Say Yes to Travel with a Large Group of Family & Friends

travel with a large group

 

travel with a large group

Travel with a large group – Fun or too challenging?

Typically, I travel with Craig or by myself. What would it be like traveling with a group of friends? Would I get enough time alone? What do I do about the travel blogging part of the trip? Will they be annoyed by my taking photos of our food and drinks? They were not annoyed in the slightest, they even helped out!

One of my biggest dilemmas of travel blogging is finding a balance between being in the moment of a travel adventure and making sure I capture just the right details. I do take notes, but just pausing and writing down some of my immediate reactions and emotions is paramount to authenticity. I wrote the bulk of this post while on vacation, everyone else was relaxing or talking or playing games in between activities.

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Thai Boxing in Thailand :: Encouraging My Midlife Badass

 Muay Thai Boxing in Bangkok
With the owner of the gym after our workout.

Thai boxing in Bangkok ~ Oh My!

Is Muay Thai also known as Thai boxing on your adventure list? The martial art form of Muay Thai is HUGE in Thailand. It’s very popular in the U.S. as well. Part of the comprehensive travel experience created by our hosts at the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was to visit Krudam Gym for a morning lesson of Muay Thai.

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 Adventures of Empty Nesters: A Year in Review – How Much Fun Did We Really Have?

a year in review

 

2017 was a very busy and truly spectacular travel year!

So I decided to do a quick year in review, not to boast about how many places I have been, but to unpack, pause and appreciate what can be accomplished through thoughtful planning, careful research, great relationships, accumulated miles and points and the best dog sitter in the world!

I started the year with knee surgery on Jan 6th, so the pace of the travel was slow in the beginning, but it quickly picked up in early March. I may not have been fully recovered but we had adventures to take, people to see and places to go. There was no sitting around.

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New York: Dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns ~ An Extraordinary Culinary Adventure

Dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns
Jerry, Irene, Me and Craig in the Bakery of the restaurant

A Fairy Tale Dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns ~

How well do you know your food? Have you thought about where it comes from? How it is grown? How it is prepared?

Dinner at Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Pleasantville, NY

We traveled by train thirty miles outside New York City to enjoy the holiday season and to meet up with my good friend and fellow travel writer Irene Levine of Getting on Travel and her husband Jerry. Irene and Jerry live locally and have visited Blue Hill at Stone Barns on several occasions. The restaurant mood was calming and a lovely stone fireplace lit the path to our seats for a magical four hour meal.

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The Very Best Restaurant in Cozumel: Buccanos at Night

best restaurant in Cozumel
best restaurant in Cozumel
The natural white sand beach is a perfect place to snorkel. Look at the color of the water!

To find the best restaurant in Cozumel on my first trip there was quite amazing! However I did not discover this jewel on my own, I was actually a guest of my friend and fellow travel writer, Tam Minton of Travels with Tam.

best restaurant in Cozumel

Tam invited three of her best travel writing friends, Sara of Travels with Sara, Melody of Wherever I May Roam and Me to her beloved island of Cozumel. She and her husband own a lovely vacation home and have enjoyed the delicious restaurants and superb scuba diving on this quiet island for the past 19 years. Tam was an excellent tour guide, gracious hostess and she knew where to eat great food. We had a ridiculously fun time full of a few wacky (and fabulous) adventures. Although we had not all travelled together before, we had so much in common that it was extra satisfying!

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Adventures of Empty Nesters :: New York City at Christmas

 

New York City at Christmas

New York City at Christmas is the best time of year to visit!

Greetings!

We make every attempt to continue a Christmas tradition of traveling to New York in December to soak up the sights and lights of this beautiful city during the holidays. I just wanted to check in to say hello and let you know you can follow along over on our Instagram ===> Here!   And on our Facebook Page ==> Here!

Do you have special plans for the holidays? Check out our trip to NYC…

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My Epic Adventures in Bangkok :: Ten Reasons to Visit Thailand

Ten reasons to visit Thailand.
Sitting side by side in the floating market!

 

Asia has always been on my wish list, but when the opportunity to visit Bangkok with the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) and China Southern Airlines came about, I said “Pick me, pick me!”

A fun-filled travel plan was created to transport seven, seasoned, travel writers, a friendly public relations representative and an energetic authority on Thailand from the TAT. Our proposed adventure was to explore Bangkok and visit several outlying areas as well. It was a travel recipe of epic proportions, coupled with a luxurious airplane experience like no other! We all were more than ready for this Southeast Asian Adventure.

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My Upcoming Empty Nester Adventure :: Travel to Asia

Colorful boats in floating market in Bangkok.
Photo: Bangkok.com

Yes! I am leaving on Sunday to travel to Asia for the first time. The wonderful people of China Southern Airlines and Tourism Authority of Thailand Los Angeles are inviting me as their guest along with seven other travel writers.

Pinch me now, I am over the moon excited to see this part of the world! Just imagine walking through Bangkok and the Chang Chui Market, shopping at the Chatuchak Weekend Market, visiting majestic temples, and a bike ride through the inner city oasis of Bang Kra Jao… maybe even a Thai Boxing Class!

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The Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya – Our Perfect Anniversary Getaway

The sign of the Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya.

Bravo to the Andaz Mayakoba Resort ~

The Andaz Mayakoba Resort sits within about a square mile of an area called Mayakoba on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. It is surrounded by six miles of fresh water canals, giant mangroves and the colorful Caribbean Sea.

This area of Mexico is an hour away from Cancun, near a city called Playa del Carmen, known as “Playa” on the Riviera Maya in the state of Quintana Roo. I was immediately confused by all of the different names of this area of Mexico. Are you? There are lots of titles for the same location. Just remember that the easiest way to get there is to fly into Cancun and take a taxi or hire a car to drive you to the resort. You will figure it out eventually, I did!

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