Cahokia Mounds, in southeastern Illinois, was once a thriving American city…before there was an America. During its peak–about 1100 A.D., the population was larger than London’s at the same time. Until 1800, no other urban area in the United...
Solo Road Trip to Manistique, MI: A Beautiful Bargain
I confess: I was itching to get out again after nearly five months of sheltering-in-place. A solo road trip seemed like a good idea for several reasons: First, solo travel is my jam. Second, one’s own car is the...
Cheap Eats in Seattle: A TravelSmart Woman Food Tour
Finding cheap eats in Seattle is easier than you might think. And surprisingly delicious. You just have to know where to look–and even that’s not hard. Seattle has always been pricey; it’s been at the top of “too-expensive-to-visit” list...
“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...
FREE Museum Day: Saturday, September 21, 2019…Yippee!
(Updated 8/15/19) Heads up! The 15th Annual Free Museum Day is coming! It’s a fabulous gift to everyone from Smithsonian Magazine! It’s an annual one-day event (This year, Saturday, September 21, 2019) that encourages us to visit a museum...
Staycations: How to Make Yours Fun & Memorable
Updated July 12, 2020. Staycations! Fun, right?!? Please don’t groan and roll your eyes. Suddenly, staycations have been more or less mandated. And if the public health experts are correct, we may be doing “local travel only” for the...
Chicago Cultural Center: Visit the”Palace of the People”…FREE!
It’s scary to think that the Chicago Cultural Center was almost demolished so that a dull mid-century office tower could have a spot on Michigan Avenue. The mayor’s wife saved the Chicago Cultural Center What–or rather, who–saved it? The...
14 Fun Reasons to Walk the Camino de Santiago…Yes, You Can!
What’s that, you say? You need some reasons to walk the Camino de Santiago? True, 500 miles does seem like a long way on foot…and it does take at least a month. A long month, with 31 days. My...
Where to Go in 2019: Practical–and Dream–Destinations
“Where to go in 2019” articles started cropping up about the time we were setting the table for Thanksgiving. They’re always a mad array of destinations; every travel magazine, guide book, and newspaper puts out a list. The lists...
Free Guided Tours: A Boon to Budget Travel
Free guided tours? FREE? You bet! It seems too good to be true, but not only do they exist, you have a choice of companies and programs that offer unusual ways to see cities around the world. For travelers...