3 days along Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way brings bogs, bens, bays, beauty and maybe even a pirate queen.
Western Europe
10 Unique Things to Do in Laytown That Aren’t Horseracing
Rather than an expensive stay in Dublin, spend a glorious and fun filled adventure in Laytown, County Meath, Ireland, just a short drive or train trip from Dublin.
Walking Scotland–An Outlander Experience
Hiking, Haggis and Humor in the Highlands I met a real Jamie Fraser on my hike through Scotland on the Great Glen Way. Actually, his name was Steve, and he was our guide on the 79-mile hiking adventure along the Caledonian Canal in the Highlands of Scotland. But he...
24 Hours in Liverpool–More than just the Beatles
Walking Liverpool The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Liverpool is often The Beatles. For good reason. But Liverpool is loaded with fun and unusual things to do, and it's my favorite city in the United Kingdom to walk. It even beats out Edinburgh and...
Dear European Hostel Owner
An open letter to European Hostel Owners-- Dear European Hostel Owner; My 14-year old daughter and I (aged 50) just completed a 30-day romp through your wonderful countries. We started in Lisbon and left out of Dublin, staying in Lisbon, Faro, Sevilla, Granada,...
Step by Step Guide for Getting Around Southern Spain Without a Car
Step by Step Guide for Getting Around Southern Spain (Faro, Sevilla, Granada, Barcelona) One of the best things about traveling is its puzzle. Working out the logistics of getting from one place to another via the public transit options and within a budget can daunt...
Walking in Lisbon
Walking Lisbon I've been trying to get to Lisbon since 1986. After 30+ years of waiting, I finally made it this week. What a treat, and I'm glad I waited so long. Portugal Is Everywhere Portugal has a long history of conquering and being conquered. It's very proud of...
5 Unusual Places Photo Eiffel Tower
How to Photo Eiffel Tower You've seen a million pics of the Eiffel Tower, and now those pics got you to buy a ticket and you're headed to France. And you want to get "your" photo of the Eiffel Tower. Well, instead of taking the obligatory pic from the park across the...
3 Hours in Amsterdam Airport
Passing 3 Hours in Amsterdam Airport After a flight from Minneapolis to Amsterdam, we had 3 hours in Amsterdam airport to catch our flight to Stockholm. Amsterdam airport, the heartbeat of European travel, quickly dispenses its passages to countries beyond. It's an...
5 Unusual Things to Do in Iceland
Top Five Unusual Things to Do in Iceland (note: this post was updated in 2019) The Guidebooks are great (especially DK's Top 10 Iceland), but I've got 5 unusual things to do in Iceland that the guidebooks won't cover. We recently returned from a mid-winter's trip and...
What to Do with a 4-Hour Layover in Rome
4-Hour Layover in Rome (Note: This post was updated in 2019.) First, let's just say that the Rome (FCO) airport is simply stupid. The terminals are not connected nor are their systems either. We had to walk outside from terminal to terminal to determine which terminal...
Sleeping on a 747 in Stockholm But Not Flying
Stay the Night in a 747 Despite the fact we will be traveling over 26000 miles by air on our RTW trip and sleeping a good portion of it on planes, we couldn't resist a night's stay in Jumbo Jet at the Stockholm airport. Located just off the Arlanda tarmac is a...