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Since leaving home for Europe alone at age seventeen, Karen Gershowitz has traveled to more than ninety countries.

In pursuit of her passion for travel, she lost and gained friends and lovers and made a radical career change. She learned courage and risk taking and succeeded at things she didn’t think she could do: She climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro. She visited remote areas of Indonesia on her own and became a translator, though only fluent in English. She conquered her fear of falling while on an elephant trek in Thailand. And she made friends across the globe, including a Japanese family who taught her to make sushi and a West Berliner who gave her an insider’s look at the city shortly after the wall came down.

An example that will inspire armchair travelers to become explorers and embolden everyone to be more courageous, Travel Mania is a vivid story of how one woman found her strength, power, and passion.

Travel is Karen’s addiction—and she doesn’t want treatment.

 

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I was 17 years old, traveling alone, when I boarded a plane to Europe. Living in a different culture I experienced the world in new and surprising ways and discovered myself. My love of travel was born. I didn’t return to the US for three years.

Since then I’ve traveled to more than 90 countries. I climbed Kilimanjaro, conquered my fear of falling to go on an elephant trek in Thailand, spent time in Berlin shortly after the wall came down, stayed with a Japanese family who taught me to make sushi and made friends across the globe. [read more]

Karen Gershowitz
August 8, 2024

An Outing

Blog, New York, ,

Pookah is a homebody. He loves nothing more than a day when he goes for very quick walks and spends the rest of the time in the apartment. Yesterday was a gorgeous day and I decided we needed to spend time outside. It’s an easy drive t...

August 8, 2024

Thanksgiving Prep

Blog, Colorado, ,

I arrived in Colorado yesterday to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with my cousins. We have been sharing Thanksgiving since I was a small child, and I can count on one hand the number of times we weren’t together. The preparations f...

August 3, 2024

Fabrics

Blog, Global, , , ,

I can neatly sew a button or hem, but beyond that I’m not fond of sewing. That’s probably because of a home ec class in middle school. The wrap-around skirt we sewed and were required to wear to class was less than flattering. Conseq...

August 3, 2024

Manhatta

Blog, NYC, , , ,

The building is now known as 28 Liberty. But the minute I saw it, I knew it was the old Chase Bank headquarters. It was a place I’d visited often; Chase was a client for many years. The building has since been sold. I never noticed or ...

August 3, 2024

Orchids and more

Blog, NYC, , ,

I could easily write many posts about the orchids at this year’s show at the NY Botanical Garden. As I mentioned yesterday, I don’t like the theme of the show. But the individual specimens are glorious. As the orchid show had just op...

July 25, 2024

Bodrum, Türkiye

Blog, Turkey, , , ,

I’ve been told that Bodrum is the playground of wealthy Turks, Greeks, and other Europeans. Judging by the yachts in the area, it must be true. However, I never made it into Bodrum, just viewed it from the water. I took a tour on a “...

July 25, 2024

Istanbul

Blog, Istanbul, , , ,

Today I decided to hang out on the ship (the Oceanic Vista). We didn’t dock in Istanbul until 1 pm. Then, with most people off on excursions, I had the perfect opportunity to enjoy all the ship has to offer. I’ll be spending five day...

July 25, 2024

Balloon Art

Blog, NYC, , , ,

You think you’ve seen it all. That, of course, is never true. Yesterday, at the Park Avenue Armory in NYC, I experienced something totally new to me: balloon art. The Armory is a vast, flexible open space. It is now filled to the rafte...

August 24, 2023

Homestay: China 2007

Blog, China,

An excerpt from my upcoming book “Wanderlust: Extraordinary People, Quirky Places, and Curious Cuisine,” which is out this October. Our tour itinerary included a homestay in a small farming village ninety minutes outside of Xi’an, the ...

Seals on rocks
June 17, 2023

Antarctic Cruise – Day 5

Argentina, Blog

Ushuaia, Argentina Ushuaia refers to itself as “fin del mundo,” the end of the world. It is currently the southernmost city on the globe. It may be in a remote area, but today it was very busy with four cruise ships in port on route to A...

Street Art Buenos Aires
June 16, 2023

Buenos Aires, Day 1

Argentina, Blog, ,

Although the flight from New York to Buenos Aires is long, ten plus hours, there’s only a two hour time difference. I managed to sleep on the plane, not exactly great sleep, but sufficient.  Sue didn’t do as well, barely sleeping at...

April 6, 2023

London – Day One

Blog, London, ,

Getting through Heathrow felt like a forced march. It took a full hour to get from the gate to the Heathrow Express train—and that doesn’t include getting through passport control. We did finally make it and in fifteen minutes were a...

