Author Archives: The Intentional Traveler

Georgia Wine Drive

Late last summer we spent a couple of weeks driving around the north Georgia mountains, hiking and visiting wineries. Georgia wines were a pleasant surprise. In general, their quality was good and the wineries were fun to visit. We had planned this trip for the spring but than had to postpone and didn’t update ourContinue reading “Georgia Wine Drive”

Vietnam

Above-The Japan Bridge, Hoi An. Impressions of Vietnam Our recent South China Sea cruise made four stops in Vietnam. Because we were back-to-back cruising,  Phu My, the port for Ho Cho Min City was duplicated. We took advantage of two ship’s tours and an independent trip into Saigon with bus service provided by the shipContinue reading “Vietnam”

Trattoria Mario, Florence

Most people think pasta when it comes to Italian cooking but actually Italy has a number of regional cuisines. Tuscan and Florentine diets trend heavily toward cold sliced meats, grilled meats, lots of beans, soups and stews. With the exception of lasagna, pasta is usually done as a side dish or a casserole in Florence.Continue reading “Trattoria Mario, Florence”

Singapore

Most people, when they talk about Singapore, speak in superlatives but, the simple truth is, mere words just aren’t enough. We flew to Singapore on United 1 from San Francisco, a seventeen plus hour flight and had booked a room at the Grand Mercure Singapore Roxy in the heart of the historic Katong District. The hotelContinue reading “Singapore”

Yellowstone, An American Treasure

We spent a couple of years trying to plan a trip to Yellowstone. One of our primary goals was to spend some time at The Old Faithful Lodge. It turned out that getting reservations there is a very difficult thing to do. It is almost impossible to book directly with the lodge, because as soonContinue reading “Yellowstone, An American Treasure”

The National Parks of Utah

After spending a week on an organized land tour in early June (Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, etc.), we picked up a rental car in Salt Lake City. With accommodations booked in Moab, Panguitch, Springdale and Los Vegas, Nevada we headed out taking US15 south from Salt Lake City and then picked up Route 6 toward Moab.Continue reading “The National Parks of Utah”

Our Caribbean

Discover the Caribbean For over twenty-five years the heart of our business was servicing customers in the Caribbean. It would be easier to list the places we haven’t been than were we have. As a result we like to think we know the neighborhood pretty well. Back in the beginning, Eastern Airlines was the primaryContinue reading “Our Caribbean”

Cruising the South China Sea

A First Visit to Southeast Asia We spent all of February cruising with Celebrity’s Constellation in the South China Sea on back-to-back itineraries. We visited twelve ports with only one repeat (Ho Chi Min City). If you are going to fly twelve thousand miles you probably should make the most of the trip. We flew intoContinue reading “Cruising the South China Sea”