A few of our favorite things to buy while traveling are Christmas ornaments, local photo books and postcards. Karen takes thousands of pictures that I sort through, crop and publish in albums on my Facebook page. I also like to make Shutterfly books of our travels. We can usually find a Christmas store somewhere on our travels or a local shop that has ornaments or an item that we can adapt for an ornament. Our preference is for locally-made ornaments. Two of my favorite ornaments are: one made from poi that I bought on my first trip to Hawaii; and a crawdaddy claw wreath from my first trip to New Orleans. We’ve also added unique ornaments from many of our international travels, with no plans to stop traveling or collecting any time soon!

Two years ago, our Christmas tree was decorated with all our travel ornaments, a chain garland made from maps from a Trans-Atlantic cruise, a globe for the tree topper and a compass under the globe. (Check out the picture in the Gallery to the right of this post.) Every year we do a different ‘decorator’ tree. We had a seashell tree when we lived in Florida. A ‘cowgirl’ tree complete with lariats, bandanas and little white hats when we lived in Texas. We’ve also had other trees decorated with hibiscus or bows and ribbons. A Disney tree popped up one year and a Red Hat tree another year. All of these trees have one thing in common – an ornament that was purchased while on vacation.

Even though Karen takes beautiful pictures to remind us of our travels, she always sends postcards from all over the world to herself as well. A short description of what we saw and the date is also a nice reminder of our travels. It doesn’t take up any room in a suitcase, is relatively inexpensive and is fun to get them in the mail after returning from a trip.

Postcard Helpful Tip #1 – Take a photo of the front and back of the postcard before mailing. There’s always a chance it may not make the journey back home to your mailbox.

Postcard Helpful Tip #2 – Take pre-printed mailing labels with you. So easy to simply peel and stick! No more looking up or remembering addresses! I print a sheet with our mailing address. Don’t forget to add ‘USA’ or your country to the label for international postal delivery.

True Postcard Story – Last year we visited Cuba. We mailed postcards from Hotel Nationale lobby, in a mail chute made in Rochester, New York (our hometown). We thought for sure they were sitting at the bottom of that mail chute, long forgotten. Several weeks later…postcards from Cuba bringing with them memories of our trip!

Beers of the World – The idea came to me to create an online photo album as Karen was enjoying a beer on many vacations. Many pictures are taken with a historic background, as well as a marked glass or coaster to aid in remembering where the beer was enjoyed. Recently, at a roof-top cafe overlooking the Trevi Fountain, another patron mentioned her photo op, said it was a great idea and he was going to do that from then on!

It doesn’t have to cost a great deal of money, or take up tons of room in your carry-on. Many travelers purchase local travel picture books or magnets or keychains or spoons or shot glasses or linens or jewelry, as well as the usual t-shirts and sweatshirts. Some even purchase larger items such as vases, or tribal masks or cuckoo clocks! (Many shops will ship these back to the States for you for a fee so you don’t have to find room in your suitcase!)

So don’t be afraid of bringing a little something home with you to remember your vacation! Enjoy it while you can! Or give it to someone you care about. I truly believe there is someone somewhere who will enjoy having a memory of you and your thoughtfulness.

“…these are a few of my favorite things…”

By now, if you are following this blog, you realize that Karen and I have done some pretty phenomenal international travels. This is possible because we both love to see and explore our world. I thought I’d take this opportunity to tell you a bit about our 3 ocean excursions and 2 river cruises taken to date with Viking. And to add to the excitement a little bit about our upcoming 2020 river cruise.

My first Viking river cruise was Tulips and Windmills, The Netherlands. I enjoyed that cruise with my husband, Ed, many years ago. Of special delight was buying tulips off a floating barge in an Amsterdam canal and enjoying them in our cabin throughout the cruise. We marveled at the beautiful Keukenhof Gardens, looked in awe at the row of working windmills at Kinderdijk, learned about Delft painting, cheese making, and dodged bicycles in Amsterdam. This trip always makes me want to go back. Someday. Maybe.

