Hi there. Have you ever taken a vacation that plum wore you out? Maybe you took a multi-day tour that didn’t provide enough downtime. Perhaps you got tired of packing and unpacking as you moved from city to city. Or it could be that you saw so many sights in a short time that they have all gotten jumbled up…

Do you dream of riding a gondola on Venice’s Grand Canal, visiting the Game of Thrones filming locations in Dubrovnik, or getting a little wild in Amsterdam? If so, you aren’t alone. These places ignite our wanderlust. They have something else in common; they, and many others, are overtouristed. So how do we reconcile our desire to experience the places…

Adult children. I believe that is an oxymoron. But what else can you call them? They are your children, your kids, your babies, all grown up and running their own lives. You may live with them, see them regularly, or not very often. Whatever your situation, I ask you: now that they’ve evolved into self-sufficient beings, should you travel with…

“A great way to learn about your country is to leave it.” — Henry Rollins Starting a post with a quote feels a little cheesy, but this quote by musician, writer, and actor Henry Rollins just fits too well. If you were born and raised in the United States as I was, you likely grew up thinking you lived in…

Barcelona sat right at the top of our bucket list. It was the first city in which Steve and I would spend a month as we began our new life as full-time travelers. La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell awaited us. We couldn’t wait for the city to cast its spell on us as it had for several friends who…

We’ve all heard about ugly Americans. Tourists from the U.S. who talk too loud, wear garish clothes, compare things in other countries to how they do it in the U.S., and expect everyone to speak English. A Case in Point Many years ago, I was sitting at my daughters’ soccer practice when a very loud man told a story of…

Traveling to countries where English is not the primary language has made me rethink my attitude toward multilingualism. Before Steve and I started traveling full-time, I would be annoyed when businesses offered a Spanish option on their phone menu. I was even more annoyed when they asked me to press one for English. I felt like many Americans. Why should…