Oh, Puglia! How we love Puglia! After our first visit to Puglia, we decided to do a revisit. We invited our ambassador, Connie, to join us on the trip and introduced her to the wonderful Southern tip of the boot….
Should You Use a Travel Agent to Plan Your Vacation?
written by Betty Nguyen Finally, the borders are opening and for many, it’s the first time planning a vacation since the pandemic hit in March 2020. But where to start? Where to go for Americans? Anxiety is now the main…
Weekend Guide to Santa Barbara
written by Betty Nguyen If you’re visiting LA and planning a side road trip. Maybe I’ll go to Palm Springs or Joshua Tree, you contemplate, trendily. But what about Santa Barbara? It’s no longer the sleepy middle child, it has become…
Weekend Guide to Puebla, Mexico
by Betty Nguyen Only two-hours southeast of Mexico City is the colonial city of Puebla, mostly recognized for its colorful history – the city’s historic center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – plenty of gorgeous churches, the best mole poblano, and Talavera,…
Discover Matera, Italy in 24 Hours
written by Betty Nguyen To be honest, we did not know what to expect when we arrived in Matera, Italy. We’ve seen some photos and heard about the latest James Bond movie being filmed there. As the European capital of culture of 2019, we…
Is Morocco Safe for Female Travelers?
by Betty Nguyen To be honest, I’ve heard several disturbing stories about traveling to Morocco as females. From being disrespected (the men allegedly would grab you at the markets) to having sexist experiences at the airport (a friend described an incident where…
Travel Guide: Oslo, Norway
written by Betty Nguyen Oslo is the perfect 48 hour Scandinavian stopover for me: super clean and safe, good cafes, plenty of interesting museums and architecture, and easy access to efficient public transportation. It’s also a very green city, named European Green Capital…
Superblooming in California: Top 3 SoCal Spots
Written by Betty Nguyen After the wettest winter L.A. has seen in years, Southern California’s landscapes have transformed into beautiful floral utopias. The rain allowed dormant seeds to bloom after years of surviving the harsh drought. As a result, flowers and other indigenous…
Travel Guide: Planning Your 72 Hour Trip in Prague
written by Betty Nguyen One of the reasons why I stayed away from Prague for awhile is because I’ve seen numerous Insta photos of the famous Charles Bridge brimming to the rim of tourists and selfies. After running out of European side…
Planning Your Norway Winter Trip
written by Betty Nguyen Planning an unforgettable winter trip to northern Norway is possible with an open mind and some patience. Bear in mind, with limited light and frosty cold weather, your experiences will be different than in the summer time. From Olso, you…
Why You Need to Visit Tijuana, Mexico Now
written by Betty Nguyen Ask any native Californian about Tijuana decades ago (aka “”TJ”) and they would mention crime, prostitution, and drugs. Painted zebras brought back notions of the mythical “donkey shows” and a “what happens there stays there” attitude. But the Great Recession…
Travel Guide: 48 Hours in Kanazawa, Japan
written by Betty Nguyen We’ve been to Kyoto and Nara already and we wanted to visit different parts of Japan. So after some research, we decided to include Kanazawa as one of our slow-travel stops, also known as the old…