]
A bento box of Japan tips
One of our hotels in Japan served breakfast bento, which was perfect for me as I adore both breakfast and eating a variety of foods. Since I have no business claiming to be an authority on Japan, I thought it would be fun to share a variety of bite-sized tips which might be useful […]
How I research travel online
For years my best travel advice came from a retired doctor named Howard who I “met” on the now-defunct website VirtualTourist. Howard—in his mid 80’s at the time–was exceptionally cranky, no doubt because he was no longer able to travel (for the record, this would make me cranky too.) Howard put his pent-up traveling energy […]
Do you cook while traveling?
The top three things I miss while traveling are; My cat Taking a shower without wearing flip flops Cooking Happens every time: HOB and I are in the midst of a fast-paced trip when we visit a local market and I’m overwhelmed with longing to cook all that beautiful produce. Now that Airbnb is a […]
If I show you my vibrating alarm clock will you think I’m getting fresh with you?
Packing makes me happy and after last week’s picture deleting debacle I sure needed cheering up, so I got busy packing for our next trip. Packing light is one of those things that’s great in theory but in practice I want to stuff too many things in my backpack. Here’s what I’ve learned is worth schlepping around […]
Argyle Street Chicago: get on the train for authenticity and ass cake
I recently asked for some advice from fellow blogger Sophia Hsiao, whose gorgeous nature photography has me longing to visit Taiwan. In response to my inquiry about Taiwanese cities to visit, Sophia recommended a few and added “Each city has its streets”. Sophia then listed the best streets in her recommended cities. As a smart traveler, Sophia knows you can’t just show up […]
Visiting the country of Georgia: advice for independent travelers and an attempt to answer the perennial question, is it safe?
Should you visit the Republic of Georgia? Absolutely. Can you travel independently in Georgia? Yes, but only if you do your homework. Focus your travel planning on transportation, finding great guest houses, and be prepared to respectfully appreciate Georgia’s religious culture. Transportation: Before I traveled in Georgia I was confused and intimidated by the transportation infrastructure. From the outside […]
Transfiguration in Tbilisi
I can never resist a thrift store. Walking through a thrift store door is an act of optimism, a confidence that a few minutes of digging through racks will unearth just what I didn’t know I was looking for but what I most desire. It’s more than finding a treasure; it’s an act of recognition, […]
How to rock a layover in Munich, with or without marital aids
On the way to Georgia this May we had a 8 hour layover in Munich. Hot diggety dog—a layover in Munich! A chance to see Munich seemed like a special treat, since, even though we’d transferred at Munich Airport a dozen or more times, we’d never actually visited the city itself. In anticipation of our layover visit, we broke […]
Picnic at the Cathedral 