Rathaus Munch
January 9, 2023

Munich

Blog, Germany, , ,

Today in Munich was my worst nightmare weather—rain that froze upon hitting the ground and glazed over everything. Forty years ago, I fell on ice and shattered my elbow, so I’m now paranoid about it. I managed to get through the morn...

Ballet Dancers
January 4, 2023

London — Day One

Blog, England

Getting through Heathrow felt like a forced march. It took a full hour to get from the gate to the Heathrow Express train—and that doesn’t include getting through passport control. We did finally make it and in fifteen minutes were a...

November 2, 2022

Italy Day 13 — Monreale, Sicily and Milan

Blog, Italy

Today was our final day in Italy before returning home to the States. Our mid-afternoon flight to Milan gave us time to do a little exploration, so we were up and out early. Leaving wasn’t as painful as it might have been because the s...

November 2, 2022

Italy Day 10 – Cefalu

Blog, Italy,

Weather.com forecast rain for today. But what they didn’t say was whether it would be a drizzle or a downpour.  I woke up to a slate gray sky and fine mist.  That wouldn’t stop us from our plan to tour Palermo. While sipping my mor...

November 2, 2022

Italy Day 8 – Cefalu, Sicily

Blog, Italy, Uncategorized

We were up and out early this morning, largely because we didn’t trust Ditzy, the GPS. We were scheduled for a food and walking tour of Cefalu.  Giving ourselves a lot of time was a good decision because Ditzy misdirected us several ti...

November 2, 2022

Italy Day 7 – Cefalu, Sicily

Blog, Italy,

Kathy and I were both awake for the sunrise show—the sky morphed from pale blue to deep pink to orange.  After that, we had a lazy morning–breakfast on our terrace, laundry, drawing (Kathy), writing (me) and both of us reading intermi...

November 2, 2022

Italy Day 4 – Milan

Blog, Italy

Kathy and I made reservations to see Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper while we were still at home.  We decided to go explore the neighborhood and have lunch nearby prior to our 1:15 reservation time. The refectory of the church of Santa...

November 2, 2022

Italy day 3 – Milan

Blog, Italy

Milan has dozens of tantalizing museums—nearly all are closed on Monday. Instead, we returned to the Duomo. As impressive as the cathedral is from a distance, the exterior is even more remarkable close-up. The walls are embellished wit...

November 2, 2022

Italy – Day One – Milan

Blog, Italy

I’m in Italy with my friend Kathy for the next two weeks. The first day after a long flight always feels disorienting, especially when you arrive early morning. It was a long ride from the airport into the city, but I can’t tell you ...

July 6, 2022

Southwest USA

Blog, United States, ,

My first trip to the southwest in 1979 began in Albuquerque. I’d never spent time in the southwest before, or in any desert environment. Everything seemed as different from New York as it could be. Buildings were low. Instead of steel ...

Welcome to Valance Sign
May 14, 2022

Valance, France

Blog, France, ,

Last night we took a short scenic cruise to see Avignon’s famous Pont Bénezet (bridge) lit up. It’s famous due to a song about it.  Most tourists assumed (as I did) that it was destroyed during the second world war.  In fact, it w...

May 12, 2022

Travel Travails

Blog, France, , ,

It’s 9:15PM and my friend Sue and I are in Marseilles, France.  We just enjoyed a glass of wine and wonderful Bouillabaisse dinner, in a restaurant with a view of the old port.   But since last evening it has been a crapshoot as to w...

March 25, 2022

Stained Glass

Blog, , , ,

When I think of fine crafts and the arts, stained glass isn’t top of mind. Perhaps that’s because it is usually associated with religious themes and houses of worship.   Still, the best examples are exquisite. Sainte Chapelle cathed...

Street Art Willemstad
February 14, 2022

Curaçao, 2020

Blog, , , ,

In February 2020, just before the start of the pandemic I was in Curaçao enjoying warmth, sun and fabulous street art. I anticipated the perfect weather, had seen photos of the colorful buildings lining the harbor of Willemstad, had eve...

February 7, 2022

Balinese Food Market

Blog, , , ,

I joined a tour of the local market.  Usually, I observe but don’t know what I’m looking at. This time I could find out. “What is that gelatinous, green goop?” I asked. “An herbal drink meant to make you strong. It’s got grea...

Grand Old Lady Mansion
January 15, 2022

Finland 2006

Blog, Finland, , ,

Hanko a small town in SW Finland has grand seaside villas built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it was a glamorous retreat for Russian nobles, czars and artists.  Many of these “old ladies,” as the villas are referre...

Sunset
December 3, 2021

Rocky Mountain Sunsets

Blog, United States, ,

Living in Manhattan I rarely see the blazing sun set into the horizon. That makes nearly all sunsets attractive. Really colorful ones, at the shore, in the desert or on open plains are a special treat. This evening I saw a fabulous Color...