While travelers bemoan the loss of the kinder, gentler era of air travel, airline memorabilia fans know that they can enjoy a little retro moment with bags, accessories, and gifts from Pan Am One.  Adorned with the original Pan Am logo, items can also be found at travel stores and air museums. Perhaps you had this classic carry on tote bag.  I know I did, although I’m not sure how I happened to acquire it.  This stylish version from the Originals Collection is in leather rather than plastic, and sells for $71.  The Originals Collection offers a variety of products that you may have received if you flew Pan Am back in the day when airlines gave you something when you chose to do business with them. My how things have changed. Photo credit:  Pan Am One

I’m a coffee lover.  I love to start my day with a cuppa joe, savoring the flavor as I check my email inbox, read the overnight news, check my RSS feeds, and plan out the rest of my day. When I’m traveling, however, I don’t always have that same luxury.  I’m relegated to hotel room coffee, (usually blah tasting) or a nearby coffee shop (often not open in those wee hours of the morning, not to mention the ding it makes it my budget).  But I gotta have my coffee – so it means settling for swill or ponying up the bucks. I’m giving serious consideration to the Handpresso Wild, a portable espresso machine than is small enough to pack and can be used nearly anywhere.  It wouldn’t take up any room in a suit case. To use it you […]

The more you travel, the more you appreciate how much we have in common with the rest of the world.  While superficially our differences might seem great, when you look beneath the surface, what most people want is to enjoy the love of family and friends,  and to feel that their presence in this life has made a difference.  In between those two ends, it’s about getting through day to day in a way that gives life meaning. Learning about people and cultures, especially those that are not like our own, helps us find a new world view – one in which we find an interconnectedness with others rather than a separateness.  When that happens, travel is more about experiences and memories, than about great hotels and restaurants.  Not that those latter things aren’t important, but when we travel with […]