Be a traveler NOT a tourist
After traveling on the limited ‘vacation’ many of us have, I took a 3 month sabatical to experience life in an Italian city. Now I travel solo to explore locations world wide. My independent trips are not vacations but opportunities to experience what each town or city I visit.
Searching for Cherry Blossoms in Hiraizumi, Japan
The end of the cherry blossom ‘season’ depends on the weather and the part of Japan you visit. On Japan-Guide.com: Hanami literally means “watching blossoms,” and a major event throughout Japan. There is a web site that follows the progress of the blooms from the south to the northern regions. This is a…
Japan: fish market has, tentacles and more ‘interesting’ options……..
GIANT crabs Not sure what this machine did. Put in coins and perhaps pick you lunch? “hey guys, lets escape” These may have been worms
Japan: Groups go on school trips or outings in a ‘pack’
school children often wear the same uniform and hats A school trip starting at the train station Sunday event in Yokahamma The massive crowd moved like lemans towards the red brick warehouse
Kyoto Japan Market: bean cakes the oldfashion way
Broad beans are covered with a pancake type batter and then heated on metal plates, a very old system of making these crispy sncks
Not a morning coffe in Italy but Tokyo
A small coffee stand in a busy market A great deal of care was taken to make a drip coffee
Visiting the Biltmore House at Christmas
Solo travel on Christmas and Thanksgiving in the USA can leave you hungry. Unlike summer or fall national holidays which are peak vacation times, Christmas and Thanksgiving often find travelers close to home. Stores and restaurants close early and the familiar casual restaurants that are prevalent in the USA are not available. My trip…
A Thankful Village in the Cotswolds, UK
While on a HF Holiday walk in the UK, our walk guide mentioned the village of Upper Slaughter was one of the Thankful Villages. I always search for something new, anything I have never read about or been told and this was totally new. My guide for this walk mentioned ‘thankful villages’ which prompted a…
How to Beat Loneliness When Traveling Alone by Mapping Megan
Solo Travel is not always lonely travel Another great post by Mapping Megan that I am happy to share with you: Solo travel is an incredible, life changing experience, and I look back on my experiences as a solo traveler with extreme fondness. But like anything in life, travel has its…
Solo on a HF Walking Tour in the Cotswolds, UK: mud, rain and great photo opportunity
Outside the wonderful city of London there are amazing treasures to explore. Last Spring I spent a few days on the Isle of Wight at a country home with HF Holidays. This fall, when there was an opportunity to spend a HF Holiday weekend in the Cotswolds at Burton on the Water, I signed up…
Charleston, SC: Ansonborough Inn
A former warehouse, now a wonderful Boutique Inn: Ansonborough Inn Located in the historic area of Charleston, SC 21 Hasell Street, Charleston, SC 29401 When possible and affordable, I search for unusual places to stay: …
Walk into a base camp in Viet Nam……………..
I hear a helicopter landing and an announcement from the watch tower Visitors to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum outside of Charleston, South Carolina, come to explore the battleships, aircraft on site and interactive displays that can keep you busy for hours. The USS Yorktown is a massive aircraft carrier that draws large crowds but my…
HF Holidays walking tour to visit the Isle of Wight, for a solo traveler
Freshwater Bay house, photo from HF Holidays web site View from the Freshwater Bay country house with HF Holidays Isle of Wight, UK On my third attempt to visit this island, only a 40 minute ferry ride from Lymington or a faster hydrofoil from Southampton, I was determined to spend a few days here with the…
Some places in London shared by a Local
Christine’s Corner While on the Isle of Wight for a HF Holiday country house walk, I met a lovely woman at the breakfast table one morning. Most of the guests were British (I was the only American) and I chatted with Christine about suggestions for places to visit in London that are not featured in most travel books. Below are…
Tea House Japanese Style
On the grounds of a large park south of Kyoto (a short trip on the train) there is a traditional tea house. On earlier business trips to Japan I had attended a ‘tea ceremony’ for tourists. But this was a building in a garden without signage. this would be a new experience and I was…
Every leaf in place ………….
Amazing gardens around the Palace in Kyoto
Japan on a rainy day
Even the storm drains have artistic covers
Kyoto Japan, a simple tea bowl
Kyoto, Japan 2016 Japan is well known for hand made items that are simple yet beautiful. Walking the streets of each town vs taking a tour bus allows me to stop and see both local stores and small treasure troves of local life. I stopped at the doorway of a small, dark store…
NY Cheese cake beware there is competiton
The Uncle Testu location in Sydney, Australia Who is Uncle Tetsu? I thought Italian cheese cake was the historic best Walking in Sydney, Australian I found a crowd outside of a restaurant or was it a store? The line was similar to a group waiting to enter a club or a major sale…
Boon Hall outside of Charelston, SC
Boon Hall PlantationOff season you won’t have crowds but most of the venues will NOT be open. Everyone visits this plantation to see the driveway with 100 yrs old oaks and the moss Looking forward to the renovation that…
Take a ship if it costs less than the plane
Returning to NYC…………….have done this several times and it is always amazing even if you must wake up at 4:30
Street Art in Melbourne, Australia
Stories on the people I met and the places I found at each stop will follow but the photos may show you what words do not………… Melbourne, Australia A large city with many different areas within the city. Three days were not enough to see more than a small portion of the city. A…
Where can you travel that has a 1/2 hour time zone difference?
