Images of Venice

Photographic impressions from our travels near and far…

Across the Lagoon
Saint Marks
The Grand Canal

Venice Italy • There are not enough superlatives to describe the experience of visiting this island city on the Italian Adriatic.

The nobility of Venice created a myth that their city was founded by refuges fleeing Troy after the Trojan War. While not true, Venice has been a city for well over a thousand years. In the year 992, Venice earned special trading rights from the Roman Byzantine Empire in return for accepting Byzantine sovereignty. The city became incredibly rich, and independence was gained in 1082. The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw Venice established as a major trading empire with outposts over much of the Mediterranean.

That immense wealth is still the foundation of modern Venice and is on display in its Cathedrals, palaces, squares and canals. Everyone needs to visit Venice at least once in their life.

When Our Travel Plans Fell Apart

Spending Time Around Our Backyard It feels a bit like being put on restriction and sent to my room for a while as punishment. 2026 was planned with a number of travel itineraries, but things fell apart early on. The first being our fourth try to exploring Egypt. It seems there are several places that…

by The Intentional Traveler

Are Bloggers Victims of Social Media Algorithms?

Blogging & Are We Being Played? There’s a lot in the news lately about the social media companies manipulating our children online to keep them engaged and how much harm it may be doing. It is obvious that these entities know a great deal about human psychology and how to take advantage of people online.…

by The Intentional Traveler
JOIN US

Images of Bangkok’s Grand Palace

Photographic impressions from near and far…

The Grand Palace (Thai: พระบรมมหาราชวัง ) is a complex of buildings at the very heart of Bangkok, Thailand. The palace has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (later Thailand) since 1782. The Grand Palace grounds take up 2.35 million square feet in the middle of the city and include the palace and a number of temples that include the Emerald Buddha, considered to be the most important image of Buddha in Thailand.

Entering the palace grounds require an admission fee (about $15) and the grounds are closed to the public at times for official events.

Standing Watch Above The Rhine

People, places and captured moments selected from The Intentional Travelers photo collection. Marksburg Castle on the Rhine River Marksburg Castle, a majestic fortress located above the town of Braubach in Rhineland, Germany. This castle holds the unique distinction of being the only hilltop fortress on the Rhine that has never been captured or destroyed. Originally…

by The Intentional Traveler

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher

The History Behind The Celebration Of Easter Without question the holiest site in all of Christendom is located in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem. It represents the location where Jesus was crucified and where his body was laid to rest. Today there is a high level of certainty that the location has been actually identified.…

by The Intentional Traveler
JOIN US

Images of Jerusalem

Photographic impressions from our travels near and far…

The Dome of the Rock stands above Jerusalem’s ancient walls
Shrine of the Holy Sepulchre

The Holy City of Jerusalem – A sacred place to three of the worlds major religions. This ancient city is the original home of the Jewish people and is the foundational land of Christian story as well as an important place to Muslims.

Walk through winding streets, alleys and bazaars that leave you feeling you’ve been transported back thousands of years. Visit shrines, churches, synagogues and mosques and walk in the steps of Jesus on his way to crucifixion.

Regardless of your religious beliefs you cannot visit this place without feeling just how important Jerusalem is to literally millions of people.

Exploring South America

with From Cartagena, Columbia to Ushuaia, Argentina the South American continent is an amazing land of natural wonders and human accomplishments. Explore the islands of the Galapagos or hike around Iguazu Falls, climb up to Machu Picchu or cruise through the Panama Canal. You can even cast off for a trip to Antarctica or walk…

by The Intentional Traveler
JOIN US

Laundry While Traveling: A Few Tips

Travel Tips

Having enough clean clothes while traveling can be a problem. If you’re traveling on your own, you may be able to get laundry services at your hotel but that also comes at a premium price and can take a day or two. The other alternative is to find a laundromat (more common in the US then overseas) and spend a few hours washing, drying and folding. If you’re on a cruise, laundry services can be pretty costly although “frequent cruisers” on some lines get free or reduced pricing on a limited amount of laundry.

