I remember the day well. April 15, 2019. I was in Paris. I heard fire engines and saw smoke in the distance. I was in Montparnasse at the time. South of the center. I could smell the smoke in the air The news was everywhere. A fire in Notre Dame. An accident. I had been […]
I’m in a business where Jetlag is all around me. Most people in my office fly transatlantic at least 5 times a year. I fly more than that. And so what is the trick of Jetlag. Is there a secret beyond a sleeping pill or a beer and a Benadryl. The answer is not completely […]
It’s a four-steeple architectural gem. It’s almost one of the first sights you see from the air as you fly into London. Only recently has it been renovated and fully decked out to attract sightseers and people looking for smart new upmarket places to live in the center of London. We took lift 109 to […]
I’m English living in the States. I’m not a fan of guns. So the other day, wandering through two different airports I saw these two signs. The idea is that if you try to take your gun as a carry-on and get caught, yeah, x-ray machines usually catch them, it will mean that you will […]
If anyone doubted that we have a major tsunami of a climate change happening. Look around. It’s chaotic, extreme and plentiful. Patterns are out of rhythm. Warm and balmy days followed by severe temperatures. As a traveler, I feel torn. My plane journey is not helping. The bus is not helping. Even trains are not […]
Every year for the past 30 years, we have created our Christmas in the countryside. It’s cold and crisp and the houses and farms all around us are lit up as if it is a movie. The town next-door lights the bridge, and there is a hustle and bustle as the restaurants and bars are […]
I just learned that Paris metro prices are doubling over the Paris Olympics. I hate whatthat is all about. I don’t think London doubled their prices over the Olympics. NorBarcelona. What’s that all about? The idea is to get people to use public transpiration without feeling ripped off. And why does Paris not have a […]
Lovely statue in Waterloo station to remember the Windrush generation. From 1948until 1970, nearly half a million people moved from the Caribbean to Britain, which in1948 faced severe labor shortages in the wake of the Second World War. Those whocame to the UK around this time were later referred to as “The Windrush Generation.” I worked in Brixton […]
A friend of mine was telling me a story of what a friend of hers takes from hotel rooms under the guise of its ok as “I have paid for room!” And I wondered why hotels install those coat hangers that essentially are designed as a deterrent to people taking them home. I mean really, […]
It’s sometimes said that Tour Guides or Tour Managers are an important link between the past and present. Like an ancient storyteller they recount history, massage facts, and pass them through generations. And like an actor in a play, every telling, every anecdote is different each time. It’s a fascinating business. They need to be […]
I just recently attended a language convention in Chicago. It was the national convention for teachers who teach foreign languages. Teaching in itself is an amazing profession. You become an influencer you create curiosity, and you teach tolerance. We work in partnership with educators, across-the-board. Teachers of math, teachers of science, teachers of language, teachers […]
Every year, I go to the World Travel Market, WTM, in London. It’s a fabulous journey in more ways than one. I take the underground, and if the day is nice, I usually begin my WTM adventure by taking the cable car renamed the “London Cable Car”that soars across East London with views looking along […]
Someone once told me that TIPS is a an acronym meaning, “To Insure Prompt” service. It’s actually a backronym! In other words, the word existed, and we gave it a retro meaning that fits the word. Tips is an old English slang word used among criminals in the 1600’s meaning to give, to hand to […]
It’s been some years since I was in Malta and think I missed the whole island last time I was there. Shame on me! Holidays with the kids! So, we had planned a conference in Jordan but with the situation in the Middle East we had to pick an alternative. Malta was our choice! […]
A weekend in DC… It’s an iconic city. The monuments and the mall. The white house. The Capitol building. I think of great iconic cities. Paris, London, Rome, Athens, Barcelona. They all have their iconic sights. Sagrada Familia, The Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the Acropolis and the Colosseum. And here I am standing by the […]