On September 7, 2019, 10 ladies flew over the Atlantic Ocean to see what they could see. In Iceland. Joan’s Perspective: Never has a country been more aptly named than Iceland, the land of fire and ice. Both extremes were beautifully evident at every location we traveled. It is a land of extremes and of contradictions. The heated […]
A Travel Essay (aka: To tattoo you, or not to tattoo you, that is the question.)
Years ago my mini-me asked, “When can I get my nose pierced?” This question caused me to launch into one of my favorite travel stories. “When you’re 18. Maybe.” She snarled her face. “Same for a tattoo?” “Oh, baby. You don’t want one of those.” “Yeah, I do.” I patted the sofa. “Sit. Let me tell you a story. […]
Scotland Revisited (Highlights from the Scottish Highlands–2018)
Last month I flew with friends to Scotland. Again. This time eight ladies traveled instead of 10, half of them recruited by me. Like before, after leaving the Inverness airport, we drove to two castles. The first was Urquhart Castle at Loch Ness. The ruins—remains of a wall and stone turrets on a patch of lush […]
Crossing over Fear (Aka: What happens when you have no choice but to do the thing that terrifies you.)
On Dec. 2, 2017, I accomplished something awe-mazing. I drove over the New River Gorge Bridge. That may seem like no big deal to you, but, to me, it’s huge. If you know me well, or if you read my post last week, “A Scaredy-cat’s Guide to Travel,” you know I suffer from gephyrophobia, fear […]
A Scaredy-Cat’s Guide to Travel (New Reasons to Consider Amtrak and MegaBus for Your Summer Vacation)
When I was growing up, most of our summer vacations involved a two-day drive—from Huntington, Best Virginia to Wytheville, Virginia to North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina—a week in the ocean-front Hartford C Motor Inn, then two days to travel back home. Yep. Two days each way. Don’t laugh. My dad was that driver. The summer after […]