32° Polo Shirt

A better solution is to travel with clothes that wash and dry quickly. There are any number of brands on the market that are lightweight and can be washed in a sink and then hung to dry in the bathtub/shower. The advantage here is that these clothes take up less room in your suitcase, generally wrinkle little or not at all and, because they can be quickly washed, you can pack fewer items. Todays new wonder fabrics and blends make the job of packing for a trip easier than ever too. Warmer, cooler, moister wicking, fast drying clothes for traveling are available from a number of sources. Perfect for layering, they are easy to rinse out in a sink and dry and are ready to wear again in an hour or so. Two of our favorite brands are 32° and Uniqlo’s AIRism.

Travelon Inflatable Hanger Woolite Travel Packets

Some great products to help you handle your own laundry are a universal sink stopper, travel size packs of detergent and an inflatable hanger. The sink stopper is necessary when you end up with a sink that doesn’t have a good stopper. The travel size detergent packs take up little space and, because they are single use, they can be disposed of as you use them. An inflatable travel hanger takes almost no space and can be blown up when needed and then deflated when it’s time to move on. Carrying a couple of plastic clothes pins can also be useful when hanging clothes to dry.

Images of Sydney

Photographic impressions from near and far…

Luna Park Sydney
Opera House at dusk
Sydney Harbor

Sydney Harbor Australia • One of the worlds largest natural harbors is home to one of its greatest cities. From the iconic Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbor Bridge and The historic Rocks neighborhood there is so much to see and do in Sydney. Catch a convenient ferry from Circle Quay to visit harbor destinations like Darling Harbor and Luna Park (pictured above).

Using the regional transit system it’s easy to reach a number of the areas great beaches. From Manley Beach to Watsons Bay and the famous surf center at Bondi Beach.

Additionally a trip to Australia’s Blue Mountains is only an hour train ride from the Sydney Central Station.

Where In The World #5?

It seems so other worldly, like Mars or the Moon but it’s right here on Earth. It’s so alien that the NASA space program uses it to test rovers and other equipment. Find the answer HERE. Here Are A Few Of Our More Recent Postings You might Find Interesting…

by The Intentional Traveler
JOIN US

Spending Time In Gardens

Atlanta Botanical Garden , Gainesville

Gardens are a human obsession. We’re not talking about tomatoes and corn but flowers and trees and ornamental bushes. In traveling there are always gardens to be explored and incredible gems to be discovered. It is difficult to spend time in a garden and not have your soul refreshed. Perhaps Francis Bacon said it best, “God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed, it is the purest of human pleasures”.

As we have traveled there are times when the garden is actually the destination but often they are unexpected surprises stumbled upon as we stroll a city. Spend a minute and let us introduce you to some of our favorite gardens.

KEUKENHOF

Perhaps one of the worlds most extravagant flower shows is Amsterdam’s Keukenhof, held in the Spring. The show was actually created as a commercial exhibition representing Holland’s tulip growers and is now a major attraction.

“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” Claude Monet
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE KEUKENHOF
“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow” – Audrey Hepburn

Some gardens are just pure extravaganzas and one of the biggest is The Gardens By The Sea in Singapore. Just being near the gardens, especially at night, is an experience. If you find yourself in Singapore don’t miss the Singapore Botanical Gardens.

SINGAPORE

VISITING SINGAPORE

The North Carolina Arboretum

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Asheville North Carolina is a public Arboretum. The North Carolina Arboretum is located on The Blue Ridge Parkway near the Asheville entrance at mile marker 393. The site offers acres of cultivated gardens and groomed trails featuring some of the most beautiful, native plants in the region.

“Life begins the day you start a garden.” – Chinese proverb
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” – Abraham Lincoln

Wellington Botanical Garden

New Zealand has been described as a nation of gardners and that honor is probably well deserved.

The Wellington Botanical Garden in New Zealand is a large garden running down the side of a hill sitting above the city. The easiest way to visit the garden is to take the Salamanca – Cable Car up to the top and stroll back down into the city.

MORE IMPRESSIONS OF THE WELLINGTON GARDENS

“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth, and no culture comparable to that of the garden. ” Thomas Jefferson

To be continued but enjoy the following connections to some garden websites;

American Orchid Society Garden, Florida

New Zealand Gardens Trust – Wellington

Singapore Botanic Gardens

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami

Nan Lian Garden, Hong Kong

Wahiawa Botanical Garden, Hawaii

Citadel Jose do Canto Botanical Garden, Azores