Questioning safety in Guatemala – at the last minute

3885709629_40e90d083f_oJust three weeks before I’d planned to leave for Guatemala, the first country on my itinerary for my first long-term trip, a friend forwarded an email from her Guatemalan friend regarding my upcoming travels:

“My advice is that if she has her heart set on going to Guate, do the volunteering thing and keep travel limited to … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (6)  | January 22, 2016
Category: Central America, Female Travelers, General, Travel Safety

How Not To Travel the World

Lauren had never eaten rice.

Yet she had just purchased a one-way flight ticket to Eastern Europe.

Maybe you’ve dreamed about traveling the world. Ideas of where you’d go, what you’d see, how you’d pack, and those pristine white beaches fill your quiet moments.

But the thought of leaving your comfortable life and its solid routines scares you. It’s an huge world and despite those jaw-dropping beach photos, you’d be tackling this vast unknown-ness by … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (1)  | October 21, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Travel Writing

Want to travel the world full time like I do? Prepare to be uncomfortable.

Nearly nine years ago, I made the most drastic decision of my life. I walked away from 36 years of corporate life to pursue a career as a travel writer and photographer. I remember very clearly the day I left the U.S. I was exhausted from years of working 70 hour weeks and excited to start a new phase in my life, but most of all I was terrified. Although I’d traveled all my life, … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Want to travel the world full time like I do? Prepare to be uncomfortable.  | October 14, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel

Solo female travel – right or wrong, dangerous or not?

I struggled down the narrow aisle of the rattletrap bus to my seat near the back, where the stench of gasoline permeated the air. Concerned that other passengers would not be able to get by, I stuffed my backpack on the floor behind my feet and my suitcase in the aisle next to me. I needn’t have worried. As the bus filled up, both were quickly buried beneath satchels, giant plastic shopping bags, and sacks … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Solo female travel – right or wrong, dangerous or not?  | August 12, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel

Cuba – forbidden fruit, no more

Vagabonding-07-Cuba-Havana-classic-convertibleI stepped from the dimly lit terminal into the parking lot at at Havana International Airport. Blinking to let my eyes adjust to the brilliant sunshine, I marveled at row upon row of classic cars, their rounded silhouettes a chorus line of humpback whales. I knew about Cuba’s classic cars, but had not expected to see so many. … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on Cuba – forbidden fruit, no more  | June 17, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel

Breeze through U.S. airport lines with TSA pre-check and global entry

Last weekend, I landed at Miami International Airport after spending a week in Cuba. My tour-mates, tired and bedraggled from a week crammed with activities, dutifully queued up behind a long line at Immigration. I breezed through Immigration, collected my luggage, took the Green lane at Customs, and was checked into my airport hotel room in 20 minutes, flat. I didn’t even need to fill out the written customs declaration usually required upon entry into … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (2)  | April 30, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel

Must-have smart phone travel apps

The day that smart phones became available, travel changed forever. Immediately, my smart phone became my watch, my alarm clock, calendar, address book, notebook, mirror, and even my flashlight, lessening the number of devices and the weight I needed to carry. As more and more travel apps became available, my smart phone quickly became my most valuable travel accessory. But with literally thousands of apps related to travel, figuring out which are truly useful can … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (5)  | March 24, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel

The rising popularity of river cruising

A record 23 million passengers are expected to take cruises around the globe in 2015, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which recently made the projection in its annual State of the Cruise Industry Report.

Admittedly, I have never been a fan of ocean cruising. As a long-term, independent traveler who immerses in the culture of the countries I visit, the idea of being trapped on a ship that visits ports of call for … Read more »

Posted by | Comments Off on The rising popularity of river cruising  | February 24, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel, Vagabonding Styles

Should terrorism keep Americans from traveling overseas?

In the wake of recent terror attacks in Paris and an article in an Al Qaeda magazine that provided instructions for making a bomb that is undetectable by current airport security technology, the U.S. State Department issued the following travel warning for Americans traveling abroad:

“Recent terrorist attacks…serve as a reminder that U.S. citizens need to maintain a high level of vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness”

On face value, … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (7)  | January 27, 2015
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel, Vagabonding Styles

Independent travel – not just for twenty-somethings

Not long ago I was asked to write an article about the differences between traveling independently as a senior and a twenty or thirty-something. Admittedly, I bristled. I replied that the essence of travel was the same regardless of our age. We all visit new places to satisfy our curiosity, to experience something different, and to learn about cultures different from our own.

The myth that independent travel is only for the younger crowd needs … Read more »

Posted by | Comments (4)  | December 30, 2014
Category: Female Travelers, Senior Travel, Vagabonding Styles