They say the best gift parents can give their children is their time. I so totally agree.

What would it take for you to spend more time with your child?

If your son was suddenly diagnosed with a serious illness and most likely wouldn’t live more than few weeks, would you endeavor to spend every moment with him? If a serious accident befell your daughter, would you find a way to be with her?

I … Read more »

The Wall Street Journal had a story titled, “The let’s sell our house and see the world retirement.” A couple, Lynn and Tim Martin, decided to ditch the stereotypical retirement lifestyle and hit the road.

Here’s how Lynn describes it:

In short, we’re senior gypsies. In early 2011 we sold our house in California and moved the few objects we wanted to keep … Read more »

“The structure of tourism is basically identical to that of all ritual behavior: it first translates the tourist into a sacred world, then transforms/renews him, and finally returns him to normality. This other world is sacred because it is out of space and out of time. The normal rules are in abeyance (if not actually reversed), and replaced by [a] close and egalitarian ‘communitas.’ It is evident to the tourist that this exalted state is … Read more »

Cost/day: $40/day

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately?

With a pint of Guinness in hand, I listened to an old, Irish man play his guitar and sing folk songs about Ireland’s beautiful country side, fight for independence and love of drinking while the entire bar sang along. It is … Read more »

The only way to survive a 10 months post travel blues was fairly simple to me: I took it as a holiday.

Seriously. You may not have seen your folks and friends for several years, but this should not be a reason to freak out. The same goes for your friends; because pretty much, nothing has changed substantially. Except, possibly, yourself.

Yourself and not much else. You will see your town/city … Read more »

A week from now is All Hallows Eve “vigil of All saints” or commonly known in North America as Halloween. The holiday’s roots are of pagan Celtic origin; but it seems to be spreading around the world in modern fashion. When I was young, it meant dressing up in a costume and walking around my small town neighborhood, knocking on doors and gathering more candy than I’d ever eat. On October 31st my three … Read more »

I’ve heard it all. Some people feel travel is the best experience kids can have. Others feel kids are better off staying home and going to school each day. I say there’s good on both sides of the equation.

There is benefit in giving kids a stable home where they can sleep in the same … Read more »

“With the plane the cities began to have the same slender relation to human needs that museums do. They became corridors of showcases echoing the departing forms of industrial assembly lines. The road is, then, used less and less for travel, and more and more for recreation. The traveler now turns to the airways, and thereby ceases to experience the act of traveling. As people used to say that an ocean liner might as well … Read more »

Cost/day: $100 to $150 – There aren’t many cheap ways to see the Galapagos

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen lately?

The Galapagos islands are full of some fascinating and beautiful animals. The most striking part of any trip to the Galapagos however, is how absolutely unafraid the animals are of humans. We walked … Read more »