Smart Use of Frequent Flyer Miles

Like everyone else, I have preferences but as a rule, I’m not brand loyal. Not to airlines, not to hotels, not to gas stations, not to websites… pretty much not to anything. Sometimes that might hurt me but most of the time it serves me quite well. I belong to...

Lost Luggage Full of Contraband

Practically everyone has a tale of lost luggage. Mine includes a $90 bottle of 10 year old rum, some contraband coffee beans, smuggled fruit and foreign currency. Our first trip to the islands of the West Indies was a great adventure! My daughter and I toured a 16th century sugar...

Termites Taste Like Carrots!

With the tropical rainforest canopy stretching overhead, our guide Brandon pointed out different species of trees to the dozen or so of us in his group. As he did, he casually raised his walking stick into the air and jabbed it into a large black bulb in the side of...

Experiences Over Things

I’ve always had a knack for making birthdays and holidays special. Even when getting caught up in the materialistic, consumer culture of America, I still tried to put my own special twist on it. On literally the day my daughter was born we had a “zero birthday” party for her....

Fabulous Trips, Super Cheap (Part 2)

In this 2nd installment of looking at how I plan great trips on the cheap, I will show what happens when I’m forced to take a completely different approach. Martiniqué, West Indies – January 2016 People traveling: 2 Length of Trip: 6 days Destinations: 3 Total combined cost: $961 The trip to...

Fabulous Trips, Super Cheap (Part 1)

The promise of AmazingWorldAdventures is that you can take incredible trips without breaking the bank. Today I’m going to share a little of my process with you. My 20 year old daughter, who has been my default travel buddy for several years now, recently started planning her own trips independently...

Toronto, ON is like NYC only better

I’ve been to most of the big cities in the United States and a few outside. Of all the big cities I’ve been to so far, Toronto is my favorite. Were it not for the climate, I would seriously consider living there. I read once that Toronto is what New...

Doing what city government does best — making maple syrup!

The business of local government is to look after the common good for the people living in or visiting the municipality. Road maintenance, school administration, emergency services, public parks, and of course, making maple syrup. The city of Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada may be the only city in the world...

Peruvian Birthday Adventure

“Are you crazy?!” “You’ll starve to death.” “You’re going to end up mugged or killed.” “Why would you put your daughter in harm’s way like that?” “How are you going to communicate?” I heard all that and more. As my daughter’s 18th birthday approached, I told her that I was...

Better Than a Hotel

Are you familiar with AirBNB? It’s an online service for peer-to-peer lodging rentals. Say you have a house or apartment that’s sitting vacant, or a guest room or even just a couch. You can list it and travelers looking for a place to stay might rent it from you. I...