Avid Traveler and Master Scuba Diver
Sharing stories, photos and insights about the places I’ve visited. Simply sharing my experience and giving travel tips to help others plan their own dream trip and travel independently.
Otherwise known as the Tower of London, His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London is a historic castle in the middle of London on the banks of the River Thames. Originally built by William the Conqueror in the 11th century, this stronghold has been a fortress, a royal palace, a prison, […]
If you are planning on visiting the United Kingdom, you may need an electronic travel authorization (ETA) or a visa. As of January 8, 2025, citizens of Canada and the United States need an ETA to enter the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family, business trips, or short-term study. This also […]
Nowadays we are not as loyal to the various affinity programs from airlines and hotels as we once were because these have gotten less valuable and the recognition is not what it used to be. That’s a whole other story but, if you are like us, you may find yourself traveling with an airline you […]
The Kalahari Desert had been on our radar for a while. This area in the Northern Cape of South Africa near Botswana is a special place. It is said to be one of the rare places to see some elusive animals like pangolins, aardvarks, aardwolves, bat-eared foxes, and brown hyenas. Why we chose the Motse […]
We love the South African Sabi Sands area. While we’ve been to a few camps in the area already, we were sure that we’d see some of our favorite cats here which was definitely a good reason to return. Why we chose Londolozi The Sabi Sands area is a haven for big cats and abundant […]
We had visited Sicily briefly on a cruise having stopped in Messina and Taormina and we really enjoyed it. When we saw a great flight deal, we jumped at the chance to revisit Sicily and spend more time exploring this beautiful and historic island. It was like a proverbial offer we couldn’t refuse. We put […]
On our recent road trip through Sicily we decided to add a couple of nights on the mainland of Italy before flying back from Rome. While it was tempting to head into Rome itself to see familiar and favorite sites, we opted instead to stay near the airport and visit the ancient site of Ostia […]
More and more, parking is becoming an automated thing around the word. The days of depositing coins into parking meters is long gone, and nowadays you pay via a machine with a credit card or download an app and pay on your phone. If you are planning to rent a car in your next international […]
Another tip is to bring some small bills in local currency with you as you may not find change or foreign exchange as easily as you’d expect. We recently returned from Italy, and had gone with just a handful of euros and some US cash thinking we could easily find a foreign exchange place there. […]
After a brief visit of San José, Costa Rica, we drove up to the Poás Volcano area which is about a 90-minute drive from the old city where we were staying. While many discourage tourists from renting a car in Costa Rica, we had been before and the roads and traffic are generally not too […]