World's Best Places to Visit

Two weeks after Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, a week after Hurricane Irma left her destructive mark on the Caribbean and Florida, and today as Hurricane Maria barrels down, Virtuoso cruise partners continue to assist in relief efforts. “From delivering supplies to impacted areas such as the Caribbean Islands and helping to evacuate stranded tourists and families, cruise line leaders continue to work with officials to best lend their support,” says Cindy D’Aoust, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line have made aid missions to deliver supplies such as food, ice, animal supplies, water, and clothing, and both lines have made rescue missions to help those stranded in the Caribbean.  The Norwegian Sky rescued more than 900 people in St. Thomas. As part of their ongoing cruise itineraries, many lines will continue to deliver supplies including medical necessities over the next several weeks. And though Royal Caribbean

In This Post... Hunting Rhino in Ngorongoro Settle Down Greenpeace Land Before Time Biosphere Last Chance Success What say you? Have thoughts on hunting rhino in Ngorongoro? Of course you do. Let me have it! Hunting Rhino in Ngorongoro A h, the elusive rhino. Of the “ Big 5 ” animals we had yet to spot the toughest of them all, and our time was running out. Although I wasn’t really counting, I did want to see one of these horny and odd animals in the wild. Our last day on safari had us visiting the Ngorongoro Crater, a place I was already incredibly excited about. This excitement was elevated when it became our last chance to see these creatures. As it turned out, hunting rhino in Ngorongoro  proved to be our best chance. Settle Down Greenpeace Before I go on I must stipulate that when I say hunting rhino in Ngorongoro I simply mean spotting them and shooting a picture. A photographic trophy is all I need. No rhino horn aphrodisiac for me. While on the subject of hunting r

Los Angeles gets a lot of bad rep.  I tried to counteract preconceived notions with a post where I list 20 things to love about the city. In my previous post, I didn’t feature prominently the Downtown / Civic Center area.  Nevertheless, this neighborhood, delineated by the major freeways, is one of the more exciting parts of the city. After Washington D.C., Los Angeles has the largest concentration of government buildings and employees in the nation. The diversity, vastness, and vibrancy of Downtown give us a good idea of what we can find in the rest of the city.  After all, modern buildings and adobe houses, graffiti and masterpieces, fine dining and street food coexist here. Pictures of Downtown Los Angeles In this post, I try to give you a taste of Downtown in 40 photos.  The scenes are disparate, I know, but for some reason, they go together like pieces of a puzzle. The City Hall This grandiose, 32 story building was completed in 1928.  Over the years, it has been renovated t

In This Post... This Life in Trips 2014 Travel Review In Short The Highs RTW Sochi 2014 Travel Review Turkey 2014 Travel Review Thailand 2014 Travel Review Iceland 2014  Travel Review #GreatCoastRoadTrip 2014 Travel Review Life is Beautiful 2014 Travel Review Christmas with Ma 2014 Travel Review  The Lows Looking Back Looking Ahead This Life in Trips 2014 Travel Review G oodbye 2014. A year that was wonderfully awesome and incredibly frustrating all at once. I’m so sad to see you go but also glad we are over. The good definitely outweighs the bad so I am happy to look back at you and see where you took me, what you taught me, and what I learned. With this in mind here is my 2014  travel review and site review for thislifeintrips.com: In Short 2014 was my busiest year for This Life in Trips. Readership is way up and my social media numbers increased big time as well. Big thanks to all those who stopped by. In short here is a break down of how This Life in Trips did in 2014:

When it came time to take my first vacation in the last two years, I wanted to do something I’ve dreamed of for years — sailing the islands off the coast of Croatia. Dave and I joined up with my frequent and much-loved partner Busabout on their One-Way Croatia Sail. And the result? THIS. TRIP. WAS. AMAZING. Cruising Croatia with Busabout was the perfect combination of relaxation and exploration, a new and interesting but not difficult destination, with tons of new friends.  And Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen! Each day had a comfy routine.  We would set sail early in the morning, and stop for a swim en route to our destination.  Sometimes it was jumping off the boat into the middle of the Adriatic; sometimes we’d stop at an unfathomably gorgeous beach. We’d have lunch on the boat, and then we’d pull into our destination for the day: piratey Omiš, low-key Makarska, party-happy Hvar, gorgeous Korčula, otherworldly Mljet, and finally,