Diary of the Traveling Pairs

I think we on the east coast of the United States often take the Caribbean for granted. The beauty of the Caribbean is breathtaking. The people are amazing. The variety of the topography and things to do on each island is no less than wondrous. We have had amazing vacations to the Caribbean region and it never gets old. Having the Caribbean region a few hours flight away (and typically direct flights) is a benefit we should never take for granted when living on the east coast. We have visited over a dozen places in the Caribbean together and even more before we were a couple. All of them beautiful with many things to do. You cannot go wrong with any area of the Caribbean you choose to visit, although we have some least favorite places. The list of locations we have visited include: the Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas (Nassau), Barbados, Jamaica, Cancun, Cozumel, St. Thomas, St. Croix, the Dominican Republic (Punta Cana), Belize, Costa Maya, Coco Cay, an...

As you know by now, we love to cruise and have visited many of the Caribbean islands via sea.  In fact we often choose a cruise itinerary that has an island that we have not yet visited. The islands west of the Mona Passage are considered Western Caribbean islands.  We have visited Cozumel, Bahamas Nassau and Freeport islands, Turks and Caicos' Grand Turk island, Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola, Jamaica and Grand Cayman.  Although we love all these islands Jamaica and Grand Cayman have a special place in our heart.  In 2012, Kevin proposed in Grand Cayman while on a western Caribbean cruise.  The next stop after Grand Cayman was Jamaica.  We climbed the Dunns River Falls and even carved our names in the rocks.  That same year, we were married in Jamaica and returned to Dunns River Falls while on honeymoon to find our names. The eastern Caribbean islands are the Leeward and Windward islands.  We've visited a number of the Leewa...

To celebrate mom's 70th Birthday, my brother and I took her to Tampa, Florida.  Mom had never been to Florida and we knew she would love it.  Mom and I flew from DCA and had a lovely flight.  My brother and his family drove from NJ down to Florida.  We arrived at about the same time at the AirBnB.  We rented a beautiful Victorian home in Tampa a block from the bay.  It had 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms upstairs a large dining room, living room, library and kitchen on the first floor. It was quaint and roomy.  This was my first time staying at an AirBnB but my brother and sister-in-law have done so many times and enjoy it very much.  There are many conveniences of renting a home, especially when it's a large family vacation like this.  Some of the cons are that you have to make your own bed and clean up after yourself some.  Also, the neighbors next door had a party that lasted into the wee hours of the night on one night which wa...

This year for our birthday trip we decided to go explore Panama.  Panama did not disappoint.  I was very surprised to learn that Panama City was as advanced of a city as it was.  The skyscrapers were numerous and each more impressive than the next. It was very comparable to NYC or Miami and I would even say that it was even more metropolitan.  I'm not sure why but I was expecting Panama to be more like Costa Rica, more wild wild west.  It was a pleasant surprise. We stayed at Dreams All Inclusive Resort, Playa Bonita which is part of the Unlimited Vacation Club.  It was the first resort we've stayed at that was family oriented and allowed kids.  You would think there were kids running around everywhere; however, there weren't many at all the week we were there.  Now those of you who've been following our blog know that Kevin and I are usually beach bums for most of our vacations.  In Panama, we ventured out of the resort three times. ...

What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas, Unless You are a Travel Blogger   On our rating scale of a place not for me, a place to see (go at least 1 time and stay), a place to be (go again and again), and a place for me (our absolute favorites), Las Vegas is a place to be. We have visited Las Vegas over the course of our lives every few years. Las Vegas is a travel destination where we always enjoy ourselves. We find ourselves traveling to Las Vegas for a specific purpose many times. Typically, we go to Las Vegas to catch a particular show or we go there for a conference. This time, we are visiting Las Vegas to attend a show and to visit the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam. There is a lot to do in the Las Vegas area. We highly recommend Las Vegas as a place to go a few times, if you travel often.   When you make the decision to go to Las Vegas, do not pay full price for a hotel stay. Las Vegas is a place where there are always deals. Each time we have trav...