5 Ways To Save Big For Travel Abroad

I've always wanted to travel and see more of this big, beautiful world, but for many years traveling outside the United States seemed like just a dream, something other folks did but I would never be able to afford.   After I retired, Wanderlust really set in. The one place I had always wanted to visit more than any place else was Italy. With more free time on my hands, I started researching … [Read more...]




Where I Find the Best Travel Deals & Some Amazing Deals Available Right Now

Recently I shared a post where I highlighted a few items I always take when I travel abroad. If you missed that post, you'll find it here: 5 Essentials for Traveling Internationally. I love the comments you leave on posts--always learn new things from you with each and every post. The interactions and discussions in the comments are wonderful, appreciate those so much. On that particular post linked … [Read more...]




My 5 Essentials for Traveling Internationally

It's that time of year when a lot of us are thinking more about vacation and travel. Recently, a friend and I scheduled a trip for fall. (Read more about that here: Pyramids, Mummies and Cruising the Nile.) When I travel, sometimes there's very little time to prepare if I've jumped on one of the "last-minute-travel-deals" that some travel companies offer, but in the case of the fall trip, there's plenty … [Read more...]




Test Results and 4,000 Missing Bags

Just a quick post to say Thank-you for all the well-wishes and all the helpful information you left in the comments of yesterday's post. I've heard from several folks who said they have also benefited from the information you shared. The Flight Home The flight home yesterday was brutal, only way to describe it. As soon as we got airborne it was much harder to breathe. I never watch movies on … [Read more...]




A Very Rough End to 2017

Welcome to the 466th Metamorphosis Monday! Happy New Year to you! As I write this from the Sheraton Hotel in the Charles de Gaulle airport, it's 5:00 AM here in Paris. Sounds glamorous--spending New Year's Eve in Paris, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it's not as wonderful as it sounds since I've never left the airport. One of these days I'm going to see more of France than just its airport! I had to miss my … [Read more...]




Christmas in Cologne, Germany

Welcome to the 465th Metamorphosis Monday! Merry Christmas! Since Met Monday falls on Christmas Day this year, I'm putting this post up a bit early. I guess my Before and After this week is a travel one since I'm spending Christmas in a way I've never done before: floating down the Rhine River stopping every so often to visit the Christmas Markets and historic sites we find along the way. The … [Read more...]




Packing for The Netherlands, Germany & France at Christmastime

I've received a few comments asking if I would share what I will be wearing during my upcoming trip to Germany. I'll be packing the usual suspects: pants, sweaters, turtlenecks, scarves and boots, but I'm finding packing for this trip a lot more challenging. The problem is sweaters are really fat and fluffy, so they take up a lot of space. But I love sweaters so I'm determined to take several, even if I … [Read more...]




A Christmas Markets Trip Along the Rhine & Soup to Warm You On This Cold Day

I had a big decision to make today. So what did I do? I procrastinated and started cutting up vegetables, instead.   This is the best vegetable beef soup! It smells so insanely good while cooking...makes the whole house smell that way, too.  It's made from a recipe I found in an old Southern Living magazine, if I'm remembering correctly. I always change the recipe a bit by adding some stew … [Read more...]