Hike the Swiss Alps

I was about 12 years old when I saw The Sound of Music for the very first time. There was something so captivating as I watched Julie Andrews stretch her arms out wide, do a little twirl and belt out that famous tune on a mountaintop:

“The hiiillls are a-liiive with the sound of muuuu-siiic …” Read More

Sunset Surf Lessons in SoCal

I’m very fortunate that my day job provides me with glimpses into many niche activities. The one I was looking forward to exploring more than any other was surfing. And I was lucky enough to do just that on a business trip to sunny SoCal this summer.

After a day of being quarantined inside a conference room for a series of digital strategy meetings, we broke out of the office and booked it to nearby San Elijo State Beach. After calming my nerves with a quick beer and suiting up with a rash guard, I propped my pink longboard atop my head and made the long descent down the cliff-side stairs to the beach.

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Choose Your Own Adventure: Exploring Europe & the Western U.S.

One of life’s greatest adventures is taking risks. Stepping outside what is normal, and comfortable. Taking a plunge into the unknown. Doing something a little crazy.

So when my work contract in Washington, D.C. approached an end in late May 2012 (I had been living and working there for 8 months)– and my husband’s job as a high school teacher in Orlando, FL was beginning to wrap up for the summer – the perfect little opportunity presented itself: Read More

Bar Hopping Through Lower Manhattan

In honor of Lower Manhattan making it through Hurricane Irene this weekend, I’m taking you down memory lane for a recap of my first-ever bar hopping tour there just a week ago. A friend who lives in Jersey prepped a speedy bar hopping extravaganza for me, complete with trivia tidbits along the way. It was a fun night even though I was running on 4 hours of sleep. Read More

A Farmland Take-Off

Well here’s an adventure I never thought I’d embark on. I was in a situation where I needed to unexpectedly fly from the small town of Copán Ruinas in Honduras to the major city of San Pedro Sula. Basically we needed to get to San Pedro Sula quickly in order to catch our flights home to the U.S.

The thing is, it’s a 3-hour drive between the two and we needed to make the trip faster. So, a few small charter planes were chartered by the large group I was with to get us from Point A to Point B. Here’s the catch: there’s no airport in Copán Ruinas.

So, we were driven on backroads to the next closest thing: flat farmland in a valley amid the Western Highlands (right on the border of Guatemala). Read More

Swimming with Dolphins

On a return visit to Honduras, I visited Anthony’s Key Resort on the island of Roatan. Anthony’s Key is one of the oldest resorts on the island, dating back 40+ years. The resort is home to the Roatan Institute for Marine Sciences, where visitors can take part in a dolphin encounter, dolphin snorkel or dolphin dive. Read More

Witnessing Sponge Diving First-Hand

For Memorial Day in 2009, a few friends and I decided to spend the weekend at my parents’ house near Clearwater. You know, enjoy a little beach time, margaritas, etc. One stop they knew we needed to make was a visit to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks. Read More

Zipline Canopy Tour in Honduras

Back in June 2007, it was my first visit to the island of Roatán, just off the Caribbean coast of Honduras. I had a packed schedule of activities (many of which you’ll hear about in the future). There was one that I was particularly excited for, yet absolutely terrified by: the zipline canopy tour.

The whole idea of putting all my faith in a fabric harness and metal clip to keep me from falling to my death is…well…not exactly logical or comforting. I’m A-OK with keeping my feet firmly rooted on solid ground. So after we arrived at Gumbalimba Park‘s Monkey Trail Canopy and I was strapped into the awkward harness, I was starting to feel the panic set in. Read More

Swimming with Sea Turtles

On a recent visit to Barbados (lucky me!), I had a chance to swim with sea turtles… something I’ve always wanted to do.

I wasn’t sure what to expect or how guarded our swim would be. We were taken by boat to a specific spot just off the Caribbean coast, only about 15 minutes from our resort. Apparently, they feed the protected turtles daily in this area, so they tend to stay close.

We tied up to the buoy and jumped right in. Eight large turtles surrounded us! It was amazing. If you remained still, these sociable creatures would swim within inches of your face – just as curious of us as we were of them!

I think we were in the water for something like 30 minutes. And I soaked up every minute of it!

Photo © spaksttacks (Flickr)