Diary of the Traveling Pairs

When on vacation, we often think about our friends and family and want to bring them back a little something from our trip.  We want them to know we thought of them and love them.  We want them to have a momento of the place we visited.  But who should we buy it for? What should we buy? Where should we buy the souvenirs? Who should we buy a souvenir for?  We love all of our friends and family and hopefully they know this and don't necessarily need a souvenir to prove it. Everyone is different and there will be a difference of opinion about this topic.  I personally believe that most souvenirs are overrated but I also want to support he locals.  I think a good rule of thumb is to purchase a souvenir for someone who has never been to the location.  Unless of course, you see something that you know your friend or family member would absolutely love; in this case buy away and pray your have room in your bag. What should we buy as a souvenir? T-shirts...

Holiday travel can be stressful, time consuming, and down right ugly!   The roads are jam packed with people trying to get to their destination.  The airports aren't any better with longer than usual lines, extra security procedures, and potential weather complications and cancellations.  And to top it off the prices of gas and flights go up substantially due to the extra demand.  This along with the usual holiday stress of shopping, planning time with family and friends, cooking, and managing to still deal with regular work and life demands can take us over the edge quite easily.  There are a few things we can do to ease the pain. First,  plan and book your travel as early as possible.  Check that task off of your to do list!  Purchase those flights, book the hotel, and reserve your car rental as early as possible in order to get the best deal possible.  Some booking services and airlines will match cheaper flights if they ha...

Friends - The media is a blessing but can also be a curse. If you listen to the media, you will never travel.  We are in the DR right now. Currently, there is all kinds of press about the DR being dangerous and not to come here. We have been perfectly safe and have had an amazingly relaxing time.  The most disturbing thing has been the seaweed on the beach which has actually not been too bad. We should have stayed on the Caribbean Sea side of the island and will when we come back. We are at the Secrets Royal Beach, having a blast. The resort is nice. The service is good. The food is good. As platinum Unlimited Vacation Club members, we are guaranteed preferred rooms, access to all preferred club areas, and free hydrotherapy treatments at the spa. We are having a great time! Do not believe the hype! Be smart but travel and live your life. We are doing just that and we thank God for keeping us!! Live, Love, and Travel!!

Atlanta has been described as the NYC of the South. It is a great city. We traveled to Atlanta for my nephew's graduation from Morehouse College and had a great time.  There are plenty of restaurants. Our favorite is Houston's.We eat there every trip it seems. On prior trips, we have visited the MLK museum and his home. On this trip, we had a wonderful time celebrating my nephew and his accomplishments. It is amazing to visit these powerful HBCUs.   There is so much history in Atlanta. Our daughter lives in Atlanta and loves it! There seems to be a lot to see and do in this cosmopolitan southern city. We look forward to traveling there more and staying longer. 

Washington D.C. is the seat of power for the U.S. and one of the most intriguing cities in the world. I have lived in the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) area most of my life and must admit I take much of what the city has to offer for granted.  The city has amazing museums, theaters, concert venues, and restaurants, not to mention the seat of government, and the monuments.  I highly recommend you visit Washington DC. If you do, the National Museum of African American History and Culture is my favorite. You must visit the U.S. Capitol and the White House. Also, walk the mall and look st the Washington Monument. In April, we decided to have a bit of a "staycation". We stayed in DC one night and went to my favorite restaurant,  Ocean Prime. We also visited the National Archives and the National Portrait Gallery.  I have also been taking walks on the National Mall and visiting more of the museums this year. It is awesome to be in the presence of that much history...

February 2019 was a dream travel month. We literally were on 3 different continents and were in 4 countries including the U.S. (going to the West Coast of the U.S.). We traveled around the world and back again. We went from home to Egypt via Frankfurt. Then, we went to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, to India, and home via London. Our trip was full of highlights and dreams come true.  We traveled for about 3 weeks consecutively. In Egypt, we met the most amazing people and saw the most amazing places. We saw the Egyptian Museum which is full of history that you can read about on-line. The ancient culture that the artifacts represent struck me the most. We saw the Great Pyramids and went inside 2 of them. The awesomeness of the structures and the strength and pride of this African nation struck me the most. We saw the rebuilt library at Alexandria which is part of the University. We also took a dinner cruise on the Nile River. We ate amazing food and were accompanied by extraordinary...

Hello Friends - Can I just say Jamaica is back at the top of my list as my favorite island. With the seaweed explosion in the Caribbean, you need to stay on the Caribbean sea side of most islands or go to the southern Caribbean or go to Jamaica. Jamaica never disappoints unlike some of my other favorites. Cancun, and the DR, on the Atlantic Ocean side, are definitely struggling to deal with the seaweed issues. The resorts will lie and say it is not a problem but it is. It is a problem that does not seem to be going away.  Unfortunately as a beach lover and someone who loves to swim, the seaweed has knocked some of my "places to be" off of the list for now. Jamaica, however, never disappoints.  We were at the Secrets Wild Orchid in January and we are going back in August.  The resort is amazing and the water was pristine. I first stayed at this resort in 2012 when one of my best friends (sister from another mister) was married to the love of her life there. I loved th...