A Facebook advertisement for Empires of the Mediterranean is what got us excited about choosing Viking for our trips. The price was reasonable, Karen could get the time off from work and voila! Off we went! This wonderful cruise experience was aboard the Viking Star which provided us with 10 days on board, 8 included guided shore excursions and a visit to 5 countries! Plus a luxury ship, delicious food selections, entertainment and educational seminars, not to mention like-minded adult passengers. (You must be 18 years of age to cruise with Viking.) I never thought I would visit these places! But there we were, visiting Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece! Karen has mentioned a few times since that she would love to revisit Dubrovnik some day. But that might have to wait…we have more countries and cities awaiting us out there!

Our next ocean itinerary took us on the Viking Sea – 15 days, 9 included guided shore excursions, 6 countries, enjoyed on the In The Wake of Vikings itinerary. Hello Norway! Hi Scotland! Hey Faroe Islands! Across the Atlantic to Iceland! Cruising the Irminger Sea, into the Labrador Sea sailing from Greenland to Canada and cruising the Gulf of St. Lawrence down through L’Anse aux Meadows, Saguenay, Quebec City and Montreal! Wow! What an unbelievable journey!

After my first Viking River cruise, I always wanted to go on a Christmas Market cruise. Life just has a way of putting some plans on hold. Years later, in November 2018, I finally did it! Our Viking Danube Waltz river cruise took us to 5 countries in 8 days, with 6 included guided tours. (Note: this cruise is available year ’round.) We visited Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany. Unfortunately, this trip was not without challenges as water levels were too low for the ships to safely sail. But Viking handled all the changes as you would expect them to. The Christmas Markets are always fun. We enjoy the shopping and drinking and food. But I do have to say, our non-cruise Christkindlmarkt trip planned as a holiday surprise for me by Karen in 2017, that included the Nuremberg market, was by far the best market of all that we have enjoyed to date.

Fast forward to 2019 and our trip aboard the new Viking Jupiter (we were on the second sailing) that took us on our Iconic Western Mediterranean ocean cruise. We experienced 8 days, 4 countries and 5 included guided tours. We visited Italy, Monaco, France and Spain. Each stop brought with it history and thousands of pictures to remember it by. We saw the Colosseum in Rome, Vatican City, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Monte Carlo, France’s oldest city, Marseille and Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia by Gaudi. Amazing things that I never thought I’d see!

Fast forward again to 2020 and our much anticipated Viking River cruise from Paris to the Swiss Alps. 12 days, 4 countries and 10 included guided tours. Love having trips to look forward to!

Our world is beautiful. Step outside your window and see it in person! There’s so much history. So many diverse cultures. So many friendly faces greeting you and welcoming you to their homeland. I never thought I’d be seeing all that I am and all that I have plans to see in the future. Since 2013, all our travels have had mobility challenges for me to work through and overcome. Some easier than others. But it can be done!

Seas the Day!

My first cruise was in 1988 with my husband, Ed, on Carnival Cruise Lines, Carnivale, from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas. (I often joke that this ship would be the lifeboat tender on today’s super cruise ships!) I was hooked! Ed and I enjoyed several cruises together after that. We sailed the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, Caribbean and Mexico. Ed enjoyed the cruises and the onboard casinos, which left me time to enjoy the nightly onboard entertainment. I have many great memories of our travels together, whether they were on land or sea.

In 2013, Karen and I became travel buddies. She shares my love of travel and cruising. We’ve been to the Bahamas, Jamaica, Alaska, Cuba and probably a few more places! We have tons of pictures to remind us of how fortunate we are to be able to experience these travels. We will be doing a Fall Foliage cruise this year from New York City with ports of call in Boston, Portland, Halifax and St. John. (Let’s hope the fall colors are fabulous!)

