Finding The Best Tacos In Kansas City, Kansas

The Kansas City area — both the Missouri and Kansas sides — may be known for barbecue, but given the growing Hispanic population on the Kansas side, you’ll find authentic tacos including asada, carnitas, cactus, and tripe, many prepared right in front of you. The restaurants are often located inside markets that sell freshly made tortillas…

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The Top 12 Things to Do in La Paz, Mexico

Settled between the Sea of Cortez and the Sierra Laguna mountains on the Baja California peninsula, La Paz, Mexico offers a myriad of recreational activities on land and sea. You can enjoy a day at sea on a guided cruise for fishing or whale watching, then catch the sunset on the malecĂłn (waterfront walkway) before…

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No More Misshaped Hats While Traveling When You Wear a Crushable Hat

Have you ever found the perfect hat for a beach or holiday getaway, then realized you’d have to wear the hat during your travels (and who wants to wear or carry a large floppy hat on an airplane?) because the alternative—stuffing it into your luggage—would ruin the hat’s shape? That’s where crushable hats come to…

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7 Pacific Coast Stops To Make While Riding The Coast Starlight

While riding Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train from Los Angeles to Seattle is spectacular — following the coast for nearly 350 miles, traveling through mountains and rolling hills, including Mount Shasta, Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Rainier — it can be an even greater adventure if you plan to stop at some of the…

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A Weekend In A City Unexpected — Woodstock, Georgia Itinerary

For my next adventure, I’ll head to DeKalb, Georgia to participate in the Travel Media Showcase and stay at the Atlanta Marriott Northeast/Emory Area. I’ll meet one-on-one with tourism departments from the U.S. and Canada to plan my next year of travel, plus take a foodie tour of DeKalb County. Then I’ll visit Woodstock, Georgia,…

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The Best Food In La Paz: 8 Things To Try

If the thought of fresh seafood plus authentic Mexican flavors causes your mouth to water and inspires the desire to travel, you’ll want to add La Paz, Mexico, the capital of Baja California Sur, to your foodie bucket list.  Read Jill’s story at Travel Awaits.

How To Spend 3 Days In La Paz

Sometimes you want to step away from the all-inclusive resort scene and engage in an authentic seaside adventure. La Paz, Mexico, the capital of Mexico’s Baja California Sur, is located just two hours north of Cabo. While it’s not a touristy destination, it is tourist friendly, and you’ll discover a getaway where you can immerse…

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Damiana Liqueur: Herbal Aphrodisiac or Urban Legend?

Before departing on a recent trip to La Paz, Mexico, I heard about a mythical spirit called damiana liqueur.Always interested in herbal remedies and tinctures, I was eager to taste and learn more about this liqueur made from the damiana plant that grows well in Baja California Sur’s desert climate. It’s said that the damiana…

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La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico – Itinerary

Tucked away on the eastern side of the Baja California Sur, an approximately two-hour drive north of Cabo San Lucas, travelers will find La Paz. This charming destination is ideally situated along the peaceful waters of the Sea of Cortez. Named “the world’s aquarium” by renowned French marine biologist Jacques Cousteau, it is considered one…

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Discover Virginia by Train on the Northeast Regional

From Prince William County to Hampton, explore a variety of history and food in these five Virginia cities. Amtrak’s Northeast Regional train runs daily from Boston to Washington D.C., and south of D.C. through Virginia. With multiple departures daily, it’s an ideal mode of transportation to visit several Virginia cities along the route. Begin your…

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Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, 4-Day Itinerary–Enjoy a Nature, Spa and Relaxation, and Fine Dining Getaway

 Experience warm, sunny days and cool evenings in one of the Midwest’s loveliest lake towns. On this four-day itinerary for Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin, you’ll enjoy luxury dining, relaxation, and nature outings. Luxury Dining: Dine around and be delighted with the culinary selections. Fine and delicious dining includes imaginative seasonal ingredients and eclectic menus – this…

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Weekend Getaway to Hermann, Missouri

All aboard the Missouri River Runner train to Hermann, Missouri where you’ll discover wineries, German food, shopping, and a unique glamping experience in a tree house. “I need to get away for a few days,” my youngest daughter, Tara, announced. Her statement came at the perfect time as I had just been offered a chance…

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The Places I’ve Been

Four years of travel selfies. Click the links to learn more and plan your vacation to these delightful destinations. 2018 Blue Bonnets & Wildflowers – Fredericksburg, Texas Outdoor Adventures – Chattanooga, Tennessee Chicago by Train – Chicago, Illinois Sporting and Adventure – Kansas City, Kansas Islands & Lighthouses – Door County, Wisconsin Playtime – Indian…

