Hotels (Index)
Traveling soon? These are some of the places my family and I have stayed. Some were amazing, while others were just meh. If you’ve got a recommendation for me, be sure to leave a comment and let me know.
Category: Travelogues
5 Top Tips for Tyke Trips
I am really lucky. My son has been a great traveler from the get-go, whether we’re flying or taking a looooooooong road trip. My husband and I started taking him on trips with us when he was a baby, and I believe that helped him adapt easily to being on the road. Traveling with children doesn’t have to be an ordeal. Sure, changes of environment can be tough, but bringing the comforts of home with you can make a tremendous difference.
Regent Singapore
When you’re traveling overseas and don’t want to rent a car, being in a central location is key. That’s one reason my husband and I opted for the Regent Singapore, a Four Seasons Hotel. It’s a close walk to all the shopping on Orchard Road (comparable to Beverly Hills) and just a few minutes from the gorgeous Singapore Botanic Gardens (a UNESCO World Heritage Site).
Travel Woes: When Things Go Wrong
When I used to travel by myself, I never worried about getting sick in a foreign country. But now that my husband and I are parents of a young child, we’re more cautious. While most of our vacations have been drama-free, there have been a few incidents that caused us a bit of worry. I talked to some travel industry experts to get their advice on what to do when things go wrong.
Sleepless in Seattle
I know that it’s cool to say that you don’t like to visit tourist traps. But I’ll let you in on a little secret: I enjoy tourist traps, which is why when we took my mother on her first trip to Hawaii, we went to Honolulu. And when you’re traveling with a little kid to Seattle, it’s fun to re-visit attractions like the Space Needle through their eyes.
Passports: What you need to know
This is the time of year many people start planning their winter vacations. If you want to travel out of the country, it’s important to have a valid passport. But, what many people don’t realize is that depending on which country you’d like to visit, your passport may not be “valid.” Confused? I hear you.
Family bonds locked in time at Seoul tower
The main characters in K-dramas often demonstrate their love by attaching personalized padlocks on a fence on the tower’s observation deck. Tens of thousands of “love locks” can be found here. It’s a trend well established in cities such as Paris and Prague, but the tradition has taken on an added dimension in Seoul. While couples still attach locks to declare their love for one another, the fence has become a popular spot for adoptees and their adoptive parents to leave padlocks honoring the day they became a family.
Chicago (My Kind of Town)
Our kid likes to travel. He has taken high-speed KTX trains in Seoul, played in New York City’s Central Park and fed dolphins in Paradise Island (Bahamas). All of that was amazing. But it’s wonderful having a first-rate destination with skyscapers, museums and all the dining choices right in our own back yard. We’ll be back, Chicago, because we can’t quit you.
Korean cuisine beyond barbecue and kimchi
When I was young, I went through a phase where I hated Korean food. My mother would make fresh, home-cooked meals from scratch. And instead of realizing what a treat that was, I would ask why we couldn’t just eat TV dinners like all my friends. But these days, there’s no cuisine I enjoy more than Korean. And if someone else is willing to cook it for me, all the better! So when my family and I traveled to South Korea this fall, eating well was a top priority.
Happy anniversary
Earlier this year, my husband said we should go somewhere nice this winter. I asked why? He just stared at me. Oh, yeah. It’s our 10-year wedding anniversary.
That time I climbed a glacier in New Zealand
So, I was having a conversation with some people the other day about coincidences. And I started off my story like this: “Speaking of coincidences, I ran into someone from my hometown when I was climbing a glacier in New Zealand.” Yeah. I sounded obnoxious. Even by my standards.
Staycation is all I ever wanted
Every year around my birthday, my family and I like to enjoy a staycation in Chicago. For me, it’s a chance to return to my stomping grounds in the city where I grew up. Before my parents realized their immigrant dream of buying a house in the suburbs, we lived in Chicago. I went to school, learned to parallel park and got my first big newspaper job there. For my husband and son, spending a long weekend in Chicago is an opportunity to visit some of the world’s first rate museums, dine at some amazing restaurants and go for a swim with a view of the city’s gorgeous skyline.
Komodo Dragon Attacks Tour Guide
Remember when Sharon Stone arranged for her then husband, Phil Bronstein, to pet a Komodo dragon at the Los Angeles Zoo? And remember when dragon bit him on the foot, completely crushing his big toe? I thought about this when my husband and I were on the eastern Indonesian island of Komodo, touring an area full of the dragons for which it’s famous. There were experienced guides leading our little group, and they carried large, pointy sticks. I remember asking the lead guide if that’s what he’d use if a Komodo dragon were to attack, and he said, “Yes. It’s very effective.”
Isn’t it romantic? Here are the love locales where celebs feel the passion
There’s no specific quality that makes one destination more romantic than others. While some travelers want access to luxuries and fine dining, others search for a beautiful sunset in a rustic environment. The important thing is being with the right person. As Mark Twain said, “I have found out that there ain’t no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them.”
New Zealand, “Lord of the Rings” and me
True story. A decade or so ago, when I was on the New Zealand set of “The Lord of the Rings,” someone accidentally spilled grape juice all over me, dousing my pants and turtleneck. There wasn’t enough time to go back to my hotel to change. So, they let me wear one of Liv Tyler’s outfits.
Rosslyn Chapel: “The Da Vinci Code”
When author Dan Brown visited Rosslyn Chapel four years ago, the small working church wasn’t on any tourist maps. Though located just seven miles south of Edinburgh, Rosslyn didn’t have the same cachet, as say, the more famous and majestic Edinburgh Castle. But thanks to Brown’s international bestseller, “The Da Vinci Code” — in which Rosslyn is prominently featured — the little chapel that no one expected to become a tourist attraction has become one of the country’s most coveted sites.
Update: Kalahari Resort
Way back before I was married and had a baby, a New York friend asked me why anyone would want to go to the Wisconsin Dells. Oh, I don’t know, because it’s awesome? Say what you will about the Dells being a cliché or a haven for the overfed. I don’t care. When it’s cold and rainy out everywhere else, nothing beats spending the weekend at a warm waterpark.
Our author goes all Bahama Mama when traveling to Atlantis with her son
As it turns out, having a cute toddler with a penchant for high-fiving strangers is like toting around catnip. Apparently, my son saves his worst for when it’s just us, in private. In public, he was like a well-behaved movie star. He went straight to work at the airport, charming the sort of shop girls I had always assumed were beyond human emotion. Put him on a plane, I learned, and suddenly he’s the flight attendants’ favorite passenger. I’m not ashamed to say that we used him as a means to reel in extra snacks.
Specialty airfares
It’s been drilled into our heads that the best way to get a cheap airline ticket is to buy it well in advance of your travel date. But parents adopting children from overseas often have no idea when that date might be. And once their adoption agency gives them the go-ahead to bring home their child, they typically have only a matter of days to make all the arrangements.