Karen and I try to do special trips for our birthdays and Christmas. A perfect example is our cruise to Cuba in 2018 for Karen’s birthday. Yet another country I never in a million years thought I’d visit! Another excellent example is our A Very Christmas cruise on the Disney Dream in 2015 which was pretty special!

I’ve cruised on most of the major cruise lines, choosing the itinerary over preference for a particular cruise line. Of course that just means that while I am a seasoned cruiser, I really don’t have many special perks with any one cruise line – except Carnival – the fun ship! Looking back, I can see that I have cruised most on Carnival, with NCL and Royal Caribbean tied for second place for our United States area cruises.

Cruising can be fun, relaxing, exciting and it can be whatever you want it to be. Larger ships are better fitted for those with mobility challenges. The ‘motion of the ocean’ is rarely problematic due to the ship’s stabilizers. It may make more sense to book a cabin mid-ship, as then you have easier access to both the front and back (forward and aft) where dining and entertainment venues generally take place. And if you are a foodie, a cruise is perfect with the large range of choices for your culinary explorations. If you require a handicap-accessible cabin, it’s best to talk to a travel professional.

I can easily recommend starting with a more ‘local’ cruise experience for your first time, just to see how you like cruising. Take a short cruise down or up the coast. Bring your sense of adventure, whether you plan to stay on the ship or explore the ports.

“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

– Jacques Yves Cousteau

Areas of Interest
There is so very much to see and do while traveling! The upside is visiting areas and countries with all their charm and history. Unfortunately, there is also a downside for those of us who are mobility challenged. A quaint, historic town can be a somewhat dangerous minefield with the beautiful but treacherous cobblestone streets to navigate. Sidewalks are small and often not much smoother than the streets. Add in people, bicycles, motor scooters, taxis, deliveries and locals who know where they are going and it’s everyone for themselves! It’s tough walking and trying not to turn an ankle. I can only imagine how much more difficult it is to navigate with a walker, wheelchair or scooter. Please don’t let this deter you from experiencing the local area! I always see others who are mobility challenged exploring. Slow and steady is my recommendation. You know your limitations. Plan accordingly. Give yourself plenty of time to get there, experience the local delights and get back to your ship with time to spare before departure from port.

Water Closets/Lavatories
Another challenge for the mobility impaired, as Europe does not have ADA (Americans with Disability Act) is finding a restroom. There are basically two options: 1) Visit a cafe or hotel, or 2) Have spare euros or local currency to use a public WC, where lines can be long. Either way, there may be stairs involved and no elevators, as well as no handicap stalls. Have your travel companion scope it out in advance to be sure your needs can be accommodated.

Tip: Always carry extra change and extra tissues.

Ah, the shore excursions! Where you get to experience first hand the sounds, smells and delights of a particular city or location of interest. There are many choices available to you, but all are not created equal. And certainly all are not for the mobility challenged! A couple of recent experiences have made me wiser and therefore, less stressed. An “easy” walk can be exhausting, even with the promise of less stairs and smoother walking surfaces. Cruise excursion shuttle buses can only get you so close, the rest is walking, sometimes for as much as 20 minutes. And that’s for a person without mobility concerns! (I find I tend to double the suggested walking time!) A recent river cruise excursion left me alone, with my daughter, as not one of our groups, but two of our groups passed us by. We had only a passing notion of where the buses were located. It was dark. In a foreign country. Lesson learned! Connect with your tour guide and ask them to secure a taxi from the meeting point back to the buses. Trust me on this. It’s worth the cost. I had several people tell me that I had the right idea as they boarded the bus, out of breath from their ‘power walk’. Often times, someone else will be willing to share the ride, making this idea even more cost efficient. (We never paid more than $12.) Don’t attempt to hail a cab on your own, though. The tour guide knows exactly where the buses are located and can convey that information to the taxi driver, using the local language.

