👋 Aloha from DC, This week I finally made it to see The Odyssey. I was looking forward to seeing it, true. But also, three hours of air conditioning in a reclining seat with a giant tub of popcorn? Yes, please! 🙋🏻♀🍿 I still haven't decided what I thought of the film itself, but the scenery took me right back to Greece. They were filming in Messinia while I was staying in Kalamata, so there was plenty of buzz about Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway being spotted around the region. (Sadly, I wasn't...
17 days ago • 4 min read
👋 Aloha from DC! It's been a fun few weeks around here. I took the train to Richmond for the TBEX conference, where I caught up with friends I only get to see once a year and came back with a notebook full of story ideas. In other news, you might remember that earlier this year I was a guest on the Travel the World Confidently podcast. They invited me back, this time to talk all things train travel. You can listen here: Why Train Travel Might Be th... Jul 22 · Travel the World Confide......
22 days ago • 4 min read
👋 Aloha from DC! The past few weeks I've mostly had my head down, working. I finally updated my LinkedIn to add my part time role as Community & Operations Manager with She Hit Refresh, a community helping to support women 30+ who want to move abroad. Don't worry, I've still managed to squeeze in a few adventures too, including testing out a capsule hotel and coworking options near DC's Union Station and finally making it to José Andrés's Zaytinya, where I found a Turkish sparkling wine made...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
👋 Aloha from DC!Last week I asked which decade's music makes you the most nostalgic, and I loved reading your replies. Music has a funny way of transporting us right back to a specific moment in time, doesn't it? I hinted that something music-related was coming, and now I can tell you what it is... Next week, I'll be participating in the Inspired By The Music Summit, where speakers share lessons inspired by songs that have shaped their lives and businesses. I chose an Alanis Morissette song...
2 months ago • 4 min read
👋 Aloha from Fort Worth, TX, In my last newsletter, I asked what type of tour you are most likely to book when you travel and the top answer (by far!) was a food tour. As a former food tour guide, of course that makes my heart happy. ;)I've got a lot of catching up to do over the next few weeks, but I'll have some reviews coming up for another great tour with Culinary Backstreets from Tokyo (you might remember the one I took in Istanbul before I left) and also some updated Hawaii content. I'm...
3 months ago • 5 min read
👋 Aloha from sunny Florida, A year ago, I was here with my brother to visit our mom for Mother’s Day and now one year later, I’ve come full circle! Happy Mother's Day, Mom! We celebrated with dinner and the Michael Jackson movie. Since I had another rail pass, I also added a stop in Savannah, Georgia to meet up with a dear friend from Hawaii. The only trouble was that the timing. I arrived in the middle of the night and departed at 4am the next night! Still, we made the most of my 24-hour...
3 months ago • 4 min read
👋 Aloha from Chicago, What if you didn’t have to decide everything before your next trip started? What if you could change plans halfway through, skip a stop, or take a detour for something seasonal? Well, in my world, sometimes that looks like a last-minute trip for tulip season! This week, I’ll be boarding a train to Michigan, my 40th state by rail in the past year. I’ve always loved the Istanbul Tulip Festival (which just ended), and it turns out Holland, Michigan is right in the middle of...
4 months ago • 4 min read
👋 Aloha friends, Just a few short weeks ago, I was on Maui during the first of the back-to-back Kona Low storms that caused widespread flooding across the state of Hawaii. It was one of the most intense storms I’ve experienced in my lifetime. If there's a silver lining, it's that the community has come together yet again and that has been incredibly inspiring.One of these efforts is a direct aid website called Storm Kokua. It houses a centralized list of vetted fundraisers, currently helping...
4 months ago • 5 min read
👋 Aloha friends, Whew, I made my deadline! Now I’m taking a little time to visit friends and family and make my way to as many local spots as possible before it’s time to go back to the rails. Two "firsts" that have been on my Maui list for a while: First Friday in Wailuku and something people might be surprised to hear… my first time trying the "World Famous Pancakes" at Tasty Crust! Tasty Crust is the kind of local diner where generations have gathered. My dad told us about going there...
5 months ago • 5 min read