Category: Our Views on Travel

Despite Airbnb being unwelcome in some larger cities, such as Barcelona and New York, it is an important resource for travelers who want to immerse themselves in the culture and daily life of the cities they visit.  Hotels insulate visitors from the reality of the destination whereas staying in an apartment in which you are…

We are leaving from Toronto tomorrow for our five week jaunt throughout Europe, a trip we have been referring to as our Grand Tour.  Today that term conjurers up visions of young people  lugging backpacks, staying in hostels and enjoying their freedom following years of academic pursuit. That vision is not far from the historical…

After spending an enriching and enjoyable week in Spain volunteering at an English Immersion program I was hooked. It offered the perfect mix of travel, teaching and volunteer work that spoke directly to my retired soul.  Many of my fellow volunteers understood as they have completed numerous such programs with different organizations throughout Europe. I…

Although I was not worried about filling my time in retirement, it was important to me to have meaningful opportunities.  I had very few criteria; I wanted to nourish my love of teaching, I wanted to incorporate as much travel as I could, and I wanted to find ways to give back through volunteer work….

Ken and I love to meet new people on cruises.  Friends enrich the experience beyond the daily sites and activities and elevate it to another level.  Our most recent cruise offered up a treasure trove of fascinating friendly people that shared excursions, dinners and more than a few drinks while at sea.  We agreed to…

When it’s time to get away from it all and just relax an all inclusive resort is the go to choice for many travelers.  We haven’t tried it (I think I would be bored), but millions cannot be wrong, so I decided to get a more unbiased opinion.  I reached out to our friend Joy…

Early in the morning we received an urgent message that our friends had secured a table at the rear of the ship for us to use as we travelled through the Suez Canal.  Since it was an important part of our itinerary, and a bucket list item for all of us, their eagerness was understandable.  We were…

Ancient Egyptian beliefs hold that east is the direction of birth and the west is death.  On the second day of our overnight excursion we travelled west across the Nile River to visit the the Valley of the Kings, burial spot to many of ancient Egypt’s best known pharaohs. Valley of the Kings was part of the ancient…

“ Yalla beena” is an Egyptian saying that means we go together.  Although our guide Ahmed used it during our overnight excursion from Safaga to Luxor to ensure we stayed together and moved as one, it came to mean so much more for our intrepid group of travelers. The opportunity to stay overnight at a hotel on…