The concept of home basing is one we learned from travel guru Rick Steves. It involves staying in a central location for a longer period of time instead of moving to a new destination every couple of days. This works best in a large city, but is also a great option in a smaller city…
Belgium – Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent
From our home base in Brussels we were able to explore three of the countries important cities; Bruges, Antwerp and Ghent. Although easily and affordably available to explore on your own with a short train ride from the capital, we chose to do guided bus tours. Our choice of tour company was spot on as we…
Belgium – Brussels
We spent five days in Belgium, home basing out of Brussels and travelling by bus to visit the other major cities in this small country. It is a region full of history and art, excellent food and amazing people. It is easy to navigate with an excellent public transit system if you want to travel…
Cruise Booking Tips and Tricks
On a recent cruise with NCL we attended a presentation offered by the cruise consultant on board about how to book the perfect cruise at the best price available. Whether or not you use NCL or another line these tips are worth considering. Choose a ship that meets your needs Bigger ships are great for…
Enjoy Nature While Traveling
We are huge history and culture buffs. Port excursions usually involve museums, art galleries or other similar sites. We rarely if ever take the time to enjoy the natural surroundings. It was time to change that. On a recent trip we specifically chose two shore excursions that focused on the natural beauty of the European…
Dublin and The Guinness Story
One of the top attractions in Dublin is a visit to the Guinness Storehouse; seven stories of displays, history, retail and pubs in the building that has been brewing the beer for over 250 years. Whether you enjoy a pint or not as Guinness is not to everyone’s taste, the experience is worth the price…
Pros and Cons of a Transatlantic Cruise
We prefer to sail off season, especially now that we are retired. If we combine a cruise with an independent land tour than off season becomes even more important considering the crush of travel after the pandemic. This year we tried a transatlantic. Transatlantic (or pacific) are repositioning cruises for ships that sail different destinations…
Path of the Titanic
Although we did it in reverse order it was not lost on us that a transatlantic cruise that went between Belfast and Halifax in April was a little too close to the route taken during the fateful crossing of the Titanic. Having said that our confidence in modern shipbuilding and navigation ensured that we had…
The 80th Anniversary at Juno Beach
Today many people will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the landings in Normandy. Few of the men and women who participated in the strike that brought about the end of the Second World War are still alive, so it falls to us to remember that it was their valour and bravery that allow us to travel…