I’m 39. (Give me a second, I’m still adjusting to the sound of that.) And in 350 days I’ll turn 40, not that I’m counting. Right before my birthday we got slammed by a savage Nor’easter, receiving 18 inches of snow in several hours. Then another storm hit on the morning of my birthday, leaving me with no choice but to declare Feb. 12, 2017 a snow day. “Since we can’t leave, what do you want to do for your birthday?” Beth asked. “Boat drinks!” I declared. Opening the pantry, though, I discovered our provisions were light. I surveyed the labels and hit upon an idea: Let’s recreate a few of ..read more

Feliz Navidad (Mexico), Frohe Weihnachten (Germany), Joyeux Noël (France), Buon Natale (Italy), Mutlu Noeller (Turkey)…Wherever you are in the world this holiday season, we’d like to wish you a Merry Christmas. For our 2016 holiday gift guide, we are showcasing our favorite travel gifts (i.e., the one’s that we’ll be giving as gifts this year). We’re huge fans of handmade gifts, and it just so happens that travelers are making some of the coolest travel-inspired goods out there. This may not be the biggest holiday gift guide out there (in fact, it could be the smallest), but every item is sure ..read more

Woody Harrelson holding a drink and an uncut lemon in one hand, his foot in the other, posing in front of a medieval building turned restaurant. That’s my first impression of the Galway Film Fleadh. I’ll likely never know why Woody was striking such a pose in the picture. But he looked like he was enjoying the festival, so I was sure we would too; after all he’s Woody freaking Harrelson. Galway’s six-day international film festival is billed as the “film lover’s festival.” Born out of a beer tent nearly 30 years ago, the Galway Film Fleadh does what other major film festivals can’t do, which i ..read more

Last season’s holidays were a blur, with plenty of 15-hour days spent sewing and shipping travel scarves to areas near and far. So in January we took our third Carnival cruise. The cruise provided a nice refresher and reprieve from the New England winter. Our itinerary on the Carnival Glory was mix of new and familiar locales; but we ultimately chose it because it visited Roatan, Honduras, which had been on our radar for many years. I’m happy to say Roatan was worth the wait. While we did hit some unexpectedly bad weather on our cruise, we had a blast visiting the different coun ..read more

Poof! Mind Blown. It’s a bold statement. I’m well aware of that. But, then again, Roatan—the largest of the Bay Islands of Honduras—is a pretty bold place, color wise anyways. And color is everywhere on West Bay Beach, the island’s most popular beach. Boats, blankets, restaurants, people, everything pops. Blue-greens, yellows, orange-reds are a gentle reminder you’re still in the Caribbean. Our plan wasn’t to have a beach day in Honduras on our recent Carnival cruise. We had signed up for a beginner’s scuba diving excursion, but it got canceled at the very last second due to poor weather condi ..read more

I didn’t expect it to happen here. San Francisco? Definitely. Paris? Sure. Amsterdam? Certainly. But Rotterdam? That’s where I was wrong. Rotterdam is a world-class jazz city; I just didn’t know it, yet. Thankfully, Tokyo jazz band, Soil & “Pimp” Sessions, were already in the know. Last year, they laid down my dream jazz show in Rotterdam. It was a raucous affair, similar to what I imagine performances were like in American nightclubs in the days of Charlie Parker and Sonny Stitt. Motoharu (left) and Shacho (right) on stage at Bird in Rotterdam doing what they do best. But it was more th ..read more

A full day at sea, known among cruisers as a sea day, is the perfect time to enjoy the ship’s onboard amenities. And believe me, on modern cruise ships, there are a lot of amenities. Sea days are one of our favorite things about cruising. I’ll take a day at sea over an all-inclusive land resort anytime. We had two sea days on our recent western Caribbean cruise with Carnival—one at the beginning and one at the end of the cruise. While there are countless ways to spend your time at sea, this is how we like to do it. Serenity Adult Only Retreat This is where to go when you crave a peaceful sea b ..read more

Chat with Tourism Australia and award-winning blogger Michaela Guzy to discover the beauty and wonders of Australia, and earn a chance to win an incredible Australia gift set. Australia. Have you ever been? Well, then, you’re going to love tonight’s all-new Pin-Up Live! with Tourism Australia. The theme for this week’s chat is Find Your Australia. Professional travel blogger Michaela Guzy of Oh The People You Meet, will also be joining us to share her tips and insights about traveling in Australia. Both Michaela and Tourism Australia will be on hand to&n ..read more

I’m swimming in the Caribbean. It’s a sunny November morning in Grand Cayman. The water is refreshing and a hypnotic turquoise. After a couple of minutes, a few more people, including our dive instructor, join Beth and I in the lagoon. We look at each other, realizing the moment has finally come: we’re about to dive. Twenty-four hours earlier we were sitting on the deck of the Carnival Dream looking through the shore excursion guide. We wanted to do an activity in Grand Cayman and were leaning towards Sting Ray City, a gathering area for sting rays near the barrier reef. It’s become one of the ..read more

Feliz Navidad (Mexico), Frohe Weihnachten (Germany), Joyeux Noël (France), Buon Natale (Italy), Mutlu Noeller (Turkey)…Wherever you are in the world this holiday season, we’d like to wish you a Merry Christmas. For our 2016 holiday gift guide, we are showcasing our favorite travel gifts (i.e., the one’s that we’ll be giving as gifts this year). We’re huge fans of handmade gifts, and it just so happens that travelers are making some of the coolest travel-inspired goods out there. This may not be the biggest holiday gift guide out there (in fact, it could be the smallest), but every item is sure ..read more