Take your sightseeing to the next level.
Have I told you about the time I almost fell for the tea house scam in Shanghai? No? Well, settle in because it wasn’t pretty. I didn’t expect Shanghai would be the city that threw me. Of everywhere I went in China, it’s the one that’s most conducive to tourists. After five days of communication and logistical challenges — always met with locals eager to
Theoretically, I’m the type of person who shouldn’t buy travel insurance. I’m young and healthy, I have an emergency bank account to help cover unexpected expenses, and I have a large stash of frequent flyer miles I can draw on if I need to fly home in the middle of a trip for problems back home. But despite that, I just bought another year of
This post is originally from December 2015, but as other bloggers are sharing their stories of reducing travel, I want to re-share mine. It still holds true, years later. * * * I’m not sure precisely when my travel mindset changed, but sometime over the summer, I started putting more effort into “real life” and settling at home. I realized I
My friends looked at me a little funny when I mentioned I added Nanjing to my China plans. Why not Xian, or Chengdu, or anywhere most visitors go to? And on top of that, I spent the night instead of just taking the bullet train from Shanghai to Nanjing for the day. But I really wanted to see Usnisa Palace and once I decided on that,
I never thought Nanjing, China would be on the list of most magnificent places I’ve been. For the most part, the city is dreary, smoggy, and grey, especially in winter. But Usnisa Palace in Niushoushan Cultural Park is so stunning that it raises the entire city up a notch, to a level normally held for opulent palaces like Versailles or the Alhambra. While the architecture
I gained 6 pounds my first month in Buffalo. I was determined to try all the iconic Buffalo foods, some of which I hadn’t had since I was a little girl. I stuffed my face with wings, sponge candy, and half a dozen cup-and-curl pepperoni pizzas. When you eat all that in a month, you can probably guess what comes next. I admitted I had
Independent travel in China is easier than you think thanks to high speed rail. Unlike buses, it’s easy to figure out and for the most part, trains run efficiently on schedule. As of 2019, there are 200+ departures on the train from Shanghai to Nanjing, making it incredibly easy to add in a side trip. The Fastest Shanghai to Nanjing Train Although you’ll find a
Over the years, I’ve read dozens of guides about where to to find cheap flights. Here’s the problem: most of them give old advice that isn’t accurate anymore. Tips like buying on a Tuesday seven weeks before your trip might save $15 and that’s all fine and good, but realistically I think you’d rather buy extremely cheap flights and save $150 or even $1500. Knowing
Nowhere else has national parks that can measure up like the United States. No, they’re not run perfectly, but there is a tremendous amount of protected land and incredible outdoor settings just waiting to be visited. In fact, you just might be surprised by the variety that’s on the complete list of US national parks. How many national parks are there in the US? There
Bioluminescent kayaking is straight out of a science fiction novel. The water illuminates when you dip your paddle in the bay while fish seem to glow in the dark. It’s such an odd and incredible experience that I’ve done it three times — and Mosquito Bay in Vieques, Puerto Rico is the best place to do it. Even though I had witnessed bioluminescence in other
