Southbank view of London Parliament and Big Ben

Travel Hacking: Anatomy of my $856 Business Class Ticket to London

When it comes to finding the travel deals (and travel hacking) you need to be ready.  There have been so many times when I was shut out of a great deal because I wasn’t a member of the frequent flier club of a particular airline, didn’t have this credit card/membership […]

La Defense Christmas market at night

Holiday Travel Kindness – Helping the Little Duck Get Home

As the holidays approach, the airports will be teeming with people trying to get home to family for dinner, for celebrations, for presents or for escape (Maui sounds nice right now).  Many will not be accustomed to the rhythm of holiday travel and the airport experience especially if there are […]

London Street Art Shoreditch

London Shoreditch Street Art Tour with a Tween

Last summer in London, my niece will tell you I tortured her with art.  If I tell the story, while I’m sure I should say it was an educational experience (which it was), it was actually a bit of revenge for her shopping torture I endured in Paris. At eleven, […]

Hyatt Andaz London standard room

The Hyatt Andaz London Review – Modern Luxury on Liverpool Street

It seemed silly to fly home after four days in Iceland when I had the option of the “stopover” fare on Icelandair that could allow me to spend time in London.  In order to make London work, I remembered that I opened up the Hyatt credit card earlier in the […]

Place de la Concorde and Roue de Paris at night

Going Round and Round in Paris, London and Seattle #FriFotos

This week’s #FriFotos theme is “Circles” …..I thought round and round…..then my mind wandered to the Dead or Alive song “You Spin Me Round (like a Record)” before landing on the Ferris Wheel (don’t ask how my mind associates things).  Many cities have added Ferris Wheels to attract tourists and […]

Harrods Ice Cream Parlour

A Tasty Treat at Harrod’s Ice Cream Parlour

“I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream” unless, like me, you are lactose intolerant, then you just sit there sad with your once scoop of sorbet remembering a time when you could enjoy ice cream (yes, I’m still bitter by my diagnosis). Here I was at Harrod’s Ice Cream […]

Pink flower London

The Flowers of St. James’s Park in London

It’s funny what you don’t see when it’s right in front of you – for years, I stayed in Park Lane across from Buckingham Palace and never entered the park preferring to stay on Piccadilly and use the Underground.  This summer, I finally took that walk in the park – […]