Our Annual Compilation of our Top Travel Writer’s 2023 Destinations

I began the year later than usual. My first excursion in the year was to San Antonio, Texas, a city I had never been to, but that left me with a positive feeling.

Between biking all over the city on safe paths to the luxurious digs at the JW Marriott Texas Hill Country Resort, it was a great winter break from cold New England. An exciting new addition to the famous Alamo brought me down here.

Max Hartshorne GoNOMAD Editor

In April, I flew to Huntsville, Alabama, for a tourism meeting and spent some time on a road trip visiting the famous recording studios that made the Muscle Shoals sound so popular.

Meeting the wife of one of the famous ‘Wrecking Crew” studio musicians, she told the stories about when the Rolling Stones and Aretha Franklin came down and recorded in these studios.

In May, I took one of the most spectacular cruises I’ve ever experienced when we boarded the Star Clipper for a week-long loop around Corsica and Sardinia, ending up in Cannes.

The feeling of being underway at night with sailpower was unforgettable as were the beautiful landscapes of these two under populated islands.

After the cruise, we enjoyed a visit to Cassis and other towns in Provence for some off duty fun. We spent the rest of the summer at home then enjoyed exploring New Brunswick Canada in early September. A true lobster success story!

A short visit to Medford Oregon and the spectacular Crater Lake was on tap for October and my final trip included my son Sam–so fun–to the Coastal Mississippi region of the U.S.

Paul Shoul Senior Writer

My first trip of 2023 was to the heart of one of the most vibrant neighborhoods of New York City to stay at the new Radio Hotel in Washington Heights.

The neighborhood is incredibly dynamic, throbbing with people, music, open-air vegetable and fruit markets, and one of the largest Dominican populations in the country.

Jalao restaurant Co-Owner Antonio Espaillat manages over 60 radio stations in the Dominican Republic. This project is how he plays it forward, bringing upscale dining to this fantastic part of NYC.

Next was a trip to Lanzarote and Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands of Spain. Located just off the coast of northwestern Africa, they have one of the best climates in the world. It is essentially late spring and sunny all of the time.

Lanzarote is a volcanic wonderland. The landscape is jaw-dropping. Hundreds of volcanic cones rise from the lava fields that cover over a quarter of the island’s rich, fertile ground. I felt humbled in the face of such power to destroy and create.

They call Gran Canaria “the Content Island.” Why? Because it has a little bit of everything. A smorgasbord of geography, from endless beaches on the coast to the rugged volcanic mountains and valleys in the heart of the island.

For my final trip of the year, I returned to Lisbon, Portugal, One of my favorite cities on the planet.

Lisbon has become one of the must travel destinations in the world. The reasons are apparent: incredible history, excellent infrastructure for travel, long bike paths, and amazing food. And The Portuguese people are super friendly.

Tab Hauser Senior Writer

2023 had me on both sides of the Atlantic. The year started off writing about three of the smaller Caribbean islands. Nevis is what the Caribbean was like 75 years ago.

It takes an hour to drive around its dormant volcano. I am going back in 2024!

Nevis’s sister island, St Kitts has more bustle, especially when three cruise ships come in. Beach bars still offer $3 beers. There are several attractions worth visiting including one of the best restored island forts with views St Martin. This is the place to buy batik. There are three small beaches for sun and sand to consider.

You go to Anguilla for its beautiful beaches and music. There are five beaches to choose from depending on where there wind blows. There is always music playing each night somewhere on the island. Always look to see where Bankie Banks or son plays. Accommodations and food were the highest of the three islands visited.

Adult day camp at sea was my theme for my first transatlantic crossing on the one year old Silversea Dawn. I thought I would be bored on sea days but tried different activities like cooking, water colors, took in some lectures and tried playing bridge. The food and service is five star aboard with everything included.

The Silversea Dawn took us to Portugal. My stories on three days in Lisbon will help you understand the best way to see the city. We followed this up with three day in Porto advising readers to allow a full day in Gaia, the city across the river from Porto.

The last stop was three days in Douro Valley. This is one of the most scenic wine countries in the world where vineyards were hand carved in the hills above the river.

In the United States I spent time in Virginia. First at the Skyland Resort in the middle of the Shenandoah National Forest. It was the perfect base for easy hiking (I am 65), park ranger events and enjoying the beautiful Skyline Drive.

Staying in Virginia we enjoyed the Omni Homestead Resort where you can “take the waters” that Thomas Jefferson did in America’s first mineral spring bath house.

The Omni is five star with an emphasis on southern hospitality. It also has the oldest continuous golf tee in the United States. The 2300 acres of the resort are beautiful.

It was in Georgetown and Lexington that I learned that horses and bourbon rule. We visited a special horse farm for retired champions and toured two distilleries along with some landmarked mansions and Toyota’s 1300 acre factory.

