Category Archives: Trip Reports

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Chicago Seminars Travel Conference Tickets Now on Sale (October 19-21)

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Good evening everyone, I hope your Amazon Prime Day shopping is going well.  A few hours ago, tickets for Chicago Seminars went on sale.  They are $111 for 2.5 full days of travel advice, networking, drinking, more networking, more drinking, and maybe some sleep too.  I love going to Chicago Seminars and I am so excited to go back.  I just bought my ticket and airfare for the event.  There are limited seats available, but when I purchased my ticket at around 5:30pm PT, there were 472 tickets available.

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Malta Trip Report Part 2: Kayak to Comino’s Blue Lagoon & ATV / Quad Tour Around Gozo

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Good morning everyone.  I hope you enjoyed my post from yesterday, Malta Trip Report Part 1: Walking Through Valletta and Attending Feast of St. Peter & St. Paul.  In today’s post, I will share some photos of my Kayak Gozo tour from Gozo to Comino to see the Blue Lagoon and from the Gozo Pride ATV tour around the island.  Kayak Gozo offers 3 different tours (half day morning, half day afternoon, and full day).  We decided to do the half day morning, called the “Rise and Shine” tour, and the cost was 38 Euros per person.  Laura and I had a double kayak, she was in the front and I was in the back.  After getting the handle of paddling, we went inside a little cove and then made the journey across the channel to the Blue Lagoon, near Comino.

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Traveling to Madrid, Spain? How to Save Money, Time, and Eat Well (Part 2)

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Have you ever gotten a tip about a place you were about to visit that just didn’t make sense? I have. And it taught me a great travel lesson. When someone gives me tips about a place I’m visiting, I’ll always ask them, “When was the last time you were there?” I just prefer tips to be as recent as possible. So having recently returned from a really wonderful time in Madrid, Spain, I’ve got a variety of tips I’m hoping you’ll enjoying knowing about. Please make sure to read part one where I offer restaurant tips! Continue reading →

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Malta Trip Report Part 1: Walking Through Valletta and Attending Feast of St. Peter & St. Paul

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Good morning everyone.  After spending a few days in Athens (post 1 and post 2) and a few days in Crete (post 1 and post 2), we headed to Malta for a week.  My girlfriend has relatives in Malta, so her family showed us around and treated us to several dinners and an amazing feast.  All of the things I will show you are available to the public and accessible via public transportation.  If you are in Malta for a few days, I highly recommend getting a 7 day bus pass for 21 Euros.  If you pay as you ride, each ride is 1.5 to 3 Euros, so if you make a few round trip bus rides, the 7 day pass pays for itself very quickly.  The bus network goes all over the country and runs relatively on time.

The first stop in Malta was to Valletta, the fortified city near the coast.  Valletta had lots of shops, restaurant, and history.

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a heart made of coffee beans

Shelli’s World Coffee Tour – Coffee Houses in Madrid, Spain (Part 3)

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I guess it’s time for a true confession. I’m a coffee snob. And when I travel, I have a passion for supporting local roasters and coffee houses. Let’s just say I’ve BEAN Around the World and I’m feeling like now is the time to start sharing the love… and caffeine, one city at a time. Recently, I had a wonderful holiday in Madrid, Spain. And though it was hard to tear myself away from the incredible pinchos and rioja, I did explore the coffee houses, and I’m glad I did. I drank plenty of coffee, talked with baristas, and I’ve got lots to share with you. Let’s open the TWG cafe society doors and talk coffee, Madrid style. If you haven’t had a chance to read Madrid coffee part one and part two, I suggest you do because they offer in-depth explanations of the general coffee scene and talk about how people in Madrid typically drink coffee. And of course, I give you my best recommendations for where to drink coffee! Continue reading →