Oh what a week! When I sat down to do my weekly recap, my mind was blown at how much ground I’ve covered in real life as well as here at the site. I started off on Monday in luxurious style on Seabourn, touring the northern Bali highlands with Virtuoso Voyager that day. I wrapped…
2014 has been one of my rougher travel years. I’ve endured inexplicably lost luggage (that I never wanted to check to begin with), passengers behaving badly or rudely or just unchivalrously. I’ve had several separate travel days that involved numerous cancellations, shuffling between airlines, or lengthy delays. I’ve had disappointing hotel stays and times I’ve…
Last week, I gave away the first of two Cathay Pacific First Class Amenity Kits from the vintage Ipa-Nema era. This week, I offered up the second one – a gorgeous brown bag with embroidered pink and green flowers. Entrants this week were asked to share somewhere on their 2015 travel bucket list. I received many…
Our first port of call on Seabourn Odyssey was Jakarta. I’ve only briefly visited the city previously and had no time to tour so I’d only seen one of their high-end shopping malls. We researched the tours available through the ship and while all were appealing, each had elements of interest. In the end, my…
Don’t forget to enter for your chance to win a vintage Cathay Pacific Ipa-Nema amenity kit from first class. The one I’m giving away is a gorgeous brown bag with pink/green embroidery. You can find details here to enter to win, but you must do so before noon central time on Friday, December 5, 2014. Right…
I love embarkation day on Seabourn – it always feels like “coming home” for me to be living the suite life once again! Compared to larger lines I have sailed, Seabourn makes the experience seamless which helps start a vacation off on a relaxing note. When we arrived at the Singapore Cruise Terminal (after initial…
It’s time for the November battle of the beauty sample subscriptions. Each month, Birchbox goes head to head with Ipsy to see which delivered more value and wow. Both services offer a monthly $10 membership where subscribers receive a selection of beauty product samples that is customized (somewhat) based on personal preferences. Birchbox comes in its namesake…
This week I have another CX amenity kit to give away. I recently came across two unopened Cathay Pacific amenity kit bags that I had stashed after a series of first class flights a few years ago. These are from my favorite era of their women’s kits – the Ipa-Nema bags. I loved them because they have…
I’m presently in the middle of my two week trip to Indonesia, the world’s largest Islamic population. I knew at the onset I’d probably be visiting at least one mosque in my travels. While I’ve encountered mosques while traveling (particularly in Turkey), I’m always worried that I am not doing things correctly and thus inadvertently…
What a week! I’ve been on vacation onboard Seabourn Odyssey since November 23, cruising down the eastern coast of Indonesia (from Singapore to Bali). It has been a grand adventure so far. I’ve visited the ancient temple sites of Prambanan and Borobudur (both UNESCO World Heritage Sites), the busy industrial cities of Jakarta and Surabaya, and trekked…
One of the highlights of cruising on Seabourn are what aficionados like to call “Seabourn moments”. While Seabourn is known for her signature events such as Caviar in the Surf or Galley Market Lunches on some cruises, the staff also tries to come up with a variety of smaller occasions to wow their guests during every…
Good morning! Thank you to all who entered my giveaway for the first of two Cathay Pacific vintage Ipa-Nema amenity kits. Each of the entrants shared what they were thankful for in the world of points and miles. I numbered all the entries from 1 to 18 in the order they were posted: 1 tiffany…