Someone recently asked me why I thought that multigenerational travel works for some, but not for others. After giving this some thought, I think the magic is in what you do. Is this an activity that is embraced by everyone? Or is this one person’s idea of a good time and everyone else has to go along with it?
The key to successful group travel, especially those with different age groups lies in the willingness of the group to communicate. To ensure that everyone is well represented and that members of the group are not railroaded into doing something that isn’t of interest to them.
Roma! Every trip to Italy should have a plate of spaghetti as delicious as this! Ripe summer tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic = perfection.
Our family trip to Italy
There is never enough space in each post to share every favorite moment and travel photo. I try not to bombard you with too much copy or too many photos, therefore lots of photos are left behind! I wish I could include a photo album every time I publish! However the next best thing is to just tell a story with my never been published photos from my recent BIG summer family trip to Italy.
On social media I have actually noticed several bloggers and non-bloggers have taken extensive trips this past summer. When you travel to Europe, so very far away, it is nice to try to squeeze in as much as you can while you are there. Although the argument can be made that you move pretty quickly and don’t get to dive too deep into each city you visit.
We actually did a little bit of both. We stayed in one villa for a week in Italy in order to enjoy the countryside, slow down, relax and spend quality time with the family and then we usually spent several nights in each city after that. Craig and I left Italy and flew to Mallorca and then I flew to Berlin to take a Viking River Cruise from Berlin to Prague and lastly I stayed in Budapest, Hungary for four more nights. A BIG beautiful summer of travel. For today I am just sharing a little more of Italy.
Please welcome back Angela Light, my longtime friend and traveler who spent a great deal of time and energy to write this fantastic post for all of us! Her over-the-top amazing vacation in the Portuguese countryside absolutely captivated me. The dreamy descriptions and elegant accommodations coupled with world class cuisine is my kind of vacation. Take a minute to enjoy this post, it is incredible & I just loved her adventure!
An Empty Nester Adventure:: I will be Mother of the Bride
Great news! Our princess is getting married! I haven’t written about this yet because I just didn’t know where to begin. It is such a thrilling new adventure. The Empty Nester life is different for everyone and truthfully I think that I am living the ultimate empty nester existence. We travel, we downsized, we can go out on a Tuesday if we feel like it and we got a dog!
When our youngest left the nest I had a really difficult time. I began writing about it and Adventures of Empty Nesters was created. Fast forward 4 ½ years later and this blog has become a fabulous and fulfilling career! I am still writing about our empty nest but have expanded to our life adventures and working with cutting edge travel and tourism brands. Our sojourns around the world hopefully inspire others to get out and find adventure too!
But I do have a real home life too! I still pick up dog poop, take out the trash (only when Craig isn’t home) do yard work, get the plumbing fixed, do the marketing, cook, all the regular things that wives and spouses do.
We had such a grand time here in Budapest. Cheers!
Our guide to Budapest
So you are going to Europe and contemplating a stop in Budapest? Do not even hesitate, we found it to be elegant and intriguing, filled with magnificent architecture and plenty to do. I wish we had spent even more time there! We honestly did not get to see everything we wanted to or even experience the famous baths.
Although we were not able to see absolutely everything, we really did accomplish quite a bit of the itinerary. Our stay at The Ritz Carlton Hotel on Elizabeth Square was a fantastic luxury experience in the perfect central location. This convenient home base made it super easy to see the sights efficiently.
Adventures come in all sorts of sizes, shapes and packages – What would it feel like to meet one of the biggest rock stars in the world and then getting his signature tattooed on your arm? Who says that life isn’t exciting after the kids move away?
I heard this story from a travel writer friend and it was so fascinating that I asked her to share it with you. Thanks Lori.
How I Met Bono – It’s an amazing story!
Sure, you can look back on events in your life that were pivotal…
Marriage.
The birth of your children.
Perhaps a peak moment in your career.
At this time in our lives, most of us have experienced all the highlights, moments that when we reflect on them we get an instant smile on our face.
