Arendal city center As a bonus to my three Lindblad blogs earlier in the year, here is a final report on the Norwegian stops. Our short but mighty coastal sailing along southern Norway’s archipelago served up three magnificent stops - Lindesnes, Mandal, and Arendal. Lesa Bain and I on a zodiac in the canal Each… Continue reading Bonus – Lindblad National Geographic – Norwegian Surprises

Windstar Star Breeze For a change, instead of traditional 4th of July with fireworks and grilling, our gaggle of eight gathered in the remote archipelago of Fiji for a South Pacific adventure across the international date line aboard the intimate 312 guest Windstar Star Breeze. Pre-cruise nights at DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Hotel Fiji -… Continue reading South Pacific – Windstar awaits in Fiji

Summer trip to Tahiti at Papeete airport With summer officially over, so is my pause from travel adventures and blogging. I can assure you, it was not all down time for me so I invite you to “Buckle up” as the rest of 26 will be filled with new and exciting projects as well as… Continue reading Summer Pause has ended

Dansk Tang - seaweed safari Nature is the magical cycle of life that creates unexpected experiences only masters of creativity could dream up. One such dream is our excursion today - a seaweed safari. Unexpectedly educational and fun, we learned about seaweed farming for NOMA and other Michelin starred restaurants in nearby Copenhagen. Lesa Bain… Continue reading Lindblad National Geographic – Seaweed Safari & Reflections

Myself and my friend Jerry kayaking Rare and truly unexpected was the ship’ spontaneous stop in the middle of the North Sea today. Not in any way caused by trouble or distress, rather by buttery smooth seas and stunning weather, our captain decided to stop the engines, geo stabilize the vessel with its azipods, and… Continue reading Lindblad National Geographic – North Sea paddle & other surprises

Long awaited - finally experienced Part three of this journey from Costa Rica to Barcelona and onward to Edinburgh is the li blade National Geographic Endurance voyage across to Norway and Denmark. Our group of 14 trade folks joined the Lindblad team to test and experience their purpose-built Endurance expedition ship. Edinburgh food walk -… Continue reading Lindblad National Geographic – Endurance tested

Rooftops of Barcelona A lengthy flight from Liberia, Costa Rica via Atlanta courtesy of Delta Airlines, took me to the Catalan Capital of culture, art, and vibrancy - Barcelona. Condensed into 48- hours were several meetings, key sights, a musical experience, and of course, the all-important Catalan gastronomy. Sagrada Familia with newly completed tower According… Continue reading Barcelona in 48 Hours

Sky Adventures Zip line - DLV group As we woke up from a good night’s sleep, our bodies reminded us of yesterday’s adrenaline adventure above and through the thick Costa Rican rainforest canopy. Suspending almost 60 year old bodies on a tiny cable, descending 7 flights of cables, setting records with the longest reaching over… Continue reading Costa Rica – Adrenaline & Punta Cacique discovered

Rarity - Arenal volcano without clouds It’s busy meeting season as tropical locations hit the hot and humid times of year. A red-eye flight from San Francisco to Atlanta and onward to Liberia on Delta Airlines got our illustrious group of 16 travel agency representatives to the rainforest retreat for Delta Vacations at The Springs… Continue reading Costa Rica – Arenal in style

Full moon over the gardens of San Miguel de Allende Over the last few years, high end hotel options expanded in San Miguel de Allende with the openings of the Rosewood and most recently, the Aqua property. Yet, the grande dame of curated accommodations remains the Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada in the center of town.… Continue reading (Roam)ing in San Miguel de Allende – Belmond Casa Sierra Nevada

San Miguel on horseback Elevated to UNESCO world Heritage site in 2008, it’s the only such site that permits horseback riding through its cobblestone streets and plazas. Our afternoon excursion in groups of 12 was comprised of three stages, lasting over 3-hours which allowed us to see all of the beautiful spots in town. Cooking… Continue reading (Roam)ing in San Miguel de Allende – horses, gastronomy, art

A short flight from Houston on United got me to Leon/Guanajuato airport where I was met by two familiar faces. My traveling companion Jerry, who flew here from Tijuana, and our longtime San Diego friend Al who now lives here. Al met us with his brand new electric SUV (forbidden fruit for US consumers) made… Continue reading Roam(ing) in San Miguel de Allende

Cathedral Cove in Hahei Road closures due to the recent storm notwithstanding, I reached this little slice of heaven called Hahei on the Pacific side of the Coromandel peninsula. To control the inevitable masses of tourists, the city imposes a bus system that all visitors must use. It’s an efficient system that feeds the impeccable… Continue reading Coromandel Adventure – Part 2

Kiwi fruit on the vine Māori spirits called me back to Aotearoa for a conference in Auckland last week. Three days of appointments and workshops later, I picked up a Toyota RAV4 from Go rentals (courtesy of our ground operator Southern World) and hit the road for a two-day discovery of the legendary Coromandel peninsula.… Continue reading Coromandel Adventure – Part 1

Aerial view of the resort A restful night in the super-comfy king bed in my tower building junior suite behind me, our discovery of this gem of a resort continued with a hosted VIP breakfast in the Sapphire Presidential Suite located at the quiet far end of the property, next to the yacht harbor waterway.… Continue reading Hidden GEM Discovery – Cozumel continued