When the American Writers Museum opened in Chicago in 2017, I wondered, “What took so long?” The only museum that is dedicated to American writers–a category that is expansive–it’s puzzling to think that someone didn’t come up with the...
Anthony Bourdain’s “World Travel” Will Make You Miss Him Even More…
How fitting that Anthony Bourdain’s final book is actually titled “World Travel: An Irreverent Guide.” Isn’t that just like him?!? Unabashedly insolent, even from the grave. I guarantee that “World Travel” will make you miss him even more. Just...
Read Your Way Around the World: Books as Passports
Read your way around the world…whenever we can’t go where we want, for whatever the reason, we’re only a book away from getting there in our minds. If you love travel, you know the need for curiosity and the...
“Ten Years a Nomad” Shares the Wisdom of a Weary Traveler
Spoiler alert: Matthew Kepnes, author of Ten Years a Nomad, doesn’t give up traveling. But he does burn out. And he does come to realize the price that being a constant wayfarer is high. Then again, so is the...
Maria Grammatico: The Queen of Sicilian Pastries…and Me
Maria Grammatico tried to teach me the delicate art of making pastries. Beautiful masterpieces, with names like “Sighs and Desires” and “Almond Pillows” and the awkward “Nuns’ Breasts.” But she didn’t learn to make dolci (Italian for “sweets”) because she...
Non-Guidebooks for Travelers
Looking for a book to give your favorite traveler? Or for yourself? Go beyond the predictable Travel Section at your bookstore: “Non-guidebooks” offer insights and information that will inspire the globetrotters on your list. What are Non-guidebooks? They’re books...
“Cruise Confidential”…An American Crew Member Tells All!
Ever wonder what it’s really like to work on a cruise ship? Then Cruise Confidential is for you! Brian David Bruns was the only American in the history of Carnival Cruise Line to survive a full contract. And he...
Talk to Strangers? Absolutely! Everywhere We Go!
“Never talk to strangers.” We all heard that from our mothers. Then we probably cautioned our own children to do the same. For many of us, it morphed into a lifelong habit. Sadly, our fear of Stranger Danger is keeping...
Create Your Future–How YOU Can Make It the Best!
Can you really create your future? I believe so! We can simply wish to travel or we can make a plan that will–literally–deliver us to our destination. In order to create your future, you’ll need to put in some...
Bill Bryson Writes the Best Travel Memoirs
If you haven’t read Bill Bryson, as soon as you finish this, go find one of his many marvelous travel books. His style is remarkable, so easy to read, yet he manages to slip in facts and history without...