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TravelSmart Woman
  • Meet Me
  • Media Kit
  • U.S. Destinations
    • California
    • Chicago
    • Florida
    • New Mexico
    • Road Trips
    • Seattle
    • Seasonal
  • Worldwide Destinations
    • Camino de Santiago
    • Canada
    • Costa Rica
    • Cuba
    • England
    • France
    • Greece
    • Italy
    • Other

Travel Planning

Travel planning is a big part of your adventure! It starts with an idea, then you get to expand and define it until you create the perfect itinerary.

For solo travelers, travel planning is when you can do whatever you want. No matter what your interests–food, history, art, exploration–you can design your days exactly as YOU wish.

Travel PlanningU.S. Destinations

State Parks: Something for Everyone!

June 14, 2021 U.S. Destinations Comments are off
Starved Rock State Park, Oglesby, Illinois

State parks, you say? Something for everyone? Really? Not national parks? Sure, America has a dazzling variety of national park sites–423 of them-and that will be a great blog post for another day. But for now, let’s consider those...

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Thoughts on TravelTravel PlanningU.S. DestinationsWorldwide Destinations

Craving Europe? Try These US Destinations!

May 13, 2021 Covid-19, museum, Travel Planning, Virtual Travel Comments are off
The Acropolis in Athens awaits!

Are you craving Europe and all its magic? Me, too. But sometimes we can’t get there, whether a pandemic has us confined to our own borders, or the timing simply isn’t right. (Then there’s that dang budget.) Try these...

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Thoughts on TravelTravel Planning

What to Do While We Wait to Travel: 21 Awesome Ideas

March 8, 2021 Food, Thoughts & Opinions, Travel Planning, Travel tips Comments are off
Seul Choix Pointe Lighthouse, Gulliver, MI

It’s been a year since Covid-19 went from a scary-but-remote sickness to a full-blown shutdown around the world. Even then, I was deliberately stubborn/naive about the possible effect on travel. Now, we still wonder what to do while we...

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HealthHotelsSolo Travel

My First Post-Pandemic Getaway: Starved Rock State Park, Oglesby, IL

July 5, 2020 Covid-19, Health, hotel, solo travel Comments are off
Dining room hostess with a mask

I couldn’t wait for my first post-pandemic getaway. Like most homebound travelers, I’d done my part to flatten the Covid Curve just by staying put. I even made the best of it, embracing my inner Janus, the Roman god...

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FoodTravel Planning

5 Teas to Bring on Your Next Trip

November 10, 2019 Food, Tea, Travel Planning Comments are off
5 teas to bring on your next trip: one for each mood or situation!

Updated August 10, 2020. “A cup of tea would restore my normality,” wrote Douglas Adams in A HItchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. You don’t have to be British to enjoy a “cuppa,” although Turkey actually tops the list of...

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HealthSafety and Scams

How to Travel with Chronic Illness, Part 2: Preparation & Packing

September 15, 2019 Health, safety, Travel Planning Comments are off
How to travel with chronic illness: Know yourself and what you can do.

“How to travel with chronic illness” sounds like there are two of you on the journey…and in a way, that’s true. Going anywhere with a medical condition means you’re bringing something along. Guess what? Everyone brings something. Budget constraints,...

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Solo TravelTravel Insurance

Travel Insurance for Solos: Silent Companion for Your Journey

July 28, 2019 Health, solo travel, Travel Insurance Comments are off
Why travel insurance for solos? Because you may need support along the way!

It’s no secret that I believe travel insurance is essential. It protects your investment before you ever leave home. It also covers those unanticipated medical mishaps (or worse) during your trip. And for the solo traveler? It’s not even...

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Apps & GadgetsHow-ToTravel Tips

Photo Tips for Your Device: Make Travel Shots Easy!

April 7, 2019 Photography, Travel tips Comments are off
Photo tips for your device: Make your travel photography awesome!

These easy photo tips for your device will improve every picture you take. Your travel photography skills are about to skyrocket. I promise! If you’re like many travelers, you don’t want to lug around a camera anymore…or at least,...

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HotelsU.S. Destinations

San Juan, Puerto Rico: Stay at the Birthplace of the Piña Colada

March 27, 2019 Hotels, U.S. Destinations Comments are off
San Juan Puerto Rico-Caribe Hilton Hotel

Caribe Hilton: Historical…and Home of the Piña Colada UPDATE: 3/26/19 Following the disaster of Hurricane Maria, one of my favorite hotels has been closed for 18 months. Great news! Starting May 15, 2019, Caribe Hilton is open again! It...

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Airlines & AirportsTravel Planning

How to Be Airport-Savvy in 2021

March 17, 2019 Airlines, solo travel, Travel tips Comments are off
How to be airport-savvy...a little planning will make your journey easier!

Updated May 13, 2021: The content of this blog post still applies to learning how to be airport-savvy. What’s changed? COVID…and the restrictions that are going to remain in place for awhile. Just as airport security changed after 9/11–remember...

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Worth 1,000 Words…

A labyrinth can reset our mind and intention. Can we do the same with how we travel? (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
Flower Vendor at sSeattle Pike Place Market
Seattle’s Pike Place Market is one of the nation’s treasures. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
The World's Largest Rocking Chair in Casey, Illinois.
Going to Seattle? Of course you'll want to visit the Space Needle. Fresh from a renovation, here's what to know!
"Becoming Human" by Christian Ristow welcomes you to Meow Wolf.The flower-sniffing robot is 30 feet tell. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
A "young man" of 70+ years leads the band in Santa Clara. (Photo by Suzanne Ball)
Sandia Peak Tram was a challenge to build.
After your selfie at The Bean, visit one of the Chicago food halls!
The passage to the stadium was once covered entirely by a stone arch roof. Today, only one section remains. It's easy to imagine how athletes felt as they ran down the narrow entry into the stadium
The wooden roof is what burned on 15 April 2019, taking the spire with it. When it was built, Notre Dame Cathedral required 52 acres of forest to complete the roof.
Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, NM: The Mysterious and Miraculous Staircase
Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times..
Solo travel doesn't really have many downsides
Unclaimed Baggage Center is easy to find in Scottsboro, AL.
Milwaukee Art Museum: Architect Santiago Calatrava designed MOM to resemble a ship. Given its location on the Lake Michigan waterfront, his idea was brilliant. (Photo credit: Suzanne Ball. All rights reserved.)
Peace solo travel by eating at a nice restaurant
Rome-Colosseum
U.S. Destinations-Seattle-Pike Place
Window shopping in Florence: Silk ties
The Acropolis in Athens awaits!
Craving Europe? There are some surprising European destinations in the US!

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