The birth of empathy between siblings is a beautiful thing to witness.  One of the many unexpected joys of living abroad is watching the way such a powerful experience changes your children.  For the better.  Kids who travel together, learn to rely on each other in a deeper way than life in suburban America demands.

When we left for Italy, Katie and…

This is a great month to travel in Southern California. The weather is cooler, but the “rainy season” hasn’t started, and daylight savings time doesn’t end until November 6.

In La Jolla, San Diego’s favorite…

Oklahoma City is a place that exudes charm, character, sorrow and a spirit that inspires visitors to live their lives more meaningfully.  I spent three fascinating days in this city …and like others who came before me and those who will follow… my soul was changed forever.

Arriving at the…

Historical Creative Arts Centre in Toronto

I have been working with Native Americans in the tourism industry for two decades.  My first forays in this industry were in South Florida, home of the Miccosukee and Seminole people.  Today I work at the Mitchell Prehistoric Indian Village in South Dakota, where the ancestors of the Mandan people lived.  Despite the huge geographical gap, there is similarity to how visitors imagine how these tribes may have…

Our last tour day in VN was reserved for a trip down the infamous Mekong River. Mary Ann and I had flown over the headwaters of the Mekong located high in the Himalaya mountains while we were in Nepal. We had floated on the Mekong when we visited the Golden Triangle area of Thailand. Both of those wonderful trips are archived in this blog.

I could not help but think that we were probably on the same molecules of water we saw leave the Himalaya. The length of the river is over 3000…

Mitt Romney – yes the GOP candidate – is La Jolla’s newest celebrity resident. In fact, he and his wife Ann bought their beachfront home here in…

A recent survey from the Association of British Travel Agents revealed 20 of the most ridiculous complaints by holiday-makers. Laugh on.

1. “I think it should be explained in the brochure that the local store does not sell proper biscuits like custard creams or ginger…

There is a religion in Vietnam called Cao Dai. The full name is   Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (Great Religion [of The] Third Period [of] Revelation [and] Salvation). That  might be the least complicated thing I know about it. The religion has approximately 30 million followers in Vietnam. They believe that before god existed, there was the Tao. Then a big bang occured from which God was created. In order for God to create the heavans and the earth he first had to create the Yin and the…

Caroline’s is perched on a sandstone bluff and serves up a 180° blue-water panorama, as well as healthy, California-style meals.



Some…

Boston Sunset from the Top of the Deck

It's hard to argue that Boston is not the birthplace of America. Just take a walk along the Freedom trail, and you can relive American history. You too can walk the steps of Samuel Adams and imagine America succeeding from the British, and follow the footsteps of Paul Revere and the Boston Tea Party. Indeed,…

We stumbled upon a very detailed step-by-step, illustrated guide on how to "crack, crunch and suck out the best bits" of Shanghai hairy crabs, on CNNGo. Couldn't have stopped for a second to wonder why on earth would anyone eat anything that looks like a mitten, from another planet.

A…

We saw HCMC (onetime Saigon) on the fly. We used it as a base to visit both the tunnels of Cu Chi and the Mekong Delta. Consequently this will be a short post.

The first place we visited was a brand new version of the War Remnants Museum. It is dedicated to the victory of and the gallantry of the people of VN in…

Customized itineraries are an important aspect of…

The 2011 Fantasy Fest celebration in Key West is the 32nd year of weeklong  fun on and around Duval Street and this year it runs from Friday October 21 to Sunday October 30.

This year’s theme is “ Aquatic Afrolic “ and please note that some of the  events listed below are official and sanctioned by the Fantasy Fest committee  that oversees the event and some events that are “unofficial” may require you to  check with locals to confirm that they are still scheduled on their…

TOURISM & MORE'S "TOURISM TIDBITS"

For September 2011

Protecting the Female Traveler

Since the inception of modern tourism women have played a significant role in the development of the world's largest composite industry.  The tourism industry is proud of the fact that as one of the world's newest industries, women have played a profound role in tourism success. One only needs to attend almost any tourism or travel industry conference and to quickly…