Water view of the Andaz papagayo Resort This tropical hideaway is nestled on a slope overlooking Culebra Bay with its hidden beaches and lush green views. As the canopy covers the buildings, the best view of it is from the water. Fortunately, there is a boat transfer from the main resort to the beach club… Continue reading Guanacaste – A day at the Beach

United terminal C at Houston Intercontinental It’s it the time of year again for our GEM event, recognizing our Direct Travel Star advisors on a discovery trip to the Costa Rican area of Guanacaste. GEM stands for going the extra mile which is what all of us at Direct Travel do for our valued clients… Continue reading Guanacaste – discovered

Troll land portal - Yule lads Many of us grew up mesmerized by the novels of Jules Verne. Many of his imaginative works have been made into movies. One of the most famous stories, “The journey to the center of the earth” actually starts in Iceland where a so called “portal” supposedly exists out on… Continue reading Icelandic Adventure – Portal to the center of the earth

A view from the back of the bus Our Icelandic exploration continued down from the highlands to the fjords of the north. Endless rolling hills with roaming sheep and fabulous waterfalls made for a thoroughly enjoyable day. Godafoss is the “big one” No matter what people say, there are never enough waterfalls and Iceland is… Continue reading Icelandic Adventure – Akureyri and the North

Our expert driver Kristjan navigated our sprinter van across rural roads into the Icelandic highlands. Windswept valleys, stunning vistas, and evidence of winter grasping a bit more every day made for a fantastic day full of discoveries. Ancient turf house animal shelter Rjukandafoss waterfall From learning the art of living and maintaining ancient turf houses… Continue reading Icelandic Adventure – Winter arrived

Happy birthday Nancy Our exploration of eastern Iceland continued with a wintery drive across vast forested areas, lakes and scenic waterfalls. It was a casual day as we stayed overnight in the same place. Famous Five at the top of Hengifoss Our waterfall stop at Hengifoss tested the resolve of our group with a steep… Continue reading Icelandic Adventure – Eastern Fjords, rain & snow, hot springs

Early morning departure from Gerdi In terms of aurora borealis, our 2nd night did not produce success either. On the positive side, this meant everyone got a good night sleep. Fully rested and fed with breakfast, we returned to Jokursklalon lagoon for an amphibious vehicle ride past stunning ice bergs, harbor seals, and vistas of… Continue reading Icelandic Adventure – Glacier walk and more

Seljalandfoss - the one you walk behind Our overnight stay at an eco lodge was relaxing and cozy. A dinner buffet with farm grown lamb dishes, veggies and great desserts filled our tummies for a restful night sleep. While everyone rested, I was on aurora borealis watch. The sky did clear after midnight and conditions… Continue reading Icelandic Adventure – Black sand beach, Glaciers and more

Our group at the full country model of Iceland A good night’ sleep later, we hit the road, picked up Kent, and went exploring. Our first stop was at the fissures area of Thingvellier National Park where the tectonic plates of North America and Eurasia separate by an inch annually. This separation created a deflated… Continue reading Icelandic Adventure – Parliamentary plane and waterfall

Gail, Diane,Greg and I on the airport shuttle Months of planning and anticipation ended this morning as we stepped off our flights at Keflavik Airport. All but one of our illustrious group made it to the Icelandic capital as planned. Once Iceland Air rebooked Kent, he will follow us and arrive a day later just… Continue reading Icelandic Adventure – Arrival in Reykjavik

Alaska Railroad in Seward Early June is an ideal timeframe to visit the 49th State as the weather generally improves and the mosquitoes have not yet hatched. I decided to embark on a week’s getaway aboard the Regent Seven Seas Explorer on a Southbound cruise from Seward to Vancouver. Alaska Railroad Depot in Anchorage Out… Continue reading Alaska Revisited – Railroads and more

Direct Travel Group at the paws of the Sphinx In all the decades I have been fortunate to visit ancient Egypt, I never till today was able to get to the paws of the Sphinx. This truly exclusive access was arranged especially for this illustrious group of Direct Travel guests to culminate a truly spectacular… Continue reading A GEM of a day – Sphinx exclusive

Today’s blog has its origins back in the early 2000’s when it was determined that the current solution for displaying artifacts was no longer sufficient. a global idea and design contest selected a winning design and the work began. Headwinds this project faced were numerous, from uprisings during the Arab spring to a global pandemic… Continue reading A GEM of a day!

SpaceX launch on 4/8/24 passing overhead As it so happened, after dark set in on Saturday night, SpaceX launched a rocket into space from California’s Vandenberg Airforce base and its path passed right above our charter ship off the coast in Baja. it was a spectacular bonus for us all! Setup the morning of the… Continue reading Countdown to Eclipse – the day has arrived

Convoy of coaches from Ixtapa to Acapulco Two sun- filled days at the Ixtapa Sunscape Dorado Pacifico completed, our group of 186 made its way in a convoy of motor coaches along the 240kilometer route. We passed hundreds of speed bumps (at least two per village), mango tree farms, coconut plantations, and we witnessed the… Continue reading Countdown to Eclipse – Acapulco and cruise