Most people know Seneca Falls as a central location of the women’s rights movement. It is certainly that, but also so much more. But let’s start at the beginning. We started this morning at Connie’s, a timeless diner. Apart from having the right décor and great food, the prices were also retro. In New York City you can barely get … Read More

My first book, Travel Mania: Stories of Wanderlust will be released in a few weeks. I’m already at work on the second book—more travel tales. Today I’ve been revisiting a trip to a very remote town in the Australian outback, Andamooka. When I visited, nearly forty years ago it was about as isolated and desolate a place as I could … Read More

I’ve been focusing a lot on my extended road trip twenty years ago, but my ramblings around the US go much further back. The southwest has particular appeal for me and over the decades I’ve explored the area many times. In 1991, I traveled around Utah visiting national and state parks—Zion, Arches, Canyonlands, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Sand Hollow and … Read More

Each Indonesian Island has a unique culture, partially based on the prevailing religion (Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Protestant, Catholic). On each of my trips to Indonesia I’ve been impressed by people’s friendliness on all of the islands I visited. Kids in particular wanted to connect. As with children around the globe, they were curious and open. They experimented with the few … Read More

Located about an hour south of Birmingham, the Kentuck Art Center is a mecca for outsider artists. There are studios, a gallery and shop. Once a year they host a huge outdoor festival. I’ve attended the festival twice and each time have been enthralled by the creativity of these self-trained artists. Many use found objects in inventive ways to create … Read More

Twenty years ago today, I started with a cruise on Lake Superior to see the Pictured Rocks; a sight I’d been told I shouldn’t miss. I had some misgivings about going out on a gray, cold day, but assumed we’d be in a warm dry cabin. That was true until we arrived at the Pictured Rocks, when everyone opened the … Read More

Travel has confirmed that music and dance bring universal joy. At a concert in Fez, Morocco I watched women dressed head to toe in jellabas, stand on chairs dancing and cheering to the music of the gospel group, Five Blind Boys from Alabama. In Greece I’ve watched village elders begin a slow circle dance. As the music became faster and … Read More

I travel because even when I’m not traveling, I like to think about it. I derive great joy from anticipating my next journey and sharing my experiences from previous trips. I travel because there are places in the world where I can live like royalty on less than it costs for a Motel 6. I travel because I love to … Read More

I travel because it reminds me that no matter how savvy and smart I think I am, there’s always more to learn. There are people across the globe with very great talent and skills. They’ve had different life experiences, so think and do things in ways that have never even occurred to me. I’ve watched women carry enormous baskets on … Read More

I travel because it makes history real for me. Ancient Egypt doesn’t seem so ancient after seeing the pyramids and Valley of the Kings. The Incas and Aztecs aren’t just civilizations that I learned about in school – they’re living, creative, intelligent people who left an enduring legacy. Seeing the ruins at Angkor Wat and Tikal reminds me that life … Read More