I’m passionate about travel and everything related to it. I enjoy researching and planning trips and I particularly enjoy finding a good deal for traveling on a shoestring budget. I’m proud that my packing skills enable me to take only a carry-on bag regardless of the duration of the trip. I love history, wine, and food, (in that order) and all my adventures highlight these important features. I especially enjoy meeting new people and find that we always have unexpected and surprising connections. My goal is to reflect on and share my experiences on my blog, All Things Travel.
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Categories
Index
- Day Trip to Fujisan
- Tokyo with Tomo Day 2
- Touring Tokyo with Tomo
- Our Time with Tomo
- More Singapore
- Crazy (But Not) Rich Tourists in Singapore
- Semarang: City of Jamu
- Suksma Bali
- Finding Balance in Bali
- Here Be Dragons: Komodo National Park
- Hooroo Down Under at Darwin
- Cairns: Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef
- Great Barrier Reef
- *Disappointment in Brisbane
- At Home on the Norwegian Jewel
- Heart and Coal in Newcastle
- Leaving Sydney on the Norwegian Jewel
- Down Under in the Blue Mountains
- Down Under on the HO HO to Bondi
- Down Under at the Coathanger
- Down Under at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney
- Down Under at the Sydney Opera House
- Down Under at Manly Beach
- Day 1 Down Under
- Planning to Cruise Australia
- Amsterdam Revisited
- Saying Goodbye to the Viking Kara
- Polders in Kinderdijk
- Under the Mistletoe at Brühl Palaces
- Ode to Cologne
- Remarkable Marksburg
- Castles on the Rhine
- Heidelberg in 5 Hours
- Storks and More in Strasbourg
- A Walk through Medieval Colmar
- Let Them Eat (Black Forest) Cake
- A Walking Tour of Basel
- The Train to Basel
- Jungfrau PostScript
- The Top of Europe
- Grindelwald Interlude
- Mt. Titlis Adventure
- An Afternoon in Lucerne
- Alpine Views from the Bernina Express
- Chur: Gateway to the Bernina Express
- Zurich from the Bus
- Thank You, Dear Readers
- Broke Back Mountain Meets the Swiss Alps
- The Best Laid Plans for the Swiss Alps
- A Bridge Far Enough
- Welcome to Mackinac Island
- Michigan: Beacon for Lighthouse Enthusiasts
- Celebrating 35 years at Niagara Falls
- Kingston, Ontario to Niagara Falls
- Algonquin Provincial Park and More
- Lake Huron on Day 5
- All Aboard the Agawa Canyon Tour Train
- Sault Ste. Marie on Day 3
- Silver Bay to Schreiber, Day 2 of GLRT 2017
- Great Lakes Road Trip (GLRT) 2017: Day 1
- Great Lakes Road Trip 2017
- American Gothic Visited
- Cruising the Tasman Sea
- Bay of Islands, New Zealand
- The Great American Eclipse
- Auckland War Memorial Museum
- Waitomo Glowworm Caves
- Nau mai ki Tāmaki (Welcome to Auckland)
- How My Dream Trip Became a Nightmare
- Hasta la Vista PA
- Puerto Aventuras 2017 Continued
- Puerto Aventuras 2017
- Ruins of Cluny Abbey
- Wine 101 in Beaujolais
- Timeless Town of Perouges
- A Taste of Provence in Lyon
- A Taste of Lyon, France
- Through the Ages in Vienne, France
- Train de l’Ardeche
- Exploring Tournon-sur-Rhône
- Day 4: Viviers
- Pont du Gard
- Back to Avignon
- Tarascon Tour
- A Walking Tour of Arles, France
- Day 1: Sur le Pont d’Avignon
- River Cruising
- Just Another Packing Post
- Virginia Beach Family Tradition
- Camino de Santiago
- Explorers in Lisbon
- Lost in Lisbon
- 7 Hours on the Rock
- My Tale of the Alhambra
- Day Trip to Sevilla, Spain
- A Walk Around Cádiz
- Adventure in Porto, Portugal
- Un Día en A Coruña, Spain
- Setting Sail on the MS Rotterdam
- A Day in Bruges
- In Bruges at Last
- Taking the Scenic Route to Bruges
