by Deborah Smith The most amazing trip I ever took was my first Backroads (www.backroads.com) trip to Bali. I had been making plans with a girlfriend to get away for a week or so. She found the Backroads web site, where they advertised multi-sport tours ranging from easy to challenging. The Bali trip included biking,…
by Janet Bein, Young at Heart Diva The concept of backpacking appealed to my quest for adventure. When my youngest daughter would stop by my house, grungy and exhausted after a week in the wilderness, I noticed the satisfied twinkle in her eyes. She might be sunburnt, scratched, and even suffering from the painful itch…
by Jill Richardson, Granola Diva Ordering Chinese food in China is a job best done by experts. One of my Chinese friends tells me she thinks the oldest person at the table orders for everyone because it requires age and experience to acquire the necessary skill. Never was this more apparent than during my first…
by Stephanie Block Apparently, Friday is military payday. That’s when all the boys come out to spend their hard-earned money like so many campers leaving bunkbeds behind. They flood the bars of Waikiki from Kaneohe Bay and other bases—this island paradise is littered with them. Which is why, in my opinion, they call it paradise…
by Christine Ann Guth Those of you who know me are aware that if something disastrous yet strange is going to happen, it is going to happen to me. I don’t just back into any car—I back into a CNN van covering the Presidential primaries and carrying a $100,000 camera. I don’t have just a…
by Susan Mary McReynolds Ever stick your toe in the water to see how you like it? Well, it’s a bit like taking your first cruise. For years I’ve listened to jingles and seen the commercials. But it took a historic deluge to make me take the plunge. They say there’s a bright side to…
by Janet Bein, Young at Heart Diva I didn’t think twice about inviting my daughter Orli to join me for a cruise of the Galapagos Islands. This opportunity to explore the equatorial waters off the coast of Ecuador was sufficiently tempting that she was willing to plead with her boss for some extra vacation days….