What an experience! Two nights at a luxury Sahara Desert camp Of the many highlights during our Collette Colors of Morocco tour, our two nights at a Sahara Desert camp stands out as one of the best. Ever since I was very young, I dreamed of seeing the Sahara Desert…
An Enchanting Stay in the Sahara Desert

Broadening Our Horizons in Morocco on a Collette Guided Tour

Morocco Guided Tour
Viking Expedition Cruise Recap: Canada and the Atlantic Coastline

Viking Expedition cruise of Canada and the Atlantic Coastline We’re back home in Scottsdale, Arizona after 15 days at sea with Viking on one of their incredible expedition ships, the Octantis. We’ll have much to share in future posts about the sights, excursions, onboard experiences, and sailing the St. Lawrence…
A Farewell to Sicily in Taormina

Three days in Taormina
Siracusa: Sicily’s Ancient City of Power and Grandeur

Best of Siracusa in two days
Going Baroque — Things to Do in Ragusa

Two days in Ragusa
Intrigued by Palermo, Sicily’s Cultural Capital

3 Days in Palermo, Sicily
11-Day Sicily Itinerary at a Glance

An introduction to our 11-day Sicily itinerary Palermo, Agrigento, Ragusa, Siracusa, Taormina — highlights and practical information Long on the list of places in Italy we’d wanted to visit was Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean located across the Ionian Sea from the toe of the boot of the…
What to Do on a Shore Excursion in Monaco

Tips for a day in Monaco
Be Enchanted — The Best of Madrid in Three Days

Top things to do in Madrid, Spain during a three day visit — attractions, restaurants, and more tips
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Weekend Getaway

Top activities for a Milwaukee weekend getaway
Finding Love in Slovenia on a Collette Guided Tour

Ljubljana, Lake Bled, and Lipca Stud Farm
Exploring the Balkans with Collette: Our First Guided Land Tour

Collette guided tour to the Balkans
Destination Spotlight: Split, Croatia Walking Tour

A Viking Cruise Shore Excursion in Split, Croatia During each day of our 13-day Viking Mediterranean Odyssey cruise, we took advantage of included guided tours or optional shore excursions such as those we covered in a previous post. The included tours were generally about 1-1/2 to 2 hours long —…
Sights and Sounds of Saravejo and Other Bosnia Highlights

Highlights of Sarajevo, Bosnia
A Taste of Croatia from Dubrovnik to Zagreb

Highlights of six days in Croatia
Top Things to Do When You Take a Viking Ocean Cruise

Top tips for taking a Viking Mediterranean cruise
Wine, Dine, and Back in Time on Mediterranean Cruise Shore Excursions

Our top three optional shore excursions on a Viking Mediterranean Odyssey cruise
Mediterranean Moments: Scenes from a Viking Cruise

Photo highlights of a Viking Mediterranean Odyssey cruise From Venice to Barcelona, our Viking Mediterranean Odyssey cruise included new as well as familiar destinations. In new locations, we looked for the highlights that capture the essence of the place. In places we had previously visited, we looked for something new,…
Sipping and Savoring the Flavors of Crete

A day trip to Crete wine country
Three Days in Romantic Santorini

Three days in romantic Santorini
Feed Your Creative Soul in Tuscany

Tuscany Art Adventure — September 18 – 24, 2022
Athens, Greece: City of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom

Top things to do in Athens, Greece on a 4-day visit
Highlights of Seville, Spain

Highlights of Seville, Spain
Lyon, France: A City to Love

Top things to do in Lyon, France
9-Day France Itinerary at a Glance — Lyon, Dijon, and Paris

9-day itinerary for visiting Lyon, Dijon, and Paris
Adventures and Misadventures in Antigua

Fun and adventure in Antigua
Food and Culture on the Camino de Santiago

Cuisine and culture along the Camino de Santiago
Cosanti: The “Against Things” Spirit of Soleri

A visit to Paolo Soleri’s Cosanti in Paradise Valley, Arizona
Hope Springs Eternal in Upper Manhattan

Scenes of Spring at Fort Tryon Park, Upper Manhattan, New York City
Romantic Europe: 10 Special Places in My Heart

What is it about a place that compels us call it romantic?
Wonders of Nature at the Desert Botanical Garden

Wonders of nature at the Desert Botanical Garden
Special Mother-Daughter Travel Experiences: Part Two

Part two of a special series featuring stories of mother-daughter travel experiences
Special Mother-Daughter Travel Experiences: Part One

Part one of a collaborative series featuring mother-daughter travel experiences
Viking Cruise Shore Excursions: Should You Take Them?

Should you take shore excursions on Viking river and ocean cruises?
Tallinn on the Baltic: A Medieval Surprise

HIghlights of things to do in Tallinn, Estonia
Travel Planning: Seeing 2020 by Looking Back

Travel tips and inspiration for traveling in 2020
Scottsdale Hikes: Marcus Landslide Trail at Tom’s Thumb

We’ve now added the Marcus Landslide Trail to our list of favorite hikes in Scottsdale.
Two Days in St. Petersburg: Russia’s Venice of the North

What to see and do in Russia’s second largest city
Sailing the Baltic Sea with Viking: Our First Ocean Cruise

Cruising the Baltic Sea with Viking
Sunset in Stockholm and Other Baltic Cruise Highlights

Photo highlights of a Baltic cruise
Packing Light: Tips for Women Travelers

Simple packing tips for women travelers
Musical Journeys Around the World at MIM Phoenix

MIM – The Musical Instrument Museum of Phoenix
Wroclaw, Poland: Part Three of a Nine-Day Itinerary

Top things to do in Wroclaw, Poland
Krakow, Poland: Part Two of a Nine-Day Itinerary

Top things to do in Krakow, Poland
Warsaw, Poland: Part One of a Nine-Day Itinerary

Highlights of Warsaw on our 9-day tour of three Polish cities
A Walk on the Pink Granite Coast of Brittany

From Perros-Guirec to Ploumanac’h on the Sentiers des Douaniers on the Brittany coast
Packing Guide for Easy Desert Hiking

Tips for easy hiking in the desert
3 Days in Paris: Best Things to Do

Best things to do in Paris when you’ve been before
Charmed by Dinan, an Irresistible Town in Brittany

Dinan, France — a most charming town in Brittany
Top Things to Do in Cologne, Germany

Editor’s Note: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase I will earn a commission. I link these companies to provide you a quality resource for your travels. The decision is yours, and whether or not you decide…
Rome’s Enchanting Quartiere Coppedé

Step outside of the most well-known areas of Rome and visit the Quartiere Coppedé where architect Gino Coppedé’s designs take you into a fairytale world.
Shameless Matera, Italy: A Cultural Rebirth

Matera: From the “shame of Italy” to European Capital of Culture 2019
Nature and Architecture in Harmony at Taliesin West

Visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona
Exploring Veneto: 5 Great Side Trips from Asolo

From our romantic apartment in Asolo, we not only enjoyed the culture and lifestyle of the captivating town just beyond our doorstop, we had easy access to other wonders of the Veneto region of Italy on side trips during our four-day stay. With our expert guides and gracious hosts Mr. TWS and I explored highlights that included regional wine, art, and architecture. Here are five places that we recommend for your Veneto itinerary.