My last story in 2023 was Memphis for Music, History, and Food. Highlights included a fun tour of the city in a 1955 Cadillac. We learned all things Elvis in Graceland, were humbled and educated in the National Civil Rights Museum and ate some good food in the city. We wandered Beale Street each night until we found the right bands calling us in to sit for a set.

Sonja Stark Senior Writer

This was the year to do things with my Mutti, aka ‘Mom.’  Mutti turned 80 years and I pulled out all the stops for her in 2023. 

The New Year kicked off with a road trip to Myrtle Beach escorting her and her friend Sue to their oceanfront rental.  There’s something magical jogging on an empty beach during a sunset with nothing but seagulls squawking.  

February found my partner George and me at the Studebaker Theater in downtown Chicago to meet some of our favorite radio personalities.  Bill Kurtis, Peter Sagal, and a host of other panel members had us laughing to tears during the taping of an episode of NPR’s “Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me.” 

The pension reform bill protests in Paris added to the drama of being in France during Easter.  From the Louvre to the Eiffel to the still-wounded Notre Dame, police blocked off streets, and media cameras rolled on the rallies and marches; liberty and freedom on display for the world.  

The fun continued with a pilgrimage to meet up with friends Mark and Marie in the windy city of Marseille in southern France.  We were blown away by e-biking the Celanques to the postcard-beach cove of Sormiou.  The water proved too cold for a dip so we stayed dry exploring the Conquer Cave museum instead.   

On the final leg of our 3-city joyride, we stressed over a last-minute train cancellation to Barcelona but, thanks to help from friendly strangers, we arrived safely. With 36 hours to spare, we crash-coursed all things Catalan including Gaudi’s Basilica de la Sagrada and the Park Güell.

Mom was born and raised in Germany so it was fitting to see the Aunts and Uncles in August.  We vacationed on the Bodensee (Lake Constance) visiting World Heritage sites like the Meersburg Castle where heaping plates of cheesy Spätzle and bratwurst reshaped our calorie count.  I’ll never forget my tour of the 2500-year-old Pile Dwellings site which included 23 houses from the Stone and Bronze Age positioned on stilts over the water.  

And through it all, I logged another 30,000 miles on my minivan with ferry hops to the Montauk Lighthouse, Mackinac Island, and the province of Ontario.  Hibernation this winter will be a welcome respite!

Kurt Jacobson Senior Writer

My traveling for 2023 began in College Park, MD. Future Harvest was holding its annual meeting there and I showed up to cover the story for two other publications.

The first thing that grabbed me as I pulled into town was the College Park Aviation Museum. The College Park airport is the world’s oldest continuously operated airport and is worth a visit.

Next up was Washington DC for Taste of Bordeaux, a French wine show. The best part of that visit was discovering La Cosecha food hall and Mescalero restaurant for excellent food and drinks in the NoMa district.

A trip to Lincoln, NE, gave me good seats to my nephew’s show choir in a local competition. It was good inexpensive entertainment and some family time too. After Lincoln, next up was a week in Oahu with the in-laws. We ate our way through Hawaiian paradise on this second helping of Honolulu fun and food. It was so much fun we are all going back to the Hyatt Regency Waikiki in 2024.

In late June, we did an epic road trip from Littleton, CO, to Pagosa Springs, Aspen, Frisco, and Denver. My wife and I can’t wait to move back to Colorado when the time is right and this road trip solidified a deep love for our previous home state.

Late August saw me visiting Castle Rock, CO, to investigate our next hometown. I loved hiking to the top of the “Rock” and enjoying the view on a bluebird day in my old home state. Shortly after the Colorado trip, I went to Orange, VA to stay at the Inn at Willow Grove.

This fantastic Inn and Spa has an excellent restaurant and is close to Barboursville Vineyards, Montpelier, Gordonsville, and the Blue Ridge Mountains.

A long road trip to Maine and Ithaca, NY took up much of September. We consumed many lobsters and bottles of wine during this family get-together. In October, I was invited to visit Brampton Bed and Breakfast in Chestertown, MD, to try their outdoor dinner series. Dinner under blue skies turned into starlit skies as some 30 patrons enjoyed the meal and ambiance of this historic Inn. I finished the year with a long-awaited trip to Japan with my wife and her parents. We visited Tokyo, Kanazawa, and Kusatsu, enjoying onsen, bullet trains, Japanese gardens, and exceptional dining.

Mary Charlebois Senior Writer

January began with the biggest and most important trip of my life. I packed two bags with clothing, put my laptop and camera in my backpack, left my home in Northern Coastal California, and moved to Gozo, Malta.

I spent the next ten months exploring the tiny (9 x 4.5 miles) island of Gozo, with occasional visits to the island of Malta, Gozo’s big sister in the Mediterranean archipelago. It’s amazing what you can discover on foot.

Thousands of years of history, traditional lifestyles, incredible food, fascinating people, and natural beauty occupied most waking hours. More Malta and Gozo stories to come in 2024.

