New York City ©Jan M. Smith I often wonder if anyone actually reads the travel, food, and wine stories I write. With stiff competition to capture attention, and with over 2 million blogs (and countless other stories) posted each day, it’s no surprise the question of reaching and impacting an audience is on a writer’s [...]
It was the spring of 1975, and folded notes were being passed between classmates during high school homeroom announcing Palm Springs the destination for spring break. My brand new orange Honda Civic sped down the highway for a first-time visit to the desert oasis. I can still remember arriving at the Palm Springs Travelodge to [...]
Princess Cruises Crown Princess in Aruba. pc: Jan M. Smith© When it’s time to plan a vacation, is the amount of activity or idle time part of the decision making? It is always at the forefront of my family as we determine our next getaway. As the cruise experience has always been positive and pleasurable [...]
Surprise Honeymoon reveal gifts from Milk and Honey Travels pc Julia Fay Photos Could you or would you let someone else plan your honeymoon? If your answer is yes, would you let it be kept a surprise until the day you married and then reveal the location at the wedding reception? This is exactly what my [...]
French novelist Marcel Proust is credited with saying, “The real voyage of discovery consists in not seeing new landscapes but in having new eyes.” Ever since my children were old enough to understand, they were exposed to travel which opened their eyes to the people, cultures and societies of the global community. Our family travel [...]
Wine country getaways are one of the best ways to spend a weekend together with friends and family. Finding a location with a combination of fantastic wine, food, and vibe is a bonus. Paso Robles in Central California offers all of this and more. Paso Robles is an easy five-hour drive from the Temecula Valley, [...]
Although I do not remember my first trip, I was told it was on a TWA Airlines transcontinental flight in the late 1950’s from New Jersey to sunny Southern California. This was a time known as the Golden Age of Flying, where passengers actually dressed up for a flight. I likely was dressed in [...]
At the beginning of each year my husband and I start a conversation on what part of the world we will explore for our anniversary. There is always a negotiation between us where we should visit and in the past, it is somewhere in the world we have never been. This year we mixed it [...]
Billowing clouds follow the plane en route to Puerto Vallarta. It’s my second trip to this city; the first being my honeymoon 28 years ago where my husband and I also enjoyed the city of Ixtapa. As we get closer to landing I reminisce about Ixtapa, specifically an experience I can recall vividly 28 years [...]
Times Square, Central Park, Broadway, Statue of Liberty, bagels, and The City That Never Sleeps. These are some of what iconic New York City has always been known for, and on September 11, 2001, the city added The Worst Terrorist Attack the World Had Ever Seen to its status. The city didn't ask for the designation and to this [...]