2018 Year-In-Review Last year was a year of amazing places and amazing people. I thank God for the wonderful world He created. Travel for me is like air. I don’t just like it. I need it and have needed it since I was 4 years old when I packed my suitcase and told my parents thank you but I am leaving now to travel the world. I never knew what, when, or how but I knew I wanted to see it all. I still have so much to see but each year we are making great progress. My husband also loves to travel and have new experiences as does my sister (through love not blood). Both co-author this blog with me. We have found that the world is an extremely complex, extremely large place with never-ending opportunities to learn. We have learned that watching on TV and listening to what others tell you about the world is misleading. There are many great and wonderful countries in this world and many great and wonderful people. We may have different cultures but as human beings, we are all more al...

In December, for our 6th wedding anniversary, we cruised the Caribbean again.  Only this time, we cruised on the Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian's new ship with 20 decks, laser tag, and go cart course on the top deck.  Wow!  It was an amazing ship.  We were so spoiled.  This was the first time that our cruise package included an open bar and wifi at no extra cost and boy did we take advantage of that.  I love morning mimosas!  This ship was AMAZING! It was 20 decks of fun.  There was always something going on and often we felt torn between two and three different events happening at the same time.  We have been on large ships before and often there are food lines, event lines, and no chairs to be had anywhere for sun bathing.  This was not the case on the beautiful Bliss.  The gym was large and had a full and holistic weight section.  We worked out every day and always had machines to use as well as the weights available for our wo...

The art deco buildings... The Christmas lights... The cars... The food... The drinks... The vibes...  It has to be South Beach Miami! We spent two days and a night in Miami before our cruise and boy did we have fun. The night life in South Beach is always poppin!  We are older and enjoy the lounges more so then the club scenes.  Mostly we walked along Ocean Drive and in the South Beach area. There are so many lounges and a number of exceptional restaurants to eat at on Ocean Drive. It's been a while since either one of us has been to Miami's South Beach area and so much has changed.  But one thing remains the same, people get done up to go gallivanting on Ocean Drive. Folks are dressed to impress and driving some pretty amazing cars to match.  Cruising down the drive is still a favorite based on the traffic pace and the amazing rides passing by.  We enjoyed sitting outdoors, indulged in amazing food and drinks, and people watched.  Sitting outdoors ...

Every time I return to New Orleans or NOLA, I am reminded why I love it so much.  It almost makes me feel like I'm in a different country but I'm not.  The Bayou people are full of southern charm and an eclectic energy that is unprecedented.  The food is to die for and definitely puts a few pounds on you if you aren't careful.  Every time I come, I always make a point to walk down Royal Street toward Jackson Square.  I really enjoy the art galleries and the outdoor artists that you see on this street.  They always amaze me with their new, creative, and inspiring artwork.  I enjoy walking around the French Quarter and bumping into all the street performers.  It's important to always have a few small bills with you so you can tip the entertainers.  Another must do when coming to the Bayou is the French Market, where you can stock up on Louisiana spices and hot sauce.  We always pick up a few t-shirts that we enjoy using while working out ...

In September, we took our favorite cruise out of Puerto Rico to the southern islands of the Caribbean on the Carnival Fascination.  We stopped at St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts, and St. Martin.  We absolutely love these islands!  We were offered a great casino rate and our family and friends couldn't pass up the offer so we were a group of 10.  Most decided on an interior room since the price was so low and we spend so little time in our cabins but Kevin and I love a balcony room.  We enjoy arriving at the port in the morning and being able to enjoy the views from the balcony.  We celebrated my father in law's birthday a few days into the trip as well and it was lovely. We enjoyed the beach at almost every island.  In St. Thomas, we went to Coki Beach and it was an  amazing day of swimming, snorkeling, and sun bathing.  In Barbados, while everyone did an island tour, Kevin and I enjoyed a day to ourselves at the Boat Yard beach....

We had a marvelous time in Italy this August.  We spent a few days in Rome, hopped over to Portugal via Oporto for a wedding celebration, spent a day exploring Lisbon, and then returned to Italy to explore the country side via train and Venice for a day.  Rome was amazing.  We did a lot of walking around, savored the amazing food, sampled a number of wines, and embraced the European cafe lifestyle. We really enjoyed the hop on hop off buses. It made it easy to pack in a lot of sightseeing in one day both in Rome and in Lisbon.  In Rome, we booked a half day private tour that allowed us to skip the long lines and explore the Vatican City, St. Peters Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and the Colosseum.  I highly recommend doing this or getting there extremely early as the lines are long and move slowly.  Rome is definitely one of the hottest cities we've every visited.  The sun seems to just beam down on you and their is no breeze to speak of.  It makes yo...