As the mom of an almost teenage daughter, it’s easy for me to get caught up in doling out life lessons whenever and wherever I find an occasion. You can imagine how well that goes over. Maybe you’ve even been there yourselves. Usually I evoke a response somewhere along the lines of: “Tell me something […]
Teen Travel
5 Ways to Enjoy a Seaside Vacation
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and sky, And all I need is a tall ship and a star to steer her by . . . – from the poem Sea Fever by John Masefield When you feel the call of the ocean, you know what that means: it’s time […]
Top 5 Travel Safety Tips
I’m often asked what I do to stay safe while traveling, either with family or on solo trips. Here are my top 5 travel safety tips to maximize safety, comfort and fun on the road whether you’re an experienced world traveler, or just beginning your journeys: 1) Avoid being conspicuous. It’s easy to stand out as […]
Shakes, Malteds and Rock ‘n’ Roll
You know you’re getting older when . . . when your tween takes one look at a really cool jukebox and says, “What’s that!?” Oh, brother. We’ve arrived in Port Townsend for a quick getaway from Seattle. One of the highlights of this historic seaside port on the Olympic Peninsula for this trip is the Nifty […]
Where in the World Are We?
I’m making one last ditch effort to engage my tween on our road trip back to Seattle. This time I pull out International Landmarks by educatedKid, a large deck of cards with photographs of 40 famous landmarks on one side and interesting facts and statistics about the landmarks on the reverse side. For example, who […]
Spring Days in Portland
Portland, Oregon might be known as the City of Roses, but you know it’s Spring when the cherry blossoms burst forth along Waterfront Park, brightening the gloomy, gray skies in the Pacific Northwest. After meandering through The Portland Saturday Market, we continued walking north, past a dazzling display of these beautiful flowering trees. I wish […]
Hello, Portland!
Time to get out and stretch those legs after our three hour drive from Seattle. Sure we had that pit stop in Chehalis, but that was awhile back, and we’re ready to check into our hotel. For this trip we’re staying at Hotel Fifty, located downtown across from Waterfront Park. Perfect! Our room comes complete with […]
Pick a Card, Any Card
The Art of Travel Conversation scores an A+ on packaging design. You can’t help but be inspired by the beautiful art and travel words gracing the cover of this deck of cards. Comprehensive and sophisticated in their approach, Australian authors Keith Lamb and Louise Howland focus on “travel discussion that involves both serious thought and […]
And We’re Off!
We’re heading down the highway from Seattle to Portland. It’s late in the day, and my goal is to have a pleasant enough trip with my reluctant tween in tow. I have a business gig on Friday and a birthday on Monday so Portland presents the perfect opportunity for a weekend getaway celebration. Except I […]