Next, check out the shore excursions. There should be a description of the excursion, the length of time, a cost and probably more importantly, the level of activity needed to participate. But that’s not all you should be checking. Check the reviews from past passengers who completed the excursion. Does it sound like something you want to really see? To really do? Ok, now here’s where it may get a bit tricky. What if you didn’t book an excursion from the cruise line? Why put yourself in a large group of people when you could have a much better experience on a private or semi-private tour? Yes, it’s possible and often for the same amount the cruise lines charge or even less! BUT! Don’t just go with any excursion company. Yes, it’s homework time again! Check out their reviews on TripAdvisor or Cruise Critic, for example. Those of us who post reviews are very honest about our experiences. But keep in mind that we all have different expectations and experiences. Two different people, posting a review from the same excursion could have had an entirely different experience. You just have to weigh what they are saying and make your own decision. Personally, we like to see a 4 star or better overall rating.

A very special note: If you do decide to arrange a private excursion, be sure that you know the correct time to be back on the ship. Be sure to take into consideration the time zone change. Don’t cut it so close that you may be left standing on the pier waving goodbye to your ship as it pulls out of port! Think this doesn’t happen? Think again. The ship will not wait for you! They have a schedule to keep for the comfort of all aboard.

Tip: When leaving for your trip, set your watch to the time it will be when you arrive. It really helps! When you are on ship time, you’ll never have to worry about missing the boat…unless you don’t look at your watch!

All ships are not created equal! If the idea of a cruise is on your mind, be sure to do your homework. Seriously. Determine what your budget is, where you want to sail, when you want to sail and what you want to see when you get there. Once you have narrowed that down a bit, do a search on Expedia, for example. This provides itineraries for different cruise lines. You can choose from 3-30+ nights to cruise to your heart’s desire. Now that you’ve narrowed it down to a ship or two, it’s crunch time. Check out the itinerary. Check out the type of stateroom you’ll be most comfortable in. If you use a wheelchair or scooter, it must be stored inside the cabin, which are generally small with very little space. There may be handicap rooms available that offer wider doorways and more floor access as well as bathroom amenities. First time cruiser? You might wish to sail mid-ship as it centrally locates you to the entire ship from guest services to atrium to dining and entertainment options.

Some ships are more adaptable to passengers with special needs than others. Word of caution: the elevators are small and usually crowded on port days, at dinner time, after entertainment shows and during embarkation/debarkation. If you use a wheelchair or scooter, patience is key! Also, getting on and off the ship can be problematic. Depending on the pier and terminal, the ramp from ship to shore can be steep and/or slippery with a couple of steps onto and off of it.

I have sailed on many different cruise lines over the years, from “fun ships” to luxury ships, up and down the east and west coasts as well as into the Caribbean and abroad. I’ve been on ships with as few as 100 passengers and as many as 2400+ passengers. You really have to gauge your own expectations and abilities when choosing a cruise. I find that I have higher expectations aboard the luxury variety of ships than the “fun ships”.

But all that aside, the purpose of going on a cruise is to see wonderful new things…to experience wonderful new things…to challenge yourself by participating in wonderful new things…to enjoy a new wonderful experience! Others may disagree with that statement. And that’s OK. Some take a cruise simply to get away from the everyday demands of life and enjoy good food, rest, relaxation and no electronic interference (although I think that last one may not work for some who are addicted to their phones!)

I enjoy cruising. The world I’ve seen since my first cruise many years ago, right up to last month just amazes me. I never thought I would see so much. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”

Cruise lines I’ve sailed on over the years –
Carnival; Royal Caribbean; Norwegian; Holland America; Celebrity; Viking Ocean; Viking River; Disney

Apparently everything! Especially when it comes to airline travel! I am sharing the article below to educate those who may not know this and/or who may be first time travelers. No one wants their long-awaited dream vacation delayed by weather, equipment failure or the omission of their middle name!

