I published this post in 2020, five years after having traveled through Iran for three weeks. As I sat and read through it this morning, I was heartbroken to realize we are (as a world) right back where we were in 2020. It’s staggering, actually. With that being said I am republishing this post today.

Arches National Park.  As you’re mapping out your travel plans, keep in mind our national treasures; our national parks.  I’ve often said I would love to pack the car, plot a map course and just take off to explore each and every national park.  We have definitely visited our share but we still lag woefully behind.  And, I don’t remember a more relevant time than right now to pay attention to our parks. Winter, proved to be a spectacular season to visit Arches.

We just spent the better part of today (January 2026) shoveling snow. I love the snow, I find it magical and actually quite good exercise when one has to shovel for hours. Snow always reminds me of Paris. We spent three weeks in Paris, in another month of January many years ago, and once again I’m thinking of our winter visit to Sacre Coeur.  And, yes, Paris is fabulous under a blanket of snow. Enjoy this walk down memory lane.

Wilmington, Delaware. It may not be the biggest name in travel destinations, but it has a lot to offer. So much so that we recently made our fifth trip to the region. Just a hop skip and jump to the northwest of Wilmington is the Brandywine Valley. The valley is so beautiful, it just keeps pulling us back.

Road trips are probably our most favorite mode of travel, followed closely by train travel.  We decided to jump start our Christmas holiday with a yuletide road trip that took us just beyond our backyard to the Brandywine Valley which stretches across the borders of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

I’ve been dreaming of a White Christmas for 11 1/2 years, ever since we moved east. One would think living on the east coast of the US, it would be a given to see a blanket of white on Christmas morning, but alas… it has yet to happen. We’ve come close, maybe a few days before or after, but never on the actual holiday. Maybe this year?

Fenwick Island, Delaware is just a bit north of the more well-known and more populous Ocean City, Maryland. Think of it has a long strip of land with beautiful beaches on one side, and a whole lot of hotels, eateries and entertainment on the other. It was with that in mind, we hit the road for a 24-hour road trip.

Maryland -vs- Virginia. I don’t really know how often one can stand on either side of a river and be in a different state, but that’s the story of Great Falls National Park and the Potomac River. It’s really quite something.

Located in north eastern Washington, DC, Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens National Park gives the Washington, DC annual cherry blossoms a run for their money. So-to-speak. While the gardens are not as well-known, they are certainly beautiful in their own right.

Road Trip Travel Tips. Are you making plans and gearing up for a summer road trip? Or, for that matter, any other time of the year? Truth be told, road trips are by far my most favorite way to travel, followed by train travel which runs a close second. There’s just something really special about a road trip and the flexibility traveling by car offers.

“Roads were made for journeys, not destinations.” Confucious