- A Stroll through Keukenhof
- Siesta Key and Beyond
- Solo on Siesta Key
- One More Puerto Aventuras Post
- Sailing Fat Cat from Puerto Aventuras
- Beach Day at Playa del Carmen
- Stinking and Sinking in Puerto Aventuras
- Don’t Miss Chichen Itza
- Behaving Badly in Puerto Aventuras
- Aloha ‘Oe, Hawaii
- The Na Pali Coast of Kauai
- More on the Garden Isle of Kauai
- Visiting the Garden Isle of Kauai
- Unscripted on the Big Island
- The Legend of Akaka Falls
- Hiking Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
- Iao Valley State Park, Maui
- Upcountry Maui
- The Road to Hana through the Back Door
- Welcome Aboard the Pride of America
- Oahu Wrap Up
- Pearl Harbor Sacred Site
- Aloha from Oahu
- Cruising Hawaii
- “Totally Unique and Unexpected!” Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Hiking to History at Mesa Verde
- Panic to Perfection at the Grand Canyon
- More Mukuntuweap (Zion)
- Mukuntuweap aka Zion
- I Found My Park Hiking the Hoodoos
- Find Your Park at Capitol Reef
- Needles, Butler Wash, and Natural Bridges
- Exploring Canyonlands and More
- Arches, Arches, and More Arches
- Colorado National Monument and More
- Rocky Mountain High
- Westward Ho
- My Favorite New Travel Hack
- Wrap Up in Anchorage
- McKinley Explorer
- Do Not Miss Denali
- Scenes from the Bus to Denali
- Glacier Bay, Alaska
- All Aboard in Skagway, Alaska
- Over the River and Through the Woods at Korbisch’s Christmas Tree Farm
- Alaskan Cruise: Juneau, Alaska
- Fishing for the Halibut in Ketchikan
- The Inside Passage to Ketchikan, Alaska
- Setting Sail on the HAL Oosterdam
- America’s Hometown: Charles City, Iowa
- Leaving Vancouver
- The Rustic Corner is Definitely Worth the Trip
- The North Iowa Bloggers Getaway at Red Cedar Lodge
- Cruising Through Stanley Park
- Capilano: It’s All About the Bridge
- Less than 2 Days in Vancouver, BC
- North to Alaska 2015
- Dublin Dining
- Prehistoric Ireland: The Hill of Tara and Brú na Bóinne
- Warning: Castle Ahead
- Galway Next Time
- Touring the Burren
- The Craic Was Ninety in Doolin
- The Cliffs of Moher and More
- Doing the Dingle, Peninsula That Is
- Ireland’s Best Day Out in Killarney National Park
- The Ring of Kerry on the Wild Atlantic Way
- Touring Kinsale with Barry
- Ireland Beyond the Pale
- Dublin Hit or Miss
- Synchronicity in Dublin
- Sláinte
- Bog Bodies and More at the National Museum of Ireland
- Baile Átha Cliath, aka Dublin, Day 1
- “Bends Ahead” in Ireland
- Clontarf Castle
- Planning with the Luck O’ the Irish
- Siesta Key Reprised…Sort of…
- Oops. How Embarrassing.
- The Best Thing I Ate in Puerto Aventuras
- Walk on the Wild Side in Mexico
- Contrasting Tulum and Akumal
- #AmysGift
- Better than Finding 20 Bucks in a Cenote
- Serendipity in Puerto Aventuras, Mexico
- Do You Want to Know a Secret?
- Foodie Report for the Norwegian Star
- If Everyone Liked It…
- That’s Entertainment — Norwegian Star Style
- Fit for Travel in 2015
- Cartagena, Colombia
- Christmas Tidings
- The Panama Canal Back Story
- Quarantine on the Norwegian Star
- Margaritas, Chips, Pico de Gallo, and WIFI in Mexico
- High Seas Adventure at Cabo San Lucas
- Packing for a 2 week cruise
- Cruising from the Port of Los Angeles
- Sirens of the Lambs
- Greek Food. Opa!
- Still More in Athens, Greece
- The New Acropolis Museum
- The Acropolis
- Athens, Greece
- Worthwhile in Wyoming
- Blank Park Zoo
- Escape to Siesta Key
- The Mystery of Jackson Lake at Grand Teton National Park
- Yellowstone
- Girls Getaway: Near Nature, Near Perfect
- Deadwood to Devils Tower
- Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore
- My Bad. Badlands.