Arriving today in Adelaide I looked at the terminal clock twice. Then at my watch.The one hour flight left at noon and arrived at 1:30.Did I take the correct flight?Was the flight 1/2 hour delayed?No. Adelaide, Australia is 1/2 ahead of Melbourne, Australia.This is weird
People you meet on the road: Sydney Australia
Music with noodlesA shop window, a street corner performer, a monument are often ‘stop and see’ moments on a trip.On a cross street in central Sydney I stopped to look around when I heard violin music!The only doorway was for a noodle restaurant.Inside an older man dressed as an employee (he may have owned the…
Never Leave Home without…….
Everyone packs what they ‘think’ the will need or can’t live without for a month or longer. Over the years there are a few items that are always in my bag. 1. Zip Ties or you may call them plastic ties They come in all sizes and lengths. You can find them at hardware stores,…
London: Following Charles Dickens
I wanted to walk into a Charles Dickens novel and Context Travel generously offered to show me this part of London on their Charles Dickens walking tour The Old Bell bar I met my Context tour guide at The Old Bell bar on Fleet Street. Dating back 300 years, the pub was rebuilt after the Great fire of London and is…
Stone Gargoyles: such wonderful faces
Gargoyles, original caricature art! You can find these unusual stone portraits in many cities across Europe. They have always fascinated me . What is the stone carver telling the audience? What is each face telling us? As part of my walking tour in London, courtesy of Context Tours, I visited a church…
Germany: off the beaten path, a 2 week adventure, summary
April 2015 German Towns off the beaten track that should NOT be missed: Munster, Koblenz, Oberwesel, Augsburg and more Munster Famous for bikes, great beer, churches and the woman in the tower, not the cheese. A very friendly town with great walks and bike trails as well as a solar boat ride Enjoy the…
London Free Light Show in the Shoe Store
Next to the Apple store in Covent Gardens in London is an amazing light show Feels like a rock concert in a shoe store This is Galleria Melissa, a innovative shoe store. According to their web site: founded in 1971 and has since collaborated with the likes of Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, Gareth Pugh, the…
Trier Germany, last stop on Off the Beaten Path solo trip
Trier, Germany A university town that is easy to navigate with so much to see and do. The ancient Roman gate to the city, the Constantine Basilica and the Roman baths are reminders to the far reaching Roman empire and how much history I have viewed during my 2 weeks in Germany. Trier sits on the…
Regensburg: a Unesco World Heritage Site seen on a solo trip
Regensburg, off the beaten track in Germany, traveling solo A wonderful city to walk the lanes and avenues, even if the sky is overcast. Arriving by train in the morning gave me almost an entire day to become oriented to the city. Day two I would visit many of the locations my guide,…
Wiesbaden Germany: off the beaten track solo
Wiesbaden, Germany: off the beaten track on a 14 day adventure for a solo travelerThe old building is reflected in the newer architectureArriving late in the day and taking a taxi to the boutique hotel Klemm a delightful oasis close to the center of town, I had to wait until the next day to take…
Heidelberg: off the beaten track, Brezeles to Chocolate
Heidelberg: home of the bretzle, castle, university, chocolate and more Heidelberg was a surprise. The city bustles. I spent only two days in the Old Town of Heidelberg and found so much to see and do. There is endless history surrounding Heidelberg and my wonderful guide Charlotte Frey knew it all. She wove German…
Augsburg, Germany: much to see and do
A Quick Stop in Augsburg, Germany I only had a half day to explore Augsburg on my Off the Beaten Track tour, but thanks to my wonderful guide Ms. Regina Thieme with Augsburg Tourism, I was able to see a great deal in a few hours. Arriving at the Augsburg train station, a quick stop…
Oberwesel Germany: Home of the Wine Witch
Oberwesel, Germany and the Wine WitchA short stop on my Off the Beaten Track tour in Germany, but one I am so glad I didThe trip from Koblez to Oberwesel went too quickly. Although I love train travel in Europe, I would trade a train for a boat on a German river anytime!photo from http://www.loreleyvalley.com/oberwesel-rhine/index.htmlThe boat stopped at most…
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Mature Solo Travel 