Beautiful Bali – Finding Culture and Customs. And Monkeys. Lots of Monkeys.

Bali.   Picture this beautiful island situated in the exotic country of Indonesia. One island in the more than 17,000 islands (no, that’s not a typo – 17 THOUSAND islands!!!) that make up this diverse and gorgeous country of over 267 million people (the 4th largest country in the world, believe it or not!).  You’ll find […]

PODCAST: “A Creative Purpose” – Hacks, Hostels, Portugal and more!

Edited December 2024 Wondering what it’s like to travel full-time? 🧐 Curious about staying in hostels, working in a vineyard 🍇 in New Zealand or volunteering in an orphanage in southern Nepal? How about housesitting 🌏 – would you like to know about this – and other opportunities – for maximizing your travel experiences and […]

#VANLIFE : Where to…um, go! 💩 Tips on going to the bathroom and showering in a van

(Updated April 2022) In the summer of 2020 (yep. THAT summer! 😷)  I purchased a 1997 VW Eurovan campervan because rather than sit in my apartment during the lockdown of Covid, I found this cool van, gassed it up, tossed in some essentials like a pillow and down comforter – and a box o’ wine – […]

PODCAST: Living The Dream – How It All Got Started

Updated April 2022 If you’re wondering how this “quitting a perfectly good job at a fab company/traveling the world alone and over 50 with a backpack/road tripping across the USA in a VW van” kind of life of mine got started, you should listen to my podcast interview with Cepee Tabibian, the founder of She […]

#VANLIFE: Travels with Tilly – How I Kept the Travel Bug Going During COVID

Updated: April 2022 As a world traveler/vagabond/gypsy who has traveled full-time since the end of 2017, the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic in the USA in March of 2020 has tossed all my plans into the trash, leaving me frustrated and restless.  I had reservations to fly to Peru and hike Machu Picchu and spend […]

#TRAVEL HACK: How to Stay Free, Enjoy More Using Workaway & Caretaker Gazette

Updated MAY 2024  It’s no secret that travel can be expensive, and accommodations are the second most costly item after airfare. Here are 2 of my favorite resources I’ve discovered for keeping down costs when it comes to where you lay your head each night while increasing your adventure potential and stretching your travel dollar! […]

A Rainbow of Color – the Villages of the Alentejo in Southern Portugal. (Spoiler Alert: Lots of Photos!)

Updated June 2022 After spending some time in the southwest corner of Portugal exploring the beauty of the ancient port towns of Lagos and Faro, I headed north from the Algarve to the Alentejo region of Portugal to hike parts of the Rota Vincentina, a little-known long-distance trail along the spectacular Portuguese coast I had […]

48 Hours in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain – Bodegas, Buleria and Bridles of Andalucia

Andalucia!  The beautiful region in Spain along its southern coast famous for beaches, surfing, bullfighting, and flamenco. The most well-known cities are Seville, Granada, Malaga and Cordoba offering beautiful architecture, delicious foods and wines and much to see. My first stop in Andalucia was to Jerez de la Frontera, or simply, “Jerez”.  Pronounced “Herez”, “Hereth”, […]