- Scenic Serbia
- Zašto Srbija? (translation: Why Serbia?)
- The Cinque Terre—Hiking Shoes Required
- Renaissance Ramparts in Lucca
- Pickpockets in Pisa
- Exploring Tuscany
- Highlights of Florence in 3 Days
- The Un-Foodie’s Florence
- Florence, Italy— October, 2013
- Weather or Not
- No Hooting, Save the Rhino, and Dung Beetles Have the Right of Way
- Black Mamba
- Saving Giraffes
- Chasing the Elusive Leopard
- Up, Up, and Away
- Kruger National Park
- Vuyani Safari Lodge
- Safari!
- JoBurg from the Bus, Soweto, and on to Vuyani
- JoBurg From The Big Red Bus
- The Adventure
- Travel, like life, is full of surprises
- Countdown to Africa – South African History Simplified
- Countdown to Africa – Preparation
- My packed carry on rolling backpack is 22X14X9 and my small backpack that I carry as a personal item is 15X10X6.
- Countdown to Africa: Packing Tips
- Countdown to Africa- How This Trip Found Me
- About Me
- Why blog?
Pingback: It’s a small world after all | lclalor
I can’t wait to follow you on your adventures and live vicariously through you 🙂
YOU SOUND JUST LIKE ME I LOVE TO TRAVELNEW ADVENTURES IM THE TOURIST OF THE FAMILY & COMMUNITY CHURCHES, BEACHES FUN ADVENTURES.
Thanks for providing me with vicarious travel experiences….your insights make the various destinations way more interesting than just plain researching the location!
Hi There,
Thank you for taking the time to stop by my little corner of the blogosphere, your support is greatly appreciated. Hope you are enjoying my posts and images. I look forward to seeing more from you,
Have a great Day 🙂
Eddie
What month and year did you go to South Africa? Am just trying to find your posts about the safari lodge as I’d love to read them thanks Rosemary (Le Chic En Rose) 🙂
Hi Rosemary,
We were in South Africa last February, 2014. I actually started my blog to record our adventures there and just kept going since then. The posts are in Feb and March, 2014. You can also look at their website, read their blog, and like them on Facebook at http://www.vuyanilodge.com.
Cheers.
Thanks I’ll take a look! 🙂
Hello LCLalor! I’ve decided to read and follow 15 interesting and new blogs a day every day for the first month of 2015, and yours is today’s #5! Feel free to come visit me when you can at http://www.thatssojacob.wordpress.com, and follow if you like what you read. Happy new year and happy blogging!
What an interesting idea. I’m glad I made the list. I’ll certainly check out your blog, too.
Hi Lclalor,
I’m glad to have found your blog. I really love your blog and your blogging style. I had read several articles on your blog and I think it is very useful for the tourists, so I would like to invite you to join our community to share your articles with us.
Actually, this is a website which aims to connect the bloggers and the tourists. Bloggers can to share their articles, photos or short comment about some interesting places around the world. I know you love travel and write a lots of articles about travel, so I really want to invite you to join us, let more tourists can find your blog and know more about your story.
Look for your reply, hope you all the best =)
http://www.travelersfootprint.com
Sam
Hi, Regards to u both from the 2 English snorkellers you met in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Hoping the rest of your holiday went well. We arrived back in Devon yesterday and wish we were still at the Catalonia Royal. Our trip to Chichen Itza last week was amazing. I might have to do a blog on Mexico now, having read your wonderful trips. Enjoy N. Z. next month, our future plan is Africa in May, but we might head off somewhere warm in March first, best wishes and happy travelling, Liz and Peter x
Hi Liz, I looked at your blog while we were still in Mexico but didn’t leave a comment at the time. I’ll be back, however, to read more and drop you a comment or two. We enjoyed our stay so much we reserved again for next year which will be our 4th year in a row. Typically, we don’t return places as there are so many new places to see but we like to relax and just enjoy a getaway from the weather here in January. I’m glad you got to Chichen Itza; it really is impressive, isn’t it? Next time, check out Coba–you can still climb the pyramid there. Jim did; I only went far enough for a photo. I’m looking forward to reading about your future travels so keep posting. And don’t judge all Americans by our crazy government for the next 4 years. 🤡
Laura and Jim
Hi! I was trying to find you but forgot your name. I remembered the name of the blog and hope you remember Dale and me from the New Zealand/Australia trip. We continued on the trip and had a great time. Let me know if you want any pictures. We are also still in contact with Debbie and Jerry, our fellow non-Visa line-mates.
