Book a hotel at the last minute to get the best deals and a lot more than what you bargained for . Here’s how to do it wisely: For international travel, scope out hotels and deals on your favorite travel site well before your trip. My fave is hotels.com. I love them because I always find […]
travel
Helpful buying, renting & packing tips for first-time skiers
Every time I go skiing, I feel like it’s my first time. I’m a self-described advanced beginner. This year will be my fifth time skiing. Typically, our ski trips are an extended weekend and last Friday through Sunday, so we’re really on the slopes only one whole day. Each time I learn a little more, […]
Our One Day Hermosa Beach Experience & How to Do It Yourself
I imagine Californians consider Hermosa Beach as just another cool beach town. Everybody knows it. Everybody’s been there. But I haven’t, really. On a recent trip to Cali for a concert, we had only one day to spend in Hermosa Beach. This is what we did, and if you want to ever recreate our trip, […]
Fine fashion and good tunes at the Chicano Soul Legends Concert
It’s 7:15 p.m. on Saturday that I enter the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., for the Chicano Soul Legends concert. And it’s about 7:18 p.m. on Saturday that I realize I’ve technically stepped into an enclosed sampling of the east LA Chicano community. It’s amazing. I arrive with a giant grin on my face and […]
Another year of me in the books; 5 to-dos for my next year
I don’t wait until Jan 1 to start my new year. My new year starts Nov 15, the day after my birthday. It’s a day when I reflect on what I’ve learned over the year and determine my goals for the next one. It’s a day when I can start fresh. I can try again. […]
Isla Holbox, Mexico, on a Saturday
I don’t know when I first started thinking about retirement, but I know it’s a thought that comes up every time I leave the country. Isla Holbox, Mexico, has been my dream retirement spot for a few years now. It’s a far, out-of-the-way fisherman’s island north of the Yucatan Peninsula, where the Gulf of Mexico […]
Take New Orleans by day and night
I love staying at different hotels and bed and breakfasts in the French Quarter because you never know what kind of tiny, quirky room you’ll end up with. You have to allow yourself to be OK with almost anything when you agree to stay in an old, 19th-century building. On this trip, we stayed at […]
Experiencing Willamette Valley in one afternoon
Willamette Valley (Will-am-it) is known as Oregon’s wine country. Its lush vineyards harvest some of the country’s best pinot noirs. It’s different here. It’s not like Sonoma or Napa. It just feels different. It feels less dewy. It feels more open, more casual. Bike trails are everywhere. Vineyards share space with farms. People hang out. […]
Travel with friends—it’s good for the soul: Portland edition
It’s 3 a.m. when my alarm goes off. I zombie-walk through the deep, thick darkness—away from bed, away from husband, away from dog, away from sweet, sweet dreams. See, my flight leaves at 5:50 a.m., the first flight of the morning, and I’m flying standby from the airport farthest away from me. I cannot miss […]
Flying standby? 5 tips on what to wear & how to pack
I’m heading on a weekend trip tomorrow morning to Portland for a girls’ weekend. And, like most trips, I’m flying standby. Standby is a great way to travel if you’re patient, flexible and accommodating. For extremely discounted travel, I’m all of the above. Flying standby, there’s no guarantee you’ll get on your preferred flight, so […]