I am very well known for hating ocean cruises.
I blame Gene Hackman and Shelley Winters.
Watching the original The Poseidon Adventure scarred me for life. Some people watched it and saw a movie. I saw a compelling argument for staying on land.
But when I was offered the opportunity to sail. . .
Read MoreI have been hearing quite a bit lately about artificial intelligence replacing travel advisors. Apparently, AI is coming for my job.
I'm not losing sleep over it.
Read MoreI love hummingbirds. Who doesn’t?
We have several bird feeders at our house, and I’m always delighted when one of those tiny, shimmering visitors appears. I enjoy watching birds at home—but until I went on safari, I would never have called myself a “bird person.”
Then Africa happened. . .
Read MoreFor most of human history, the night sky was our map, our calendar, our clock and our greatest source of wonder.
Then we invented streetlights, glowing billboards, parking lots—and cities that never truly become dark. Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped looking up.
Astro-tourism is changing that.
Read MoreIn the past six months, one dear friend and one close associate have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Both had important trips planned—and both had to cancel because of the physical effects of the disease.
In the past ten months, two women I know have been diagnosed with breast cancer.
These were people making plans and assuming, as most of us do, that there would be plenty of tomorrows. . .
Read MoreI recently returned from Cancun, and the trip reinforced something we have been discussing with our customers for several years: sargassum remains an ongoing challenge throughout much of the Caribbean. . .
Read MoreSomething rather exciting is happening next week, and I’d like to share it with you.
The Joy of Travel will be attending a. . .
Read MoreThere are places you visit once and remember fondly.
And then there are places that change the way you understand a destination.
For me, Ol Pejeta Conservancy is one of those places. . .
Read MoreTwenty years ago, people often came to a travel agent because they needed someone to make reservations.
Today, you can make a reservation from your phone while standing in line for coffee. But a reservation is not the same thing as a thoughtfully designed journey. . .
Read MoreVictoria Falls is the largest curtain of falling water on Earth—but before I ever saw it, I heard it.
We had checked into our hotel near Victoria Falls, and I kept noticing a low, steady roar in the distance. I finally complained to my husband, Doug, that I couldn’t believe we could hear so much road noise from our hotel. . .
Read MoreI have traveled in many different ways, but river cruising continues to hold a special place in my heart. There is something wonderfully intimate about unpacking once and allowing the heart of a destination to unfold just beyond your window.
Read MoreI recently watched an interview with Lauren Hutton—an unforgettable face to those of us of a certain age. She said the thing that kept her working was the need to finance her trips to Africa.
I was oddly comforted by that. . .
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