I don’t travel just to be going somewhere. I travel for the experiences. I dive, cruise, drink, boat, and explore as if that moment in time cannot be replicated. You would be amazed at how much more enjoyable travel is when you push beyond the edges of the ordinary.
Whether you are tired of the same old travel routines, want to know what it’s really like on a luxury cruise, how to find a seahorse, or beat everyone else to the newest wine regions, you have found the right website. If you are looking for more out of your travel, join me and learn how to travel with gusto, savor the flavors life offers, and break away from the travel herd.
Go more. Experience more. Enjoy it More.~ Melinda Crow
#TravelTruth: Your Kids Need Travel More than They Need Sports
Why Kids Need Travel The number one reason kids need travel is simple. They need to spend time with the travel version of you. I'm not talking about the I-need-a-break-from-life, gotta-getaway travel version of you. Save that for girl getaways or bromance...
Gear Up! For Snorkeling
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Specifically, the photos and some text may link to products on Amazon.com. Read our policy here. Fins for Snorkeling There are two basic types of fins available, open-heel and full-foot. If you dive and snorkel or are serious...
Catch Up on Our Travel Pulse Stories
Stories on Travel Pulse These are often the first stories we write when we return home, mainly because Travel Pulse excites us. We hope it does the same for you. Our spring travels took us back to Bonaire to see the new Marriott Courtyard, which we adored. We also...
Cruise Truth: 17 Reasons You Are Not on a Cruise Ship Right Now
...and what to do about it.It's too expensiveCruise Truth: It is far less expensive than you think. There are always sales and special deals. To see where the best prices are at any point in time visit Vacations to Go where you can search for your perfect dates and...
Shore Diving on Bonaire
Is shore diving right for you? Self-guided shore diving adds a whole new dimension to your diving repertoire. It's inexpensive and leisurely. You start and finish on your own schedule, seeing what you want to see, not what a dive guide wants to show you. If that...
PADI Women Scuba Diving Update
An Update from PADI My recent story about why women should learn to scuba dive got the attention of a spokesperson from certification agency PADI. It seems that my stats on women divers were old. More women are learning to dive every year. Yay! And PADI is determined...
New Sony Xperia XZ Premium vs. Travel Writer
Sony Xperia XZ Premium Travel Writer Review It seemed like fate when Best Buy asked me to review the new Sony Xperia XZ Premium phone since I have been writing a bit lately about smartphone photography and travel photography in general. This phone is set to take...
Why Scuba Dive? 12 Reasons Women Should Learn to Dive
Why I Learned to Scuba Dive I learned to scuba dive twenty-five years ago. I did it because I had a love/hate relationship with snorkeling. I desperately wanted to see more of the ocean and the animals that live beneath the waves, but snorkeling didn't get me close...
Getting to Know the Ships of Viking Ocean Cruises
Viking Ocean Cruises Besides the nineteen little things to love about the four ships of Viking Ocean Cruises in the video above, there is a multitude of big things to know and love. The most important of all is that the ships are almost identical. From the first,...
I Love Travel Writers, Don’t You?
I love travel writers. Unabashedly so. It's almost to the point of criminal stalking in some cases. I consider getting to rub shoulders with my heroes one of the perks of being a travel writer, but when I walk into a room full of writers my palms get sweaty, my voice...
iPhone-Impossible: 6 Photos You Can’t Take with Your iPhone
I love my iPhone. I have taken some pretty darn good iPhone photos, but I would never trust it alone for memories of life-altering travel. Some photos are what I call iPhone-impossible. There are times when you simply have to have an actual camera to get the shots you...
Squash Your Travel Fears With Help From These 10 Travel Writers
No More Travel Fears Travel is scary. Whether it's world politics, airlines, or just how to deal with the little details of getting around in a strange place, travel fears are real. But fear no more! There are travel writers that want to help you overcome those...
Silversea Bathrooms: The Cruise Bathroom I Wish I Had in my House
Silversea Does Bathrooms In over thirty years of cruising, I have experienced all sorts of bathrooms, most barely manageable in size for two people for a week of cruising. Until we experienced Silversea bathrooms, I had never found a cruise bathroom that I could...
I Can Die Now; I’ve Strolled the Galleria Vittoria Emanuel at 2 am
I have passed by the upscale stores in the Galleria on numerous occasions and not stepped inside any of them. Not even once. I do, however, have a deep love for this building that is essentially one of the world's first shopping malls. I have seen it from numerous...
The Truth About Family Travel: It’s All About the Experiences
Family travel is not always easy Gary and I are empty nesters now, but we traveled with our daughter from the time she was six weeks old until she went off to college. Don't let anybody fool you into thinking that family travel is easy. It generally is not. There will...
7 Reasons I am Learning to Speak Italian
Before the 2015 Expo Milano, Gary and I had the opportunity to spend several days in Milan and in the Franciacorta wine region with an eclectic group of journalists. Two were from France, two from Russia, three were from Germany, one other was American, and one was a...
Prepare to Be Bumped- Making Money on Oversold Flights
Oversold flights could be your next gold mine! There has never been a better time to get bumped from a flight. The aftermath of United's treatment of a passenger who refused to give up his seat has created the ideal conditions for those with the flexibility to take...
Viking Star Photo Journal: Empires of the Mediterranean
As much as I believe in the power of words, I concede that a good photo can convey the essence of a journey perhaps even better than mere words. Here are a few images of the 1,700 Gary took on our cruise with Viking Ocean Cruises from Venice to Athens. Enjoy!
Disclosure: Posts which I have been paid to write and post here are labeled as “Sponsored.” Other posts may contain links or references to companies, destinations, or travel providers that provided their product at no charge for the purpose of review. Additional links may be found to stories on other publications that I wrote for payment from those publications. In these two cases, I am under no obligation to write anything or provide links. These companies do not dictate or review what I post here on FirstRead.Me. All opinions are my own.