What is it that keeps us from falling in love? Is it just our initial judgment of looks? Maybe just a needed haircut or a couple fewer tattoos would have made a difference. Is it just a bad first impression? Perhaps it's just a little too loud or the crowds of people that seem to always be hanging around. Was it just too soon after a previous affair that you weren't quite over? Maybe you just couldn't stop comparing to that recent favored love. Was it just the season? Were you so burnt by the summer heat that you just couldn't motivate yourself to see beyond the obvious exterior characteristics? Perhaps it is was just bad timing. You just weren't ready to start a new relationship. Perhaps it is actually something within your own self. You ... read more

Hidden between the fog of the Pacific Ocean and a vast swath of towering coastal redwood trees lies a magical landscape along the California coastline. A place where the bark of sea lions or bellow of fog horns is only muffled by the crash of waves against the majestic cliffs that jut violently from the crystal blue sea. A place of extraordinary beauty reached only after following the twisted byway that winds west from a scorching inland summer through dreamlike vineyards, colossal forests and oak-covered canyons towards the sea. While most of the country bakes in the humid blister of a summer heatwave this coastal dreamscape remains immersed in endless spring. Even on sun-filled afternoons of cloudless blue the cooling breezes of the vast sea drift inland to cool the headlands and tiny hamlets that dot ... read more

I imagine travel for most people as a well-planned endeavor. Getting the most out of your cherished two weeks off from the daily drudgery is probably some of the most well thought out plans a person makes during the year. Weeks spent searching websites trying to find the perfect hotel, flight and entertainment usually follow months of reading dreamy destination brochures filled with glossy pictures of a glamorous life somewhere on a distant side of the globe. Some seek advice from a travel expert, often a lady behind a desk covered by brochures who seems to have been everywhere and tasted the buffets of every gleaming cruise ship that plies the seven seas. Some attempt to make life simpler by booking a prearranged trip that meets most or all of your travel dreams. Spending more time ... read more

There are places we know we will return to. Like unfinished love affairs, they live in the corners of our mind, waiting to be rekindled. Over time the images move through our dreams, usually altered by time and further experiences. As we add distance the colors may become brighter, the smells more intense and the tastes more vibrant. We find these places returning to our conscience thought when we discuss travels or tell stories of our earlier life. We recall them with smiles on our faces and excitement in our voices. We realize we would like to have another opportunity to see if our memories match reality. Could actuality match the misty recollections we visualize in our thoughts? We traveled to Vietnam in 2004. We were younger and far less experienced travelers then. We moved faster, ... read more

Any traveller who has taken more than a few trips will develop a travel style. A typical pattern of behavior that leads to the greatest enjoyment of the area around them. Some will find the companionship and easy planning of group tours best suit their tastes. Some may find the adventure and self-sufficiency of independent travel more to their liking. Solo travels to exotic locations fit the desires of a few intrepid souls. The frugal life of a backpacker surrounded by thatched walls may be the calling of for some. Life on a luxury cruise ship or in ritzy hotels may make up another voyagers dreams. As happens in all areas of one's life, other people are going to judge you. You will be ranked according to the travel choices you make and the way they ... read more