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Trip Ideas

Windsor Castle: A Must-Visit Royal Palace Near London, England

A Royal Castle with a thousand years of royal history, Windsor Castle is still an active palace and royal residence. It is both grandiose and beautiful. From the sheer height and size of the stone walls, the monumental central tower, to just seeing the palace guards in their furry hats and red outfits, visiting the […]

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Trip Ideas

Cardiff and Caerphilly: Two Must-See Castles in South Wales

Wales’ rugged coastline and hilly landscape is dotted with many medieval castles and fortresses. Quite a few are open to visitors making this a great destination for those interested in seeing castles. During our Southern England road trip, we made a point of taking a slight detour through South Wales to visit two impressive castles: […]

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Trip Ideas

Arundel Castle and Gardens, a South England Gem

An active castle with a thousand years of history and home to the Duke of Norfolk since the 1500s, the palace is open to the public during the summer months. The Arundel Castle is wonderful place to visit. The State Apartments are superb, the Keep is a throwback in time and the gardens are an […]

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Trip Ideas

Hampton Court Palace: A Must-See Tutor Castle Near London, England

Hampton Court Palace was built in the 1500s for the chief minister of King Henry VIII, Cardinal Thomas Wolsey. However, its fame comes from the fact that by the 1530s it was home to one of England’s most memorable kings, Henry the VIII. After all, how many kings had six wives and beheaded two? In […]

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Trip Ideas

Historic Mansions and Lighthouses in Long Island, New York

My husband frequents the New York City area for business, and from time to time I like to fly up on points to join him for an extended weekend. Previously on these trips, we’ve had a lot of fun in New York City itself, and we’ve even broadened our horizons to Rhode Island, Hartford and […]

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Dive Vacations Trip Ideas

A Pre- and Post- Scuba Vacation Stay in Bali, Indonesia

We were on our way to scuba dive in Wakatobi, a small island in Indonesia, and added a pre- and post- stay in Bali to acclimate and give us some buffer between our international and domestic flights. From Miami we flew Qatar airways through Doha, where we also had time to do a little sightseeing […]

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Dive Vacations Scuba Diving

Scuba Diving Vacation at the Wakatobi Dive Resort

With all we had read about the Wakatobi Dive Resort, we had high expectations. And we weren’t disappointed! We have to admit that all the good things we had heard turned out to be true. Run like a Swiss clock, every detail was taken care of making the experience of staying at Wakatobi simply a […]

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Trip Ideas

Costa Rica’s Monteverde and Arenal Volcano Areas

Costa Rica had been on our wish list seemingly forever. I even found a guidebook we had purchased in 2008 in the hopes of visiting this wonderful and magical place. We’re not quite sure why it took so long, there are multiple daily short 3-hour direct flights from Miami to both San Jose and Liberia […]

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Trip Ideas

Things to Do and Places to See in New York City

New York City is a cosmopolitan buzzing city with a panoply of entertainment options including varied Broadway shows, musicals, bars and cafes, museums, shopping venues and so much more. One could visit NYC regularly and never get bored. There are also countless restaurants catering to all tastes and budgets. In Manhattan, modern glass towers soar […]

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Trip Ideas

Thomas Edison National Historical Park in New Jersey

We were recently in New Jersey for a scuba diving conference and decided to visit the Thomas Edison National Historic Park. Maintained by the National Parks, the Laboratory Complex opened in October of 2009. The brick buildings in West Orange, NJ, are just remarkable. It honestly looks like all the workers and inventors left for […]