Palace of the popes from the deck of AMA Kristina Our cruise returned to the Papal City of Avignon where, for a century during the Middle Ages, popes lived away from the Vatican as the Hundred Years’ War between France and England raged. Avignon is home to 50k citizens whom all welcomed us with open… Continue reading Colors of Provence – Papal city of Avignon

Van Gogh’s famous cafe in Arles Today’s adventures started with a complimentary #AMAWaterways walking tour of Arles. Two types were on offer - a general orientation version and one called ”Van Gogh’s footsteps,” which is the one I signed up for. Our guide Nadia took us through narrow alleys and cozy courtyards in search of… Continue reading Colors of Provence – Van Gogh’s path in Arles

Packed flight from Chicago to Paris Post pandemic #TravelisBack has exploded of late and the world is gradually opening up to US and Canadian guests. This is the context for our latest adventure #DirectSailsAma trip aboard our outstanding river cruise partner AMA Waterways on the Rhone river. “Our” is defined here by 4 travel advisors… Continue reading Colors of Provence – Entering France

Happy San Francisco Pride As we celebrate the first post-pandemic pride month, it still feels very strange to see crowds gather for the annual festivities with masks and under social distancing. These precautions for public health it strikes me, are diametrically opposite to what Pride is all about. I personally cannot wait for the day… Continue reading Happy Pride

Private villas at One&Only Portonovi As I packed my bags for a short hop north to Germany this morning, I couldn’t resist the temptation for the uber-delicious croissants at One&Only one more time. They are my personal highlight of this 3-night stay. In essence, luxury is a personal matter where each individual has his or… Continue reading Europe opens up – One&Only with final reflections

Remember the cheapest car in America? A relic from the past showed its presence more than once during my days in the two former Yugoslav Republics. From this rather banged up but still operable Yugo (the olive oil family’s grand father still drives it) to other timeless iterations of Fiat 128 based derivatives assembled in… Continue reading Europe opens up – The car edition

Speedboat ride on Boka Bay One night of luxurious sleeping at One&Only’s newest resort behind me, our day began with a speedboat ride across the Boca Bay to man made island of “Our Lady of the Rock.” We were whisked aboard a Montenegrin-built Riva boat at the hotel marina like stars. The fresh breeze and… Continue reading Europe opens up – Boka Bay and Kotor

Boka Bay panorama Today represented the opportunity to add a new country to my collection as our grou departed Croatia and entered Montenegro for our final leg of the trip. Border checkpoint (psst I was not supposed to take this pic) This tiny republic broke away from greater Serbia peacefully in 2006 and is now… Continue reading Europe opens up – Montenegro is stunning

Old town Dubrovnik from the gondola Our second day in Dubrovnik started with a leisurely morning that permitted catching up with work. After a lovely outdoor breakfast, I joined two other participants on a “site inspection” of the fabulous Villa Dubrovnik Hotel - part of The Leading Hotels of the World. Carved into the rocky… Continue reading Europe opens up – Croatian countryside

Hotel Bellevue Dubrovnik After a restful first night at the luxurious Bellevue Dubrovnik, I got going with a 5000 step early morning walk. After all, I had steps to make up from the travel day sitting on planes. A comfy 84 degrees of Mediterranean weather made this ever more enjoyable as did the spectacular scenery… Continue reading Europe opens up – Old town Dubrovnik

United 194 from SFO The wait is over, Europe is opening up for Americans and I am not delaying any longer. In fact, I just arrived in beautiful Dubrovnik, Croatia for a few nights of discovery and education. This medieval town perched along the steep Adriatic coast is a UNESCO World heritage site that draws… Continue reading Europe opens up – Journey to Croatia

From the pool this hotel looks like a cruise ship My four nights at this brand new property wrapped up with a leisurely morning in the pool and a pleasant lunch at Bluewater Grill on the rooftop section or deck 17 if you think ship. While the overall food and beverage offerings I experienced were… Continue reading Conferences return – Reflections on Dreams Vista Cancun

Day of action at Xplor park by Xcaret Two days of conference agenda and business meetings completed, Saturday morning awaited with active choices. From a large selection, I picked the action packed Xplora park option which provided an immersive experience of the geologically unique features of the Yucatán peninsula. Troglodytes are the mascot of this… Continue reading Conferences return – Exploration day

Caribbean from 36’000 feet With everything we have lived through of late, the fact that it has been 15 months since my last travel industry conference seems trivial. Yet, meeting colleagues and trade partners in person is hugely beneficial and meaningful. Thus my excitement is high to personally attend and report from the Apple Leisure… Continue reading Conferences return – Cancun calling

Let me start by answering the question I had asked myself last Saturday on arrival. Will Punta Cana live up to the standards set by my 30 year memories? Unequivocally YES! Airport lounge with United plane arriving My week here was just as magical as tge one 30 years ago from secveral perspectives. The Dominican… Continue reading Got vaccine – Will Travel – Punta Cana final reflections