Sharing Travel Tales from Around the World

One of the meccas of European architecture Spain is a country that those with a deep appreciation of historic construction must absolutely visit. Of course, there are many other compelling reasons to visit this fabulous country. Spain also boasts incredible museums, spectacular beaches, exciting festivals, great music and delicious food. Okay, so you’re convinced. You want to go to Spain. Next question: Which cities should you visit? To be honest in my opinion you’ll enjoy yourself no matter where you decide to travel in this great country. However, for first time visitors to Spain there are some destinations not to be missed. Depending on your time and budget you’ll want to hit at least a few of these spots. Read on as I count down …

Submitted By: Susan Gerle

Cruising has become a safe way of traveling, especially when there is so much unrest in the world right now. Here is a compariso between 2 islands in the Dutch Antilles; Curacao and Aruba.
Curacao wants to be a major tourist island, yet when we arrived by ship, the dock was no more than 50 metres long. As we looked to the right over the town we viewed a lovely seaside-walking path. The town buildings are nicely painted in the true Dutch tradition.
Then our eyes moved left to a baseball park with busted, broken down, unpainted fences all in very poor condition. We continued looking to the left and noticed even more; 2 swimming pools surrounded with broken fencing and …

By: Susan Gerle

I have spent many years traveling and living in Mexico, especially in Puerto Vallarta. Recently I stayed in an all-inclusive resort for the first time. It was also my first experience getting robbed.
99% of the staff at the resorts are as honest as I am. There is always the 1% though that can’t be trusted. I personally feel the reason for robbery in an all-inclusive resort is the huge monetary distance between the staff and the customers. Most servers and housekeepers are averaging $5 to $6 per day in wages in Puerto Vallarta. In order to feed their families, it requires extra income from some source. The honest ones work 2 and 3 jobs. The thieves find robbing vacationers an …

By: Susan Gerle

I am normally a budget traveler but recently I stayed at an all-inclusive 4 star hotel in Puerto Vallarta for the first time. It was quite an experience. Simple things became a challenge, which surprised me. I thought staying at an all-inclusive meant a stress-free holiday.
The first one was getting to the hotel. I know the Puerto Vallarta airport well and usually walk out the door and get on a city bus or grab a cab. This time the hotel supplied transportation. We were one of the first couples off the plane, so we had to wait for everyone else. An hour later we finally got to the hotel, normally a 10-minute ride from the airport. Then we lined up to …

Submitted By: Susan Gerle

Taking a vacation to an all-inclusive resort in Cuba can be a new experience for many. Here is a journal account of what you could expect.
Day 1 was a non-event as we simply drove to the Marriott hotel in Toronto in prep for an early departure the next morning. Our only issue was having to drive slowly behind a couple of snowplows for what seemed forever.
Day 2 started off well with a prompt departure from the Marriott to Pearson airport thanks to a great bus driver but then things changed when we reached the airport. The check in with Air Canada was fine with a very friendly, helpful hostess but then we hit security.
While I sailed through the procedure myself …