A Facebook travel group that I belong to is currently discussing this very thing. Some say no problem. Some say it’s easy to change. Some say it is a problem. Some say they have been quoted large sums of money to get it changed. And some are worried they might not be going on that much anticipated vacation after all.

This article is from Insider Travel – Leaving your middle name off your plane ticket can get you denied from boarding your flight — here’s why

https://www.thisisinsider.com/why-you-cant-board-flights-if-your-middle-name-isnt-on-your-ticket-2018-4?utm_content=buffer1792e&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-travel&fbclid=IwAR2bX_WPl-l3ntsLXNw9GeNQoAps3DExVDLng9wocB9AsSkn3MBEEbvVMFc

I shared an article with my daughter, Karen, a few days ago that I came across from Southern Living about annual mother/daughter travel. Whether you share your vacations with your mother, father, daughter, son, other relatives or friends, here’s an excellent takeaway from that article –

” The pictures and stories you’ll share will be with you forever—and what could be better than that?”

You can find the article here – https://www.southernliving.com/travel/annual-mother-daughter-trips

If you are traveling internationally (outside the United States), you must have a passport that will not expire for at least 6 months past your travel dates and have at least 2 blank pages. If you like to travel outside the USA on a regular basis, Global Entry is the only way to go. No more standing forever in long lines at Immigration/Customs when returning to a U.S. airport. It’s well worth the cost ($100). It also automatically includes TSA Pre✓® (although Pre✓may not be recognized by airlines outside of the United States).

I remember one such slow moving line a few years ago that took well over an hour to clear. Now, in less than 5 minutes, I can be on my way after a long flight.

Currently, Global Entry is valid for 5 years. (A passport is valid for 10 years.) So really, the cost is minimal in the end while the convenience is at a maximum.

Note: If your identification or passport includes your middle name, be sure to use that when making airline reservations. It could mean the difference between getting to where you want to go and experiencing delays.

Important Reminder: If you have Global Entry, and renew your passport during the 5 year membership, you must relink it to your Trusted Traveler Account. Also, you must update if there is a change in residence.https://ttp.cbp.dhs.gov/

Check out Global Entry – https://www.cbp.gov/travel/trusted-traveler-programs/global-entry

“Global Entry is a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States. Members enter the United States through automatic kiosks at select airports.”

Karen and I moved to Washington, D.C. about 1-1/2 years ago. Since then, we have continuously ventured out to explore the many historic sites, museums, monuments, memorials, restaurants and more. Late March/early April is Cherry Blossom Time where the Tidal Basin, monuments and neighborhoods bloom with pink and white blossoms. It’s simply a beautiful site! You don’t need a fancy camera to capture the beauty – it’s not shy! It’s everywhere you go…everywhere you look! This will be our second year to view the cherry blossoms.

There are several ways to get around to see the cherry blossoms, along with the museums, monuments and more. You can sign up for a group tour, private tour, or pedicab tour for instance. You can walk, drive or bike. Note that parking can be difficult to find on the streets and garage parking is available, but can be costly. There are limited number of handicap parking spots that are quite often already taken. For the most part, the sidewalks and pathways are smooth and level with few, if any, steps to navigate. There are ramps or alternative paths for wheelchair and scooter access. There are ample places to stop and rest on wooden or granite park benches and just enjoy the area. Restrooms may be slightly problematic, but there are usually temporary facilities set up along the way, which include a handicap station. If you are in the FDR or MLK Memorial areas, there are well-kept restrooms available. The Lincoln Memorial has a restroom but also a long line most of the time. The Jefferson Memorial has a row of temporary facilities. Food trucks, small snack shops and vendors are everywhere to grab a bite to eat or drink or purchase an item to commemorate your visit. If you are in the Tidal Basin area, across from the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, there are a couple of historic restaurants as well.

Our visit to the blossoms was a couple of days too early for their grand entrance. The day was chilly and overcast, but that was the day we could experience this once a year delight, so off we went! Still beautiful and so very photogenic.