Sure I’ve had those moments too, but there is one day that will forever leave a mark on me. That one story that I can tell over and over again and it transforms me into a 7th grade girl with all the emotions of crushing on Donny Osmond.
The first U2 concert I went to was in Madison, Wisconsin in 1992 during the Zoo TV tour. I was transformed that night by the spectacle of this multi media show. I really liked U2’s music before, but seeing Bono work the audience that night was mind-blowing. I have long had a soft spot in my heart for lead singers (hello, my name is Lori, I’m 55 years old and I totally fangirl over Bono!).
A fun way to spend a Saturday night – At The Los Angeles Times The Taste
Every Labor Day weekend, The Los Angeles Times holds their annual food and wine festival and it is uniquely Los Angeles. Aptly named The Taste, this fabulous culinary bash at Paramount Studios is the place to nibble and celebrate all of the culinary talent here in Southern California.
For the first time, The Taste food fest will continue for one more weekend in Costa Mesa, CA on October 19-21. Check the highlighted link above for the details.
As a fourth generation Los Angeleno, I am especially proud and excited to indulge and taste the eclectic food possibilities unique to our city. It is our fifth time attending this spectacular event and we mark our calendars way ahead of time to make sure we are available. We chose to attend on Saturday evening, but The Taste LA actually began Friday evening with the Opening Party and there is one more party on Sunday evening.
We were so happy to stay at The Ritz Carlton Budapest
Ah, life in a luxury hotel! You can’t beat it. Do we always stay in places like this? Not always, but we certainly try!
After our final stop in Prague on our Viking River Cruise, my travel writer friend Tam of Travels with Tam and I determined that we could not be so close to Hungary and not make a stop in this extraordinary country! We have both always wanted to visit, but Hungary is not around the corner, but on this trip we were right next door!
When it was time to plan, I reached out to several luxury hotels and immediately received a welcoming and delightful email from Barbara Bagi, Marketing & Communicaitons Manager from The Ritz Carlton Budapest. How lovely! She and I exchanged several informative emails and we were offered a very reasonable rate even during the busiest season of the year. We were all set!
Since neither Tam nor I had been to Budapest, everything was new and exciting and we could not wait to arrive!
Last year I created a list of our top ten favorite things about Summer and as I looked back at the list, we still enjoy them all, but I have a few more to add.
What are your favorite summer activities?
Summer is coming to a close and it is fun to reflect upon some of our favorite things we like to do this time of year. Did you love it when your kids were young and there was no set schedule? But when that summer freedom was threatened by the upcoming Fall school year, there was almost a layer of sadness it was over. Do you remember that?
But now that our children are grown, this is not something that we even have to think about! However Craig and I do notice the comings and goings of the young families at our neighborhood elementary school. Watching them brings back great memories.
For me, Labor Day Weekend marks the transition in to Fall. Funny though, in Los Angeles the weather is still the same! No Fall sweater weather here, I have to travel to find it!
Smile anyway, it will all work out (View of Budapest, Hungary)
Travel Mishaps :: It happens to all of us!
Oh no, oh no, oh no. That is all I could think. I continued to ponder in rapid succession: “Maybe someone will find it and turn it in. Yes I know they will. How do I get the phone number to the Admiral’s Club at Logan Airport? I bet that’s impossible. Craig’s going to be so disappointed in me. How could I be so careless. How can I live without this?”
My iPad. My favorite possession. My books, my digital library, my books! I will sit on an airplane for 5 hours! What will I do? I hate the movies they offer on the plane. OMG.
I was sitting in 15D. I am also a Priority passenger so I was on the plane with only about 30 people so far. I thought, “Can I make it? Will they let me off the plane? How do I do this?”
I am a rule follower by nature and this is WAY out of my comfort zone. I always follow the path of least resisitance. However, in miliseconds, I decide to walk quickly toward the back where there are not many passengers. Both flight attendants look at me and as fast an auctioneer I share my dilemma. They answer, “We have to stay back here, go to the front and see what they can do.” Meanwhile, Flight Attendant Angela, called ahead to the front (probably saying something like; Crazy woman running up the aisle!) Ugh…
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