We love to travel, but during the pandemic, all you could really do was read about interesting global destinations. We’re starting to plan a trip for later this year and I checked out these two magazines at the bookstore. People seem to love checking off boxes on their ‘bucket list’ and these magazines are organized in checklist fashion. The first one was for US destinations … Continue reading Bucket List Adventures
I’ve had pretty good luck with rental cars over the years. Other than the one time a city bus plowed into my (parked) SUV in front of a hotel in snowy Aspen, I’ve never had a reportable incident. Until this year. I just got back from a board meeting in Michigan, and on the way back to the airport a rock flew up from an … Continue reading Rental Car Curse!
Our Florida ‘Winter Summerland’ escape took a strange twist this weekend. I was at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona auto race and saw a random text from someone named ‘Andy’. I looked at it and realized it had something to do with our February month-long AirBNB rental outside of Orlando. Andy was the AirBNB ‘host’ and he said our reservation was immediately CANCELLED “due … Continue reading Homeless in Florida?
Living in Minnesota, I love the annual ‘Theater of Seasons’. We are really treated to some epic changes throughout the year, with the temperature hitting 100 degrees F in the summer and -25 degrees in the wintertime. We are home to 10,000 lakes & the headwaters of the Mississippi, but they are all frozen like a rock for at least 3 months of the year. … Continue reading Winter Is Over Already?
My friend Shawn retired a few years ago from a big government job, but now he consults a bit to earn what he calls “stupid money”. It’s not money that he needs, but money that can be spent on some silly, stupid stuff that you might otherwise be too sensible to spend your retirement savings on. We just spent some stupid money, going to Walt … Continue reading “Stupid Money” Holiday
I enjoyed watching the Tokyo Summer Olympics 🇯🇵 earlier this month and seeing athletes from countries around the world. With my ‘50 States’ challenge complete, it’s time to focus on my next travel goal: visiting 50 countries. I’ve been to between 32-35 countries already. Why a range? Because it is seemingly difficult to assess what actually constitutes a ‘country’. There is no broadly agreed to … Continue reading Counting Countries – How Many?
If all goes well, before I get to bed tomorrow night, I will be capping a long-time goal of mine: to visit all 50 states in the USA. I’m accompanying my son on a 30+ hour drive to California and swinging by Idaho on Friday to check the box on my last state. It will be a patriotic highlight of Independence Day weekend! 🇺🇸 Reaching … Continue reading 50 States Achieved
We got home for our 6+ week Winter Summerland trip yesterday and quickly unpacked from the flight. It’s amazing how you can be away for that long with just a few bags (although we brought home 1 more bag than we left with). Some friends were surprised that we flew to Florida instead of making the drive in our own vehicle. We were a bit … Continue reading Drive or Fly?
When we checked out of the condo we were staying at near Orlando last week and headed to Gulfport FL, we also made a big switch in accommodations. We left the gated & manicured 1,100 suite Hilton Tuscany Village for the causal, one-of-a-kind, Blue Hen Bungalow just off Beach Boulevard (above). On AirBNB or VRBO we can usually find a variety of places to mix … Continue reading Unique Spaces In Unique Places …
My wife and I first came to Florida on our honeymoon. It was only the second time either of us had travelled on a plane. I booked the trip through the travel agent at our favorite department store for about $800. That included airfare on Northwest Airlines, a Pontiac Sunfire rental car, and 7 nights stay at the beautiful Westwood Winfield Inn near Orlando. All … Continue reading Vacation Spending Without Limits
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