The map and the townActually now agreeAs I drive away By Thursday morning, something unexpected had happened. The map and the town had finally agreed. This may not sound remarkable. But after several days of wandering Vancouver—sometimes intentionally, sometimes not—the city had begun to make sense. The streets looked familiar. The harbor felt familiar. Even […]
Travel
The Packing Tornado
There was a period of approximately twenty years during which my husband Herbert and I prepared for every trip in exactly the same way. Herbert packed. I did not. This is not entirely accurate. I eventually packed. But first there was a process. The process generally began the evening before departure. At 4:17 p.m., Herbert […]
Travel Angels
Lost! Panic begins . . .That shortness of breath, then dread . . .Kindness appearing My father used to call them “Travel Angels.” Not guardian angels in the theological sense. More like: unexpected humans who appear precisely when travel has started unraveling around you. He encountered them often. Partly because he traveled frequently. But also, […]
Japan Objects
I think the objects knew before I ever did where we all would go After I wrote the Ariats post, several people messaged me some version of: “Only you could turn boot shopping into an existential archaeology project.” This is fair. But I have been realizing something lately. Something adjacent to the boots, but perhaps […]
My New Travel Assistant is an Algorithm (& it’s Judgier than my Husband ever was)
Back in the day—when my husband and I were traveling regularly, usually once a year to Austria to visit his parents (and later, just his dad), plus assorted shorter and longer jaunts—I had a system. Actually, correction: H had a system. I had . . . vibes. H always had a “go bag.” His was […]
Puerto Rico: Day One
Midnight Flights, Betrayal by Luggage, and the Gospel of Mofongo Spent a fabulous Thursday with my Snipah™ Melissa—an elite day that included: • dogs to the Spa • the Farmers Market • a “sneak” visit to the Wheelwright Zen Center (sign said Closed for Retreat, so naturally we came…and then retreated) • lunch at the […]
Packing for Paris – & Everywhere! :-)
I’ve been asked this question now *a lot*. Though I had a section on “Packing for Paris” in my very very very OLD book “Fempowerment: A Guide To Unleashing Your Inner Bond Girl,” some of the suggestions are from 20 years ago (wow that book is old LOL), so here you go. THIS ARTICLE was […]
Day 3 – Waiheki Island (17 Sept 2023)
This morning was my first breakfast at the VOCO. It was really great! A special “barista,” everything from hot food to small pastries to fruit to (YUM!) local ancient grain and sourdough bread (they even have my secret passion – Vegemite)! The hotel is well located, though in the middle of a very steep hill! […]
Day 1- or is it 2? (13 Sept U.S. – 15 Sept NZ, 2023)
Melissa is back! First of all, can I say that I *hate* the new WordPress. I can’t figure out for the life of me how to wrap text, insert photos, etc. It used to be SO EASY. Hopefully I will get the bandwidth at some point to figure out how to do this correctly . […]
My Favorite Travel Bag
I travel a fair bit. I have tried out a lot of travel bags. My hubby might tell you that I’m a bit of a sucker for travel bags. (And gizmos. And cell phone battery packs – don’t ask how many I have. Just don’t.) HERE is my favorite bag (not a sponsored post). The […]