Happy Thanksgiving! Celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving was originally a day of giving thanks for the blessings of the preceding year and of the harvest. It is a secular celebration, although it has roots in religious and cultural traditions, and is associated with the gathering of family and friends to feast from the bountiful harvest. I will be feasting with family and friends today and food and drink will be plentiful. In the midst of this all, I wanted to give thanks for my blessings of this year. Here are 25 things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving 2016. Family and friends, including the four-footed ones. These are people who make my world a better place every single day. I love you all. Better vision. A year ago I had cataract surgery to correct my failing […]
Read More2016 Holiday Gift Guide for Travel Lovers
We’re approaching the gift giving season, and while I prefer to take my holidays one at a time (Thanksgiving is Thursday), I know that many readers are busy making shopping plans for this coming holiday weekend – including Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For your gift giving consideration, here are some of my favorite holiday gifts that are perfect for travel lovers. Gadgets & Electronics Kindle While I enjoy the feel of a book in my hand as much as the next reading lover, I don’t love the weight that those books add to my carry-on bag. Packing for a three-week European trip requires lots of books to read, far more than I’m willing to pack around. That’s one of the reasons I love my Kindle. I currently have the Kindle Paperwhite and it’s my top recommended gift suggestions. The Paperwhite […]
Read MoreGetaway to Nara, Japan
Nara, located in the Kansai region of Japan, was formerly known as Heijo and in 710 was established as Japan’s first permanent capital. The capital was moved in 784, in large part due to the growing power and ambition of the many Buddhist monasteries located there. The historical treasures of the area remain, however, including some of the oldest and largest temples in Japan. Like most other cities in Japan, there is folklore around the name of Nara. A variety of theories exist, but the most widely accepted one says that the name came from words and phrases that meant “flat land” or “gentle slope” which described the area’s topography. Today Nara is the capital city of Nara Prefecture and is an active center of both government and commerce. Like Awaji, It makes an easy getaway destination from Kyoto and […]
Read MoreWine Tasting with MJ
You know how I love my wine! That’s part of the reason I came up with my quest to visit all the wineries in Washington State – over 900 of them! You can find more about that quest on my new wine website, Seattle Bits & Bites, where I’ll be writing about my quest and visiting wineries. But there will be more – the site is about all things related to wine tourism, and will include winery information and visits, news, food, restaurants, festivals and events, tasting rooms, attractions and more. It’s all the things that go right along with wine to make life enjoyable. I’ll share bits of information about where to get the great bites around the state, whether that’s a formal winemaker dinner, a burger and shake at a roadside drive in, or the latest restaurant to […]
Read MoreVisiting the Caribbean Coast of Colombia
This week’s episode of the Where Else to Go podcast features Gemma from Two Scots Abroad. Gemma talks about their adventures on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. After a couple of months in Peru and Bolivia. she kept getting recommendations to go to Colombia. After time spent in the bigger cities, Bogota, Medellin, and Cartagena, she ventured out to the coast and found her heart stolen by both the beaches and the towns of Santa Marta, Costeño, Tayrona National Park and also Minca, a tiny town tucked away in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Take a listen (and you can get the full show notes here). Remember, you can also find and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and subscribe to the podcast on Google Play.
Read MoreUniversal Orlando Resort: I’m So Excited
I am an unapologetic Universal fan, whether it’s Universal Orlando Resorts in Florida (I went there last year for Halloween Horror Nights), or Universal Studios Hollywood (I went there on a getaway last month with a family teenager). So you can imagine my enthusiasm when Universal Orlando Resorts asked me to join their Blog Squad, a year long ambassador program to discover and write about the theme parks (and a water park opening early next year), special events, world-class hotels and entertainment venues, shopping, food, and more. (You can read the announcement here.) This opportunity to discover more about Universal Orlando starts tomorrow! I’m excited to spend five days on site in the company of other bloggers, photographers, and videographers, many of whom I’ve not yet met. My stories of discovery and fun will come weeks and months down the road, […]
Read MoreWhere Else to Go Podcast: Rwanda
After a bit of a hiatus, the Where Else to Go podcast is back, and in this episode I talk with Bret Love from Green Global Travel about Rwanda. If you’ve ever thought about visiting this African nation, perhaps visiting the gorillas or chimpanzees, you’ll want to listen to this episode. Pin this to your favorite Pinterest boards.
Read MoreFall Travel Getaway Guide: Providence, Rhode Island
Fall is a wonderful time to plan a getaway. It’s shoulder, or value season, in many destinations, and that usually means fewer people, better availability, and lower prices, while the weather is still reasonably good. Another day exploring Providence. A photo posted by Mary Jo Manzanares (@travelingwithmj) on May 4, 2016 at 7:04am PDT It’s easy to think of Providence, Rhode Island, as just part of the massive Boston area, but it deserves consideration in its own right. This capital city is one of the oldest in the United States, and its own special flavors and culture. With a population of under 200,000, it is a big (not huge) city, yet still keeps a small town heart. Here’s my guide to a fall getaway in Providence. While some of these recommendations are good all year round, some are quintessentially […]
Read More15 Ways to Experience the Real Hawaii
Hawaii. Our 50th state is comprised of 137 islands, although only six of them are typically vacation destinations. We tend to think of Hawaii as a fly-and-flop destination, we fly in, flop on the beach or by the pool, and spent our days relaxing in the sun, often with a drink in hand. After going there a number of times, you may want to venture off the beach and out of the bar. When it’s time for that, my recommendation is to take time to learn more about the story of Hawaii, the stories and histories of multiple cultures over hundreds of years. From the indigenous Hawaiian culture, which was the first to mālama ka ‘āina (“care for the land), to the Chinese, Portuguese, Japanese, Filipino, Okinawan and Puerto Rican citizens who began arriving in the mid-19th century to work on […]
Read MoreGetaway to Universal Studios Hollywood
Heading to Universal Studios Hollywood during summer vacation was a frightening idea. The crowds, the lines, the mass of humanity crowded together pushing and shoving! But summer was the only time I could schedule a getaway to celebrate the 13th birthday for a family member. I set out to find a way to make it work both for the new teenager and for me. Here’s what I did as well as tips and recommendations for your own trip. Note: This article was written in collaboration with Expedia.com who asked me to share my personal getaway guide to Universal Studios. Choosing Your Dates Summer is vacation time, so there are a lot more people at Universal, and my top recommendation for timing is to go off-season, during the week while kids are in school, and to avoid weekends and holiday seasons. That […]
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