Got your passport? Good for you! Although the number is growing–latest estimates say that 42% of Americans have a passport–it still means that 58% have never left the country. Compare to the U.K., where 76% have a passport. In...
To Flush or Not to Flush…Let’s Answer That Question!
“To flush or not to flush…” Sorry Shakespeare, but sometimes this question is more urgent than pondering our existence. Americans don’t think twice about flushing toilet paper. We’re a young country and we have the sewage system to prove...
How to Use a Bidet: Like Riding a Horse!
How to use a bidet? Admit it, at some point you’ve wondered… Popular in many parts of the world, Americans have never embraced the idea of washing themselves “down there” to stay clean. No, we prefer rolls and rolls...
The Camino de Santiago: How I Started
The Camino de Santiago: How I Started: “A pilgrimage across northern Spain to the sanctuary at Santiago de Compostela is the finest journey in Spain.” wrote James Michener in Iberia. This post was written in early 2014, as I began...
5 Things to Know about Europe Grocery Stores
Grocery stores in Europe: If you haven’t had the good fortune to visit one yet, you’re in for a treat. If you already know how great they are, please add more tips in the Comment section. When I go...
Street Performers: The Surprise of Every Trip
I always look forward to street performers when I travel. To turn a corner and find a magician, or to be drawn to happy music nearby. It’s amazing to see what performers do with their talent…or what they’ve created...
Photo Gallery: People of Istanbul
The people of Istanbul seem unaware that they are 15 million, each one a resident of Europe’s biggest city. No, they move through their day as if in a small village: shopping at the local greengrocer, sitting in the...
Window Shopping: Photos from Europe
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Window shopping: To look at articles in the windows of stores without making any purchases. (Verb, originating 1925-1930) One of the unfortunate consequences of American shopping malls is the demise of an authentic...
Travel & Adventure Shows 2017
This weekend I will be at the Chicago Travel & Adventure Show. Two days with over 200 exhibitors, four stages of lectures and demonstrations, and tons of prizes! Not in the Chicago area? Visit the Travel & Adventure Show...
What We Can Learn From Europeans–Part 2
Follow my blog with Bloglovin “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.” Sage advice from St. Augustine, who was born in 354. I don’t know where he visited, to cause him...