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Packing Tips

Destinations, Packing Tips

Packing Light: Tips for Women Travelers

Catherine Sweeney
August 29, 2019
26 Comments
Packing Light: Tips for Women Travelers

Simple packing tips for women travelers

packing tips, travel
Arizona, Destinations, North America, Packing Tips, Sweeney in Arizona, USA

Packing Guide for Easy Desert Hiking

Catherine Sweeney
March 4, 2019
23 Comments
Packing Guide for Easy Desert Hiking

Tips for easy hiking in the desert

Arizona, hiking, scottsdale, tips, USA
Guest Posts, Packing Tips

Traveling Light: Packing tips for the 21st century

Catherine Sweeney
September 8, 2013
32 Comments
Traveling Light: Packing tips for the 21st century

By Kristan Lawson — When did everyone forget how to pack? After a recent stay-at-home decade I have started traveling again — and I’m aghast at everyone’s poor packing skills.

packing, packing tips, tips, travel

About Catherine Sweeney

Catherine Sweeney is a travel enthusiast with a lifelong passion for going places. A weekend getaway, an international journey, a cross-country road trip, or a local jaunt — they’re all on her radar. And it’s all made extra special when she’s enjoying the finer things in life with Mr. TWS, her husband and co-blogger. Get inspired as they share photos and stories highlighting the best of destinations, food, wine, history, culture and the arts.

Thank you, Getting on Travel!

Traveling with Sweeney, Best Baby Boomer Travel Blogs 2022, Getting on Travel

2018 NATJA Silver Award Winner

Recent Posts

  • Exploring Treasures of the Mediterranean from Istanbul to Athens
  • Six Days in Zurich for a Holiday Kickoff
  • Fascinated by Istanbul on a Viking Cruise
  • The Allure of Italy in Liguria and Tuscany
  • Indulging the Senses on the Mediterranean Coast of France

