Blogs from Monterey, California, United States, North America

Travel Fiber had a list of interesting ways to travel "without breaking the bank." While I can appreciate many of author Kate Row's ideas, many are for younger people, read that as those who are willing to "rough" it. At this point in my life, I do not "rough" it anymore. I did on my first several trips to Europe. Now, I like a comfortable bed, AC, hot water, elevators, and nice places to eat and drink. But I like some of her suggestions. Packing Well My days of carrying a heavy backpack are over. I almost always check my wheeled luggage now. If you can get by with a carryon for a three-week trip overseas, you will win my undying support. But I generally take some items that I can donate, or discard. And I ... read more

Many, most of us have been stuck at home for the past year. The last time I was out of the county was last march, Scottsdale, on a road trip to Spring Training. Of course, my hero, Katy, has spent most of the year either on a beautiful Thai island or up in cool and green Chiang Mai. Me, I have been stuck at home. I had numerous trips postponed for cancelled. My cycling trip to Croatia was postponed twice. Other trips to Europe, Buenos Aires, New York, Kauai, and Seattle were also cancelled. So, what do we do about it? Dream or get upset? Normally, I would get upset. But I use the time to refine my trip, find better hotels and activities, and do more research. What do the experts say? Plan Your Next ... read more

Official-ESTA.com, a third-party visa application website for the United States Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), crunched numbers from the World Travel and Tourism Council and The World Bank to determine the countries with the greatest loss of tourism revenue in the first ten months of 2020. They are as follows: United States: $147.245 billion Spain: $46.... read more

Well, hello there. You see that I am writing this blog from Monterey, California? How did this happen, you ask? You thought I was going to stay in Chicago forever, you say? Well, that gig sort of did not work out for me and one August morning in 2017 I realized it was finally time to go back to California. A few months later I packed up my things as the snow quietly fell and left my beloved Chicago community in January. Although I miss it dearly, I realized the best thing for me was to not look back for the time being. And I have not looked back since. Friends, I literally live in paradise. Monterey County is unlike other parts of California. It is just a wonderful enclave all to its own. The weather ... read more

" For the born traveller, traveling is a besetting vice. Like other vices, it is imperious, demanding it's victim's time, money, energy and the sacrifice of comfort." Aldous Huxley. Having mastered the intricacies of tram and rail travel in San Francisco, it was with a degree of ease and smugness that we found our way on the Bart line to Newark where Cruise America staff eagerly awaited this motley bunch of South Africans. This was a significant milestone as our RV campers were due for collection. Now, this was not one of those car hire pick ups where a tired agent hands you the keys and waves you farewell. Having negotiated a fairly lengthy check in process, a big smack for "liabilities" loaded on credit cards, two Cruise America agents then took us through a detailed ... read more