Stories in this issue Summer 2016 Issue

My dream, influenced by the movie “Enchanted April” (1992), was to return to Italy during the month of April and experience the sunshine, the wisteria bloom, the deep blue sea and the passionate Italian way of life.

I am not a cruise person. Nothing seemed relaxing about cramming a small city onto an obscenely large vessel and calling it “seeing the world.” For this reason I signed up on Un-Cruise Adventures to the Baja Peninsula’s Sea of Cortez last December.

Two years ago, I started a long overdue research project of discovering my Polish roots. While researching future travel destinations, I discovered a culinary tour company that specialized in travel to Poland. This was a great opportunity to combine my love of cuisine and my ancestry research.

Authenticity is the name of the game in the Smokies when it comes to the region’s arts and crafts heritage. It’s also a quality that can be applied to the people who make their homes in this very special part of the country.

There is so much to enjoy and memories to make all over the island: hiking, winding roads with spectacular views, small villages, local artists and artisans, history, Celtic music, delicious lobster and seafood chowder, golf, kayaking, fishing, whale watching, beach combing, and heart-stopping beauty of nature.

In an ironic twist to the City of Detroit’s former power as the nation’s leading automobile manufacturer, cars are not allowed on Mackinac Island; transportation is by horse and carriage, bicycle, or foot.

A trip to Avery Island and TABASCO with a tour of the island

And lately, it’s all about the food

The wolves’ plaintive cries split the pre-dawn silence and my lizard brain screamed, “run”!

The key to picking the perfect checked luggage is to pick the right piece for your belongings that fits your travel style and needs. We decided to perform a comparison test of four very different pieces of luggage.