All Inclusive, Covid-19, Romantic Getaways, Travel Hacks, Travel services

Romance and Relaxation at Jamaica’s Couples Resorts

Are you looking for a secluded hideaway for your honeymoon or anniversary? Consider Couples Resorts, Jamaica’s original all-inclusive resort. With two locations in Negril and two in Ocho Rios, Couples offers four luxury, all-inclusive properties as the setting for your next romantic beach vacation: Couples Negril, Couples Swept Away, Couples San Souci and Couples Tower Isle. Two weeks ago, I visited all four Couples Resorts to get firsthand experience and all the latest updates about room categories, wedding venues, group space and, of course, the world-famous beaches. I also learned about the most recent safety protocols Couples Resorts is implementing
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Covid-19, Hotels, Romantic Getaways, Staycations, Travel Hacks

A Classy Getaway at Nashville’s Historic Hermitage Hotel

Maybe you’re not ready to hop on a plane yet. I understand. But there’s no reason you can’t have a travel experience in your own hometown. I live in a suburb of Nashville, one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States. Over 100 people move to Nashville every day, and it’s one of the most popular destinations for bachelorette parties. I hardly recognize the downtown area anymore. Whenever my friends come to Nashville, they rave about touring the Ryman Auditorium, the Parthenon, Belle Meade Plantation, the Carnton Mansion, Hatch Show Print or the Frist Art Museum. I’d always feel
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Covid-19, Family, Staycations, Travel Hacks

High Country Adventures Cures the Covid-19 Blues

I love planning other people’s vacations. Some planning takes weeks, and other trips take years of preparation. But when it comes to my travel, I tend to be spontaneous. Last weekend was no exception. My daughter, Adelynn, was invited to go whitewater rafting with a friend and her family, and all of a sudden, rafting sounded like an excellent idea. The weather was hot, and we needed something active to do in the summer heat. Nadia is too young to raft, so Mark said he would stay home with her. That left me, Ethan (17) and Clarissa (14). Choosing High
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Covid-19, Family, Hotels, Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando is BACK!

A few weeks ago, I took my four kids to Universal Orlando. They had a two-week break from band and we had nothing on our schedule, so we hopped a plane from Nashville to Orlando. I usually fly Southwest, but Frontier has had some spectacular deals. We got roundtrip tickets for $70 each. I like Frontier as a discounted airline carrier because you can save money if you pack light and if you are open to sitting wherever Frontier places you.  Frontier charges you for every checked and carry-on bag and for selecting your seat. We decided to stay at
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Covid-19, Disney, Family, Health News, Travel services

Disney World is OPEN Again!

On July 11, 2020, Disney World welcomed guests into the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom for the first time in 118 days. Disney Parks chose to implement a phased reopening for the Most Magical Place on Earth. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom opened their gates on July 11. Epcot and Hollywood Studios will open on Wednesday, July 15. As you can imagine, Disney Parks have had to make some significant changes to keep guests safe. Guest Capacity Disney is strictly limiting capacity to the parks by implementing a park reservation system. If you want to visit a Disney park, you
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Hotels, Romantic Getaways, Staycations

Mother’s Day Staycation at Harpeth Hotel

For Mother’s Day, my husband gifted me with a stay at the new Harpeth Hotel in Historic Downtown Franklin, Tennessee. This luxury property is part of the Hilton Collection and is located on the banks of the Harpeth River at 130 N. 2nd Avenue. We live only two miles down the road, but the charming exterior of this establishment has been beckoning me since it opened in 2019. Why would I want to stay at a hotel that is within walking distance of my front door? The Harpeth Hotel is the first hotel to be built in the historic downtown.
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cruises, Disney, Family, Girls' Weekend, Travel Hacks

The Trip That Goes Wrong, Part 2

You know those times in life where you think to yourself, “This could go either way”? Sometimes, you find yourself at a crossroads, and you know things are about to turn out really well or totally go down the toilet. Let me give you a quick recap. In a matter of a moment, my future had changed. I didn’t think I would be able to get on the Disney Wonder cruise ship, but my friend Sela broke into my house and sent me a photo of my birth certificate. In just one text—a picture of a piece of paper with
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cruises, Disney, Girls' Weekend, Travel Hacks

The Trip That Goes Wrong: Confessions of a Travel Agent

Have you ever heard of The Play That Goes Wrong? It’s a Monty Python-meets-Sherlock-Holmes whodunit play-within-a-play about series of disasters that happen when the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society is asked to put on a performance of The Murder at Haversham Manor. Well, I had my own rendition of The TRIP That Goes Wrong. It didn’t involve collapsing floors, misplaced dialogue and cast members being knocked unconscious, but it did involve forgotten passports, legal house break-ins, vibrating beds and one of the worst sinus infections of my life. Interested? Please read on and feel free to laugh and commiserate and
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Health News

How to Prevent Digital Eye Strain During Quarantine

How to Prevent Digital Eye Strain During Quarantine The Stay at Home Order has significantly diminished our options for recreation, hasn’t it?  Restaurants, theaters and parks are closed, and I find myself on social media and Netflix more than ever. I also see my kids on their devices more often these days. I tend to forgive myself and all the members of my household because, after all, what other options do we have? Although I think it is totally fine to give ourselves some grace for binging on video games and Amazon Prime, I have to remind myself that my
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Work Life

Getting Started – A Travel and Writing Blog

I’m finally doing it. After years of promising myself and other people that I’d start a blog, I’m finally following through. I must stay, at 60 seconds in, it feels great. I feel accomplished, confident and thoroughly optimistic that I’ll be blogging on a weekly basis and never miss a single post. I’m fairly sure I’ll never have writer’s block and I’ll always know exactly what photos to post. I’ll have original ideas that no one has ever thought of before, and I’ll probably have a few hundred followers by tomorrow morning. Do you believe that even for a second?
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