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5 Waterfalls in 5 Hours

With over 100 waterfalls, the Upper Cumberland Area is known to be among the highest concentrations of waterfalls in the United States. Located on the low side of the 20,000+ square-mile Cumberland Plateau, much of the rain that falls on the plateau drains west – – into the Upper Cumberland. As the water pours over…

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Get Your History on Tap

Many a successful business originated from a passion project. So what happens when you have two passions—that don’t necessarily seem like they go together—like drinking and history? In the case of Liz Garibay, you create History on Tap. Garibay blended her love for the camaraderie of drinking in intimate bar settings with her background in…

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The Speakeasy Makes a Comeback | Swordfish Tom’s

The term “speakeasy” is thrown about quite a bit these days. Odd, in a sense, because the meaning of the word represents Prohibition, when speakeasies were secret drinking places, hidden away, offering an illegal chance to partake. So how has the term suddenly become so popular again? The term “speakeasy” is thrown about quite a…

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6 Places to Get Pickled in Ann Arbor, Michigan

This Food-Conscious City Embraces a Variety of Methods for Fermentation. Between the yogurt commercials promoting a flat belly to the numerous health claims made by physicians and holistic practitioners, you have no doubt heard about probiotics—or the “good” bacteria—found in fermented foods. Some research says that these good bacteria, particularly those in our gut, may…

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Ride the Cardinal Train to Discover West Virginia by Rail

West Virginia offers up a bounty of such intimacy. There’s the sweet beauty of the Appalachian Mountains, a quiet resilience to its people, and a chance to visit the past while watching its residents move surely to the future.

A Lesson in the History of Antique Barware

I learn so much on my travels. In Alexandria, Virginia, I was fortunate to get a lesson in antique barware and how you can tell what period a piece is from based on what was going on in the world at the time. Here, Victoria Vergason, owner of The Hour, shares some insights. Read the…

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A Saturday Morning in Kansas City

Spring is the perfect opportunity to get out and explore Kansas City. Thanks to the KC Streetcar, you can spend a Saturday morning with a trolley ride from Union Station to the City Market, enjoy brunch at The Farmhouse, a farm-to-table restaurant, walk and shop the City Market, then return to Union Station for a…

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Want Less Fear, More Joy? Take the Next Step

I stepped off the train into a blizzard. As I stood there trying to figure out where to go, I heard the conductor’s cry of All Aboard!, and knew I would soon be left to fend for myself. Yet fear never entered my consciousness. Instead, fully immersed in the moment and its requirements, I took the next step.

A Lesson in Breeding Mason Bees

It was a vibrant spring morning as Eliza, the owner of Best Kept Secret B&B in Glenwood Springs, CO, brought out containers filled with bamboo canes. Burrowed inside these canes were Mason bees, ready to be released from their cocoons.  Kept in the refrigerator all winter to protect them from predators, and so the bees wouldn’t accidentally get…

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Why Would I Go To New Orleans Alone?

A light rain started as I climbed through the window to the balcony of my room at the Hotel Maison de Ville in New Orleans. I felt like a teenager sneaking out after dark for a secret tryst. The air was thick with humidity and the rain broke some of the day’s heat, if only briefly. There was an overhang on the balcony, so I sat outside, feet propped on a table, drinking a cafĂ© au lait and watching the revelers just one block over on Bourbon Street.

Train Travel: It’s All About The Journey

Life on the train is sleepy; it’s a casual pace that allows for reflection and connection to others. This leisurely pace provides a luxury I rarely enjoy–my biggest choice being whether I lay curled in my seat, gazing out the window, or go to the observation car and meet other travelers. I enjoy both options, but…

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Solo Travel: The First Step is the Hardest

“I think I’m going to throw up.” It was 10 o’clock at night and we had just arrived at the train station. The nerves and excitement that got me through the days of planning and packing for this first journey of the USA by rail had turned to dread. My friend pulled into the circle…

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9 Spectacular Places to Eat in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe is renowned as a food-lovers heaven, with New Mexican cuisine leading as Archangel. The food is spicy, vibrant, flavorful and oh-so-delicious. The quality, whether New Mexican or standard American fare, is outstanding. Could it be the altitude? On my first visit in January, I commented to a friend that the salads tasted alive…

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How to Throw Out Your Phone on a Summer Road Trip

When you go on your summer vacation, can you also take a vacation from your smartphone? Can you give Facebook and Instagram a rest and enjoy conversing with the people around you rather than constantly scrolling, posting, and checking for comments from your legion of followers? Critics of chronic users of smartphones and social media…

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