While living and working in Europe, I traveled extensively during my time off. I took a lady friend along to the Canary Islands one year, where we spent two weeks in bliss. Although it was …
Beaches: Travel Reviews
Canary Islands Getaway
Solitude Is Bliss – Michigan's Northern Lakeshore
A recent trip home to northern lower Michigan afforded me one of the greatest summertime pleasures a Michigander knows: a sunset swim in Lake Michigan. There’s nothing better than finding a secluded stretch of golden …
July 19, 2012
Fiji for the Rest of Us
Fiji is best known to travelers as a destination of exclusive white-sand beach resorts, catering more to honeymooners than backpackers or budget travelers. However, the more remote – and unspoiled – Yasawa Islands have a …
July 16, 2012
The Pirate Streets of Koh Phi Phi
After riding elephants in Krabi, Thailand, it was time to leave that madness behind. So I hopped a ferry for the island of Koh Phi Phi. Midway though the hour-and-a-half-long ferry trip, ominous clouds could …
June 15, 2012
The Maldives
Located in the Indian Ocean between the Arabian peninsula and India, the Maldive Islands are as romantically isolated as any island chain known to travelers. It's not impossible to get here, however. A three-hour flight …
Rio Beauty Salons
I picked the wrong year to stop sniffing glue – but of that, later. The following post makes me vulnerable A) because I'm not given to beauty salons anywhere, and B) you'd never find it …
May 15, 2012
Paradise, Thai-Style: Beaches and Islands of the Andaman Sea
I first became intrigued with the beaches and islands of Thailand while reading an account about a family selling their home in those halcyon days when the real estate market was skyrocketing. They intended to …
Captivating Cape Verde: Locked in an African Wine Bar
I’m sitting in an African bar scratching a description of Praia, Cape Verde, into a notebook, sipping my third cup of passable Portuguese plonk. I don't know if it was my intense concentration on the …
Getaway to Key West
The Conchs (those born in Key West) are friendly sorts, and so are the chickens: you’ll see them anywhere and everywhere. Large iguanas can also be found basking in the historic city cemetery, where some …
February 10, 2012
Greek Island Hopping: A How-to
As we took our last ferry back to the Greek mainland, a few general impressions of the Greek Islands came to mind. Overall, the people were genuine, helpful and friendly – a traditional Greek nod …
Surf Trip to Jalama Beach, CA
We left at 12:00 a.m., Tuesday, October 25, 2011, en route to Jalama Beach County Park from San Diego for a surf trip. Research told us that campers have to arrive at the park's flag …
November 22, 2011