Of course I remember you, Michelle. I’m beginning to write blog posts about our ill-fated cruise so I just looked at the photo of the 6 of us at dinner. I try to post on travel Tuesdays so check back for posts and feel free to comment with your memories. I keep looking for this itinerary to be repeated but so far I’ve seen nothing close. I hope your trip was everything we hoped ours would be. Thanks for reaching out and keep in touch.
Greetings!! Thank you for your blog I found it very helpful! My husband and 2 children (18 &21) are travelling to Puerto Aventuras staying at the Dreams resort next to the Dolphin Discovery.
I am thinking of one excursion while we are there and wondering what you feel like we shouldn’t miss.
The Boating or one of the underwater caves or ruins? and what company would you recommend the most (we like fun)
We can visit the Dream’s sister resort for free (I read) in Tulum – so I thought we would do that one day.
I read that you took the bus to Tulum… is that safe and easy to use?
Any other recommendations after going there so many times, just trying to narrow down your must go tos!
Thank you in advance!
Oops, Tammy, my response to you came out as Anonymous, probably because I wasn’t signed in properly in Mexico.
We are actually in Puerto Aventuras right now for our fourth visit. I’m glad you found my blog helpful.
Snorkeling is the big thing around here. We have gone snorkeling from PA with Fat Cats (you’ll find the boats in the marina and the office is nearby) and the Original Snorkeling Adventure to the national park at Puerto Morelos. This year we plan to take the ferry to Cozumel and snorkel over there but we haven’t picked an outfitter yet. I’ll let you know what we decide.
Fat Cats was a good first experience. It was a half day on a big catamaran with a sack lunch and drinks and music during the boat ride. After snorkeling, we stopped for a swim on the way back.
The Original Snorkeling Adventure is all day. They pick you up at your hotel, drive you to Puerto Moreles to their park, then load you into small boats to go to three different areas in the national park to snorkel. They also provide a buffet lunch. I saw a poor recent review on TripAdvisor from an experienced snorkeler who was not impressed with the reef but we’re essentially novices who want to experience what the area has to offer. We enjoyed it. Be advised to take extra cash for the national park fee (I think it was about $5 per person) and bio-degradable sunscreen.
We also rented equipment the first year and went to a nearby cenote by local bus on our own to snorkel. That was a cheap adventure!
Which brings up the local buses. Called colectivo, they are passenger vans that run up and down the coast. They charge based on distance. We went to Playa del Carmen yesterday and it cost 30 pesos each. We’ve taken the colectivo to Akamal and Tulum, too. They are perfectly safe and a great way to get around. Both beaches are beautiful. Akamal is a favorite for snorkeling to see the sea turtles but we haven’t done that yet.
We’ve also done tours to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza and Coba. These tours are all day by bus with a buffet lunch and a stop at a cenote for a swim. We’re history nerds so we like that but it’s not for everyone. It’s a long day and a long bus ride.
Whatever you decide, if you have are open to new experiences and different cultures, I’m sure you’ll have a good time. The people here work very hard and try to please the tourists.
I’ve been to Dreams for a massage so I have been to your hotel. I think you’ll have plenty of fun and entertainment on-site. They can help you book whatever excursion you decide on. If you have other questions, let me know and please let me know how you enjoyed your visit.
Enjoyed your blog about your Viking River Cruise in France on the Rhone. We are preparing for the same trip at the end of September 2018 on the Viking Heimdal. We’d like to know what optional excursions you did and were they worth the extra cost.
Thank you so much for posting all the lovely pictures and great information.
Janet and Dennis Moss
Thanks for your kind words, Janet. We did 3 optional excursions: Pont du Gard, Perouges, and Cluny Abbey. We enjoyed all of them tremendously and thought they were all worth the extra cost. You may have already seen the blog posts on each one but that would give you an idea of what we saw. September should be gorgeous on the Rhone. Enjoy your cruise!