At the moment, I’m at sea on one of the biggest cruise ships in the world. There’s 4,000 passengers on this behemoth and it’s literally a floating resort. Each time we dock at a port, passengers flock out by the hundreds as cruise employees sort them into groups, load them onto buses and carry them away on various adventures. Later in the day, when the horn blows and...
Before you read this, let me confess. I’ve never eaten at the best restaurant in the world. I’ve had awesome food all over the globe, but I’ve never sat down in the best restaurant in the world or even had a reservation there. Years ago I started thinking about my bucket list and began to wonder if I could eat anywhere, where would it be...
The Traveling Wizard, aka Bill Wiatrak, visits San Francisco, grabs a bread bowl of clam chowder and learns how to ride a Segway around the wharf area as far as North Beach. For more information on booking a Segway tour, go to electrictourcompany.com. You’ve probably seen them before; a row of tourists with nerdy helmets coasting across an intersection on...
Last week I was wandering through headstones at the Pere’ Lachaise cemetery on the east side of Paris and thinking to myself what an odd choice I was making. After all, I had just driven almost an hour from the Palace of Versailles and my first stop in Paris was a graveyard? Granted, I’ve been to Paris before and seen most of the sights covered by...
I was standing on the top of the Eiffel Tower yesterday looking down at all the Christmas lights scattered throughout Paris. In spite of the recent tragedy, the French seemed to have taken the “Whoville” approach to dealing with the holidays. Nothing can stop Christmas from coming. Security is a little more obvious than it used to be, but the...
I’ve never loved Priceline commercials. Maybe it’s because William Shatner seems much better suited to battling Gorn on a deserted planet than breaking through walls in a suit that seems a little too tight. Maybe it’s because their name doesn’t really sound “fun”. That whole “negotiator” theme seems designed to make you...
If you’re a novice at booking travel, it’s easy to get a little intimidated when putting together a flight or vacation package. There’s a proliferation of travel sites who’s names sound remarkably alike all offering the lowest prices. Which one do you pick? If your itinerary is a simple round trip flight, you might get lucky on...
A couple of days ago I booked a last minute flight to Paris for this next weekend. My plan was to visit the Christmas markets in eastern France and make my way down the Rhine River to visit the Christmas markets. The day after I booked my ticket almost 150 people were brutally murdered in Paris by Islamic terrorists. My friends have been calling...
If you were asked to describe the perfect Christmas scene in your mind, chances are you might conjure up images of roasting chestnuts,reindeer, snow, lighted Christmas trees and yule logs. If you live in Texas, you’re in for a disappointment. If that’s how you envision the holidays, you’re unlikely to see many of those things in the Lone Star...
For years Ireland has held a magical and mystical image to a lot of Americans. What do you think of when you hear about Ireland? Let’s chauns, green beer, St. Patrick, rainbows and Game of Thrones. If you ask me, all that sounds pretty mystical. September to March is a great time to go visit the Isle of green. Why? Because the crowds disappear and the prices plunge...