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Catherine Sweeney

travelingwithsweeney

Closing out 2024 with a new blog post (link in bio Closing out 2024 with a new blog post (link in bio) about the archaeological sites we visited on the @vikingcruises shore excursions we chose on the Ancient Mediterranean Treasures cruise — Troy, Ephesus, Lindos on Rhodes (also visited the medieval center of Rhodes), Palace of Knossos on Crete, and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion near Athens. #exploretheworld #ancienthistory #ancientruins #shoreexcursions #myvikingstory #cruisetravel #turkeytravel #visitgreece #travelblogger #travelgram
We were back at the Desert Botanical Garden in Pho We were back at the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix last night for our traditional late December visit to enjoy Las Noches de las Luminarias. We love wandering the trails lined with holiday lights illuminating beautiful cacti and listening to music and story-telling at various stages. It’s always quite a magical experience. This year’s special art exhibition with installations throughout @dbgphx is “LightBloom” created by @hybycozo. Totally cool. The exhibition will be at the garden through January 20, 2025. #lightbloom #desertbotanicalgarden #luminarias #lasnochesdelasluminarias #holidaylights #artexhibition #phoenixarizona #visitphx #myphx #christmas2024 #saguaro #crestedsaguaro
Merry Christmas from the Traveling with Sweeney du Merry Christmas from the Traveling with Sweeney duo. Here’s to happy and safe travels in the new year! #christmastime #christmasornaments #christmasgreetings #happyholidays
By cable car and Rotair revolving aerial cableway By cable car and Rotair revolving aerial cableway we left foggy Engelberg for sunshine and clear skies atop Mt. Titlis, central Switzerland’s highest mountain. We also took a fun spin on Ice Flyer chair lift and exciting walk on the Cliff Walk while at the summit while taking in gorgeous views of the Swiss Alps. Check out the post (link in bio) about our trip to Zurich. #visitswitzerland #swissalps #mttitlis #rotair #daytripfromzurich #switzerland #travel #wintertravel #travelgram
Kicking off the holidays in Zurich, Switzerland — getting in the spirit, embracing the international vibe, taking in cultural venues, day trips to the Alps, wining and dining — find out more in our latest post. Link in bio. #christmasmarkets #switzerland #visitswitzerland #zurich #travelblogger #europeantravel #zurichoperahouse #zurichchristmasmarket #holidayspirit
Fun thing to do in Zurich tip: Take train to Uetli Fun thing to do in Zurich tip: Take train to Uetliberg and walk to top for views and lunch. More later! #visitswitzerland #visitzurich #switzerland🇨🇭 #travelblogger #zurich #uetliberg
The TWS duo atop Mt. Titlis in the Swiss Alps. Wha The TWS duo atop Mt. Titlis in the Swiss Alps. What a great experience at 10,000 feet — spectacular views and an exciting cliff walk. #visitswitzerland #beautifuldestinations #snow #alpineviews #mttitlis❄️🏔️🇨🇭
Hello from Zurich! Arrived yesterday and despite j Hello from Zurich! Arrived yesterday and despite jet-lag got in a lot of walking around the Old Town and enjoying one of the festive Christmas Markets. Just a selection of photos to give you a feel of our day with more to come. Loving Zürich already! #zurich #visitzurich #switzerland #christmasmarkets #fonduechalet #zuricholdtown #christmasinzurich
The pretty things you see on an early morning ride The pretty things you see on an early morning ride to the airport. Caught this sunrise on our way to PHX. Heading to Zurich to kick off the holidays! Stay tuned. 🎅 🎄 ❄️ ⛄️ #arizonasky #azsunrise #sunrise #arizona #visitarizona #beautifularizonaskies
Istanbul is a fascinating city and we are so glad Istanbul is a fascinating city and we are so glad we chose a pre-cruise extension here before our @vikingcruises Ancient Mediterranean Treasures cruise. These are just a few highlights. Read more in our latest blog post. Link in bio! #myvikingstory #vikingcruises #shoreexcursions #istanbul #visitistanbul #türkiye #turkeytravel #travelgram #turkeycruise #bluemosque #basilicacistern #bosphoruscruise #istanbulferry #goistanbul
The allure of Italy — as seen in these photos of The allure of Italy — as seen in these photos of Tuscany during the last two days of our @gocollette Mediterranean Coastal Journey tour. Just published on the blog is the third post in our series about the tour that took us along the Mediterranean coasts of Spain, France, and Italy. Link in bio. #catherinexcollette #gocollette #mediterraneantour #guidedtravel #tuscany #sangimignano #italytravel #beautifuldestinations #travelgram #loveitaly #traveltuesday #ifwtwa1
A walk through the winding alleyways of Genoa, Ita A walk through the winding alleyways of Genoa, Italy's old town with @gocollette will give you plenty of opportunities to see and taste traditional Genoese foods — sweet and savory. You’ll see fresh fruit and vegetables, focaccia, panissa (bread made with chickpeas), brioche, fresh fish (lots of sardines), fresh pasta and sauces, candies and other sweets, and more. #foodiefriday travel inspiration and another hint of what’s coming soon on the blog. #catherinexcollette #gocollette #mediterraneanfood #genoa #genova #italytravel #guidedtravel #foodiesofinstagram #visitgenoa #travelblogger #deliciousfoods #instagood
Pretty as a picture … that’s Portofino, Italy. Pretty as a picture … that’s Portofino, Italy. On our @gocollette Mediterranean Coastal Journey tour we took a boat from Santa Margherita Ligure to this beautiful town on the Ligurian coast. A hint of what’s coming soon on the blog. #catherinexcollette #gocollette #portofino #liguria #italy #traveltuesday #ifwtwa1 #mediterraneantrip #visititaly #beautifuldestinations #travelgram #lovetotravel #italianriviera #prettyplaces
Viking ocean cruises tip for #foodiefriday — be Viking ocean cruises tip for #foodiefriday — be sure to make a reservation for dinner at The Chef’s Table as soon as it is possible after you book your cruise. It’s a wonderful culinary experience tasting chef-inspired menus (which change during the cruise) paired with carefully-selected wines. On our recent journey on the @vikingcruises Sea, we enjoyed a “Voyage to Korean Cuisine” that introduced us to delicious new flavors. A sample of our dinner from top left: - Amuse Bouche with eel, octopus, and egg custard (out of my usual comfort zone, but tasty) - Me with one of the fine wines 🍷 - Healthy “Ocean Party” appetizer with crab meat, scallop, and more goodies - Korean soup pot — very spicy! - BBQ marinated beef short ribs — my favorite - Kimchi fried rice - Matcha cheescake and yuzu ice cream for dessert - Glass of Madeira #myvikingstory #vikingsea #chefstable #cruisetravel #cruise #cruisedining #koreanfood #chefinspired #diningatsea #vikingcruises #ifwtwa1 #foodiefriday #travelblogger
The Palace of Knossos in Heraklion on the Greek is The Palace of Knossos in Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete. Loved our tour of this archaeological treasure of ancient Minoan civilization during our @vikingcruises shore excursion. #ifwtwa #traveltuesday #myvikingstory #minoancivilization #palaceofknossos #crete #greecetravel #visitcrete #heraklioncrete #travelgram #ifwtwa1 #myvikingstory #shoreexcursion #archaeology #travelblogger
A full day on the Greek island of Rhodes included A full day on the Greek island of Rhodes included a visit to the charming village of Lindos and the Acropolis at its top. Just a few pics for now, but you know there’ll be more to come about our @vikingcruises Ancient Mediterranean Treasures cruise that is going by way too quickly! #myvikingstory #cruisetravel #greekisland #rhodes #lindosgreece #travelgram #shoreexcursions #ifwtwa1
What a way to end the day! Mr TWS and I are relaxi What a way to end the day! Mr TWS and I are relaxing in the @vikingcruises Sea Explorer’s Lounge where we caught this sunset. We visited the ancient ruins of Ephesus in Turkey today. On our way to Rhodes … #myvikingstory #vikingcruises #sailingtheaegean #sunsetonthesea #cruisetravel #vikingsea #travelblogger
Did you know that Istanbul is in both Europe and A Did you know that Istanbul is in both Europe and Asia? It was so cool to take the ferry to visit the Asian side — first time I’ve set foot on Asian soil! Bustling area with lots of cafes, pastry shops and more. Great way to enjoy free time on our @vikingcruises Ancient Mediterranean Treasures #cruise. #myvikingstory #istanbul #turkey #ifwtwa1 #shoreexcursions #travellingthroughtheworld #travelblogger #goistanbul
Free time tip while exploring Istanbul @vikingcrui Free time tip while exploring Istanbul @vikingcruises. After touring the amazing landmarks of Istanbul take the funicular F1 to the Taksim neighborhood up a hillside on the European side of the city. Cool area, bustling with locals on streets and the square. Lots of colorful character and delicious aromas. #myvikingstory #istanbul #freetimeinport #turkeytravel #goistanbul
Hey, @vikingcruises! We’re back on board the Sea Hey, @vikingcruises! We’re back on board the Sea. Loved our Mediterranean Odyssey cruise two years ago on the same great ship and now we’re back on board to sail from Istanbul to Athens. Cheers! #winewednesday #cruisetravel #cruise #exploretheworld #ontheship #myvikingstory
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