How to pack lightly for a long trip

With Christmas freshly finished, I’ve got my next trip planned: Blogmanay!  I’ll be celebrating New Year’s in Edinburgh, Scotland. Edinburgh, which I’ve long extolled as one of my favorite cities, has one of the world’s best New Year’s celebrations.  People come from all over the world to celebrate Hogmanay. I’ve been invited to be part of  Blogmanay , a groundbreaking initiative bringing 21 top travel bloggers from around the world to broadcast the celebrations live. Celebrating at Hogmanay Hogmanay is essentially nonstop mayhem for several days.  I plan to take in as much as possible.  Some of the highlights: December 30: Torchlight Procession — a beautiful parade of lit torches through Edinburgh’s city center. December 31: Concert in the Gardens  — Simple Minds are the main headliners this year.  If I play my cards right, I might get a chance to schmooze with them, too!  Also performing: Bwani Junction and The Vie...

If I had only known that as we sailed into Pučišća on the island of Brač in Croatia, that we would be seeing the single most beautiful village I had ever seen, I would have taken time to savor it. IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN! Pučišca was an all-too-brief stop on our trip between Omiš and Makarska.  It was only the second day of our sail.  We had lucked out, majorly, because the captain was responsible for all navigation decisions and decided that this would be a better place for a swim stop than out in the middle of the ocean. As we came into, Pučiśća, I admired the scene before me with my jaw scraping the deck — I mean, who wouldn’t? But at the same time, I assumed that all villages in Croatia would look just like this.  That?  Was not so.  Whatsoever.  As beautiful as Croatian’s seaside villages are, nowhere else in the world looks like Pučišća.  The gleaming white stone indigent to the island that makes this village one of a kind. To the Kate of Croatia Cruise Day Se...

I adore Southeast Asia — and I especially treasure my favorite places in this part of the world. But not every place captured my fancy, though I found something to love about every place I visited. Here are my picks for the most overrated places in Southeast Asia: Koh Phi Phi, Thailand Koh Phi Phi was the setting of the movie The Beach and featured the heartbreakingly beautiful Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh.  It’s no wonder that so many tourists flocked there, looking for their own private deserted beach. That can happen on lots of islands in Thailand — but not on Koh Phi Phi. The Phi Phi of today is overrun with tourists.  The effects?  Huge crowds, limited lodging, sky-high prices, and quaking infrastructure.  The island smells like sewage and Maya Bay is filled with hundreds of people walking around, dumbfounded, wondering where that beautiful beach went. READ MORE: How to Protect Your Belongings on the Beach Where to go instead: Koh Lanta, Thailand , is ...

We all know about those massive living specimens inhabiting the state of California.  Some prefer the chilly winds of the Sierra Nevada while others are happier experiencing the foggy mornings next to the Pacific Ocean.  I am referring to sequoias and redwoods.  Sequoias are the largest trees in the world in terms of volume.  Redwoods are the taller trees in the world (reaching heights of 370 feet). But there is another species taking the lead role in terms of widest trunk or largest diameters.  In the small town of Santa Maria del Tule (Oaxaca), a massive Montezuma cypress is famous for having the “stoutest trunk in the world.” The tree at El Tule (locals call the town in this way), is known as an “ahuehuete” or “sabino” in Spanish.  Don’t get confused.  Many people call the tree “Arbol de Tule” or Tule tree.  Tule is an aquatic plant that grew once in the area because it used to be a swamp (that is why the town got the name).  The correct way to call it is “Arbol del Tule” or the t...

With little time to recover from my rather exhausting/rather fun weekend (Did I mention I went straight to work after driving through the night from Detroit to Toronto to catch my flight??) I was tasked with hosting my friend Jason’s stag party. No rest for the wicked? The party was rather tame as far as stags go. There was around 12 guys, poker, video games and enough booze to cater a Wood’s wedding. The bride’s brother Jo was kind enough to pick up booze. Not sure what to expect, he went to town and spent over $300 on beer, hard liquor, Red Bull, and mix. Add to that the fact that he didn’t tell other people showing up that he was supplying booze and you’ve got one heck of a party. Even in my Jackdicky days my fridge has never been that full. We didn’t even put a dent into it. We tried but barley scratched the surface. In the process Jason managed to throw up several before even leaving my place. Before After We went to a bar on Whyte ...

Today, we are going to get lost and dream in a heroic city. I am pleased to present you the small city of Valladolid. It is located in the Yucatan Peninsula, you know in Mexico.  It is also knows and the Heroic City or The Sultan of the East.  Her motto is “Cuatro Veces Heroica” or Four Times Heroic. Valladolid is not that well known among visitors to the states of Yucatan and Quintana Roo.  Some people visit for a few minutes as part of an all day Chichen Itza tour.  And it is precisely the famous Mayan city that brought me here. See, I really wanted to take my time to explore Chichen Itza. I wasn’t that enthusiastic about taking a day tour from Cancun.  First, the drive is about 2 to 3 hours each way.  Additionally, some of these tours reach the ruins in the afternoon when they are packed with hundreds of tourists.  Looking for options on where to stay close to Chichen Itza, I stumbled upon Valladolid.  After reading some info about the city (and looking at some pictures), I was s...

D id I mention I’m going to New York, New York? I’m off to Iceland on the 22nd with my brother then staying in New York on the way back. The reason I mention this (other than its way cool) is while in my Gander hotel room I was watching the Daily Show when I read “If you will be in New York and are interested in free tickets…” I thought, “New York?” “Tickets?” “Free!”…”Would!” That would be so cool. I was in no hurry to leave my room cause flo was pissing down pretty hard. I stayed in and watched cartoons in my underwear. If I would have had a bowl of cereal in front of me I would have been 10 years old again. I finally left the hotel and got drenched dashing to my car. I made it to the museum and really enjoyed it. Gardner was used heavily as a base for flying bombers to England during WWII. This I already knew but I did not know how heavily it was used. They had pictures of hundreds of B-24’s, ...

Earlier this year, I visited Santa Catalina Island.  For those of you who are not familiar with this place, Catalina Island (as it is usually called) is located off the coast of Southern California at 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles.  Actually, really close but a world away from the big city. For years, I have heard magnificent tales about this little island.  A lot of people swear this is the closest you can get to the Mediterranean ambience in the United States.  Honestly, I thought all these were exaggerations.  But, you know what?  I had to ate my thoughts and words.  The island does feel like it is located in the Mediterranean Sea. I have been to Capri and some Greek Islands.  In Catalina, you feel a similar vibe, weather, view and coolness factor.  I just couldn’t get enough of it. Today, I want to take you on a photographic journey to the only incorporated city in the island, Avalon.  The “city” is small (about 4,000 residents) but full of charm (the rest of the island...