Following a wine-focused cruise through Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, France and Spain, which ended in Barcelona in September 2016, my friend JoRene and I decided to explore the Basque Country of Spain (and France) by car. 

My preferred method of travel is to be independent and meander. The experiences that can be had are so much more serendipitous when you’re not on a schedule or traveling with a group. There are pluses and minuses with both, but this mode of travel...

There are many cities and sites that spring to mind when considering a trip to Germany — the historical Cold War landmarks of Berlin, reflections of Bavarian culture in Munich or the musical legacy of Leipzig — but Düsseldorf might not make it to the top of most travelers’ lists. However, like Rio, New Orleans and Venice, Düsseldorf has a long tradition of enthusiastically celebrating Carnival (Karneval in Deutschland). 

Fortuitously, I was invited to join in...

After a short family visit to Australia and a return trip to San Francisco in December 2016, we decided to head to Asia, taking advantage of a perk afforded to retired and active US military members: traveling free (“space available”) on US military aircraft. 

Off we went to nearby Travis Air Force Base, from where, after four flights (and incredible luck), we landed in Singapore.

Starting in Singapore

Because of the spontaneous nature of our trip to...