Overview As is common for us, our March 2018 return to Italy came about due to a good airfare deal. Oddly enough, it turned out to be exactly one year from our 2017 trip, though this year was...
Blog posts from hotels
Shanghai 2017: overview, arrival, and hotel
Beijing was our first trip to mainland China two years ago, and it left us with a bad taste in our mouths. Literally - the air quality was so bad when we visited that it hurt our throats. But China...
Pacific NW 2017: Introduction & where we stayed
For the past two years we've had a Southwest Companion Pass that lets us buy one ticket, get one free. With only a few months to go before the pass expires we made it a priority to get back out to...
Paris 2017: introduction
In February 2017 I had an important decision to make - should I share a good deal ($385) on flights from Raleigh to Paris with Leandra? If I did, it would mean returning, and while it was nice...
Scotland 2017: waterfalls and whisky!
Back in late November, whilst enjoying the end of a warm day in New Zealand, we discovered some great deals to the UK. After some discussion we booked two trips, one to London in February, and a...
Italy 2017: overview
Last summer (2016) we noticed several good sales to Europe, so we contacted my parents to see if they wanted to go on another trip with us. Italy was their favorite option so we booked a week-long...
Malaysia: trip overview and where we stayed
In early 2016 we started planning an Asian business class trip to take advantage of the points required before the forthcoming American Airlines miles devaluation. During planning we settled on...
San Sebastian: where we stayed
For the San Sebastian part of our trip we wanted to be near the old town (for all the wonderful pintxo bars), but not necessarily in the old town (due to noise). We eventually found El Concha...
Bilbao: where we stayed
Eric had reviewed a bunch of hotels and narrowed the list to a handful to choose from, and I decided on the Caravan Cinema due to location in Old Town and the quirky room decor. Checking in was a...
Eric’s 40th: Iceland overview
After a two hour flight from London we landed in Keflavik airport. Volcanic rock, virtually no trees, and a very windy, cloudy 45 degrees met us on arrival - it felt like a totally different world....
Eric’s 40th: where we stayed in London
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel London - Tower of London - located a block from the Tower Hill metro stop, this hotel is well positioned for exploring Tower Bridge, Bermondsey, Shoreditch, and other...
Middle East 2016: Introduction
We've long wanted to visit the UAE and Oman, and we've really wanted to try out the Etihad First Class apartments. When seats became available this winter we booked a relatively quick trip for the...
Vietnam 2016: Hanoi hotels
For the second half of our Vietnam trip we were in Hanoi twice, first for a single night, then for two nights. We carefully chose places based on quietness and breakfast options; unfortunately for...
Vietnam 2016: overwater villa at the Vedana Lagoon Resort
Between Hoi An and Hue we spent two nights at the Vedana Lagoon Resort. Quiet and peaceful, it was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the towns. Upon arrival our bags were whisked away and...
Istanbul 2015: overview
Over the past few years we have accumulated a stash of Lufthansa miles but using them on an award ticket can be expensive due to fuel surcharges ($600-$800 per ticket!). Booking with their...
Netherlands 2015: Introduction
After a summer at home we were itching to travel again, and visiting The Netherlands was an easy way to transition back to suitcases, airplanes, and lots of photos. We'd been to Amsterdam in August...
UK 2015: overview
In late April we traveled to the UK with a group of friends. Altogether we spent eight days traveling around Scotland, where Leandra drove over 900 miles (!) in six days; then onto London for two...
NZ 2015: Return to the USA
Our return to the US from New Zealand was rather leisurely, with a two-night stopover in Sydney and one night in Hong Kong. It was an interesting change to go from the sparsely populated South...
Our Itinerary
2024 Trips
San Diego, CA (Jan)
Sarasota, FL (Feb)
Madrid, Spain (Mar)
Valencia, Spain (Mar+Apr)
Palma, Mallorca (Apr)
Croatia (May)
Long Island, NY (July)
Faroe Islands (Aug)
London, UK (Sept)
Puglia, Italy (Sept)
Matera, Italy (Oct)
Rome, Italy (Oct)
Mosel Valley, Germany (Oct)
Frankfurt, Germany (Oct)
London, UK (Dec)
Manchester, UK (Dec)
2023 Trips
San Diego (Jan)
Orlando (Feb)
Richmond, VA (Apr)
Northern Italy (Apr)
NC Mountains (May)
Long Island (Jul)
Wisconsin (Aug)
Chicago (Aug)
Oak Island, NC (Sept)
Brooklyn, NY (Sept)
Bordeaux + Rugby World Cup (Sep)
Castilla y León (Sep)
Seychelles (Nov)
Willamette Valley (Dec)
2022 Trips
Florida (Feb)
NC Mountains (Apr)
Washington DC (Apr)
Valencia, Spain (May)
Hilton Head, SC (May)
Pacific NW (Jun)
Long Island (Jul)
Florida (Sept)
Chicago (Sept)
Poland (Sept)
NC Mountains (Nov)
Euro Xmas Markets (Dec)