👋 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...
about 1 month 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...
about 1 month 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...
about 2 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...
2 months ago • 5 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...
2 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...
4 months ago • 5 min read
👋 Aloha friends, If you joined me through the 2026 DIY Trip Summit, another warm welcome. I hope your trip planning is going well! After nearly three months in Japan, I’ve swapped plum blossoms and takoyaki for trade winds and poke back home in Hawaii. I’ll have my head down this week, putting the final touches on a guidebook update. It’s not glamorous work, lots of fact checking phone calls, photos and on-the-ground research, but I'm grateful to be able to show visitors some of my hometown...
4 months ago • 5 min read
🌸 Greetings from Osaka, The first blossoms are beginning to open against blue skies, such a contrast to the snow from only a week ago. This month I’ve been taking a food writing course, and there's one idea I keep returning to when the rest of the world feels too heavy to be writing about something like food or travel. Writing about food is rarely just about the food. It opens into culture, history, language, identity, power. It is a way to stay curious and connected. During Mahina ʻŌlelo...
5 months ago • 5 min read
👋 Greetings from Tokyo! The start of this year has already felt so heavy in many ways, and I know many of us are feeling the need to consciously look for moments of steadiness and light where we can. It’s said you have to be lucky to get a clear view of Mt. Fuji, so I took it as an good sign when I got this view from the Shinkansen on my way back to Tokyo. For me, being in Japan and spending time connecting with the language and culture over the past few weeks has offered up many moments of...
6 months ago • 4 min read