LifeStyle tips

Before April 2022, I had never seen a cruise ship in real life.

Connecticut's only home with an FAA-approved private paved airstrip is selling for $2.9 million.

Arizona is a hot spot for luxury travelers.

I went to school for photography, and I've been using film and digital cameras for nearly a decade.

Last summer, I sailed the Mediterranean Sea for seven days on a luxury Virgin Voyages cruise ship. The food was the best I've ever had on a cruise.

In April 2022, I cruised on board Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas. At the time, it was the largest cruise ship in the world, but the title has since been replaced by Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas.

My partner and I celebrated our recent engagement with a city break in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The Orient Express is perhaps the most well-known train in history.

In 2021, I traveled on Amtrak trains from NYC to Miami and back. The rides took about 30 hours each way, and I had a private cabin in a sleeper car on both journeys.

In October 2021, I spent 30 hours on an Amtrak train traveling from Miami to NYC. Since it was an overnight trip, I booked a bedroom accommodation for $1,000.

I explored by day and traveled by night during my two backpacking trips through Europe.

When traveling from NYC to Baltimore in 2022, I rode in first class on an Amtrak Acela train. 

When I'm backpacking through Europe, traveling by overnight train just makes sense. It's essentially a moving hotel that helps me maximize my time exploring destinations during the day.

My first European cruise was awesome — but it could have been better.

Pamela Holt, then 36, was on her way to a final callback for her first-ever Broadway tour when a car crashed into hers in 2005. She flew over her seatbelt, broke an arm, and slammed her head so hard against the windshield that the glass broke.

For a 10-hour train ride from NYC to Niagara Falls, New York, in August 2022, I booked a business-class ticket on an Amtrak train for $168. It was $100 more than a coach ticket on the same ride. 

With welcome gifts, multi-course meals, and private seats made for lounging, who wouldn't want to fly in premium cabins?

I booked my first-ever cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas in April 2022. The seven-day Caribbean voyage on a mega-ship took me round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to port stops in Honduras, Mexico, and the Bahamas. I expected breathtaking views of the world between relaxing swimming and sunbathing sessions.

In August 2023, I took my first cruise with Virgin Voyages, a relatively new luxury cruise line I've heard about from friends and other travelers for the last couple of years.

I took a three-day trip to Europe in November 2023, spending two nights on sleeper trains. One was a 30-hour ride on one of the world's most luxurious locomotives — the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

In April 2022, I took my first cruise on Royal Caribbean's Wonder of the Seas and it was bigger than I could even imagine. I felt as if I were in a small town in the middle of the ocean. At the time of my sailing, Wonder of the Seas was the largest cruise ship in the world. Royal Caribbean's Icon of the Seas took over the title in January 2024.