In 2023, I added a life and work partner to my agenda to make life even more interesting. We formed Mary & Kevin Travel. It changed our lives in delightful ways two old fa@#s could not have imagined.

This year, our BIG trip is eight weeks in Bulgaria, a trip still in progress at this writing. In 2034, GoNOMAD will publish some of our stories about the seven towns and cities where we’ve immersed ourselves as locals.

Annie Chen Senior Writer

To ring in the New Year, I headed to Equatorial Guinea to visit a friend in Malabo and traveled around the island of Bioko as much as possible. It was fascinating to explore the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa and feel the difference in influences in their mix of cultures and cities.

I returned to my home in Douala, Cameroon later in January, where the humidity and warm year-round weather are similarly relaxing. I visited Kribi one weekend, a beach resort with some sleepy beaches and fresh seafood that my friends and I took full advantage of.

On another occasion, I joined an excursion to the Douala Edea National Park via boat down the river to see the chimpanzee sanctuary and the first church in the country.

At the end of February, I headed to Zanzibar, Tanzania for the second time, making sure to enjoy a Stoney Tangawizi with the sunset views.

One evening, my friends and I took a calming sunset cruise on a traditional dhow (and jumped off of it several times!). In early March, I found myself in Mombasa, Kenya, where I got up close and personal with a dozen or so giraffes in their natural habitat.

I moved onto Lamu next, an island with an impressively preserved Old Town that’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. Friends in Nairobi invited me to stay, and I flew to the capital to embrace the fast-paced cosmopolitan lifestyle there. Finally, I visited family friends by Lake Naivasha, 2 hours northwest of Nairobi, for the final weekend.

In May, I had an opportunity to finally visit Rwanda, which is, true to its reputation, indeed remarkably clean everywhere I turned. Participating in several work events also meant I had the chance to rent some local clothing, travel outside of Kigali to the Muhanga District, and Rubavu, a small lakeside town right next to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. The landscape changed each time, from the hilly capital to the calm Southern Province to lush forests by Lake Kivu.

In June, before my time in Cameroon finished, I took a road trip into the Western region, famous for its strong traditions and preservation throughout the modernization of the country.

From July to August, I took buses, trains, taxis and planes around France, visiting friends and attending a wedding. Beginning in Paris, I checked out neighborhoods and attractions I hadn’t been to before in previous visits; The Paris Plages were booming all through the summer with their free, open activities for the whole family. Le Marais was packed with tourists along the quaint, cobblestoned streets, and Parc de la Villette had various attractions, such as a Tim Burton exhibition, for its visitors.

After heading to Nantes, I went up to Brittany on the northern coast to see the historic Mont St. Michele and St. Malo, with some land yachting at the windy beaches between the two sites.

Sharon Kurtz Senior Writer

March 2023 transported me to the mystical land of Egypt, where I delved into ancient history and marveled at the latest tomb discovery in Saqqara. Crossing the Red Sea from Cairo to Tel Aviv marked my inaugural visit to Israel.

April brought about my birthday celebration in Giverny, surrounded by the beauty of Monet’s gardens. After a pitstop in Paris, I embarked on a leisurely train journey through southwest France to Bordeaux, indulging in good wine and exploring charming villages in the Dordogne region, culminating in the fairytale setting of Sarlat a medieval village I’ll never forget.

Continuing my French sojourn via a high-speed train, I whisked across southwest France to Cannes in the Cote d’Azur. I explored Lerins Islands with its historic winemaking by monks and the island fortress that once imprisoned the mysterious “man in the iron mask.” Nice served as my base as I followed Picasso’s footsteps to Mougin, Vallauris, and Antibes, completing an unforgettable French escapade.

May saw me jetting off to Rome from Nice, weaving through captivating sights from the vantage point of a Vespa sidecar. The Italian journey continued to Pompeii, the Amalfi Coast, and Capri, with a high-speed train whisking me through cultural gems—Florence, Siena, Tuscany, and Venice.

Returning to the US in June, I dove into the rugged beauty of South Dakota, from the Badlands to Mt. Rushmore. In the heart of Colorado’s active scene, I zipped, conquered the Via Ferrata in the Royal Gorge, and rafted the Arkansas River—max thrills, non-stop action.

September whisked me away to a tropical paradise in St. John, Virgin Islands. October fulfilled a travel goal as I explored Poland, savoring the culinary delights of Warsaw, Krakow, and Poznan while discovering the historical charm of these budget-friendly Central European towns.

November found our family seeking solace on the shores of Maui, supporting recovery post-Lahaina fires. The soulful sounds of Memphis awaited me the week after Thanksgiving, a pilgrimage to the home of musical legends.

Jackie Sheckler Finch Senior Writer

What a terrific travel year 2023 turned out to be. To top it all off, I had a wonderful surprise in November. Will tell you about that later. But first, my brother Joe and I met in Memphis for a weeklong cruise to New Orleans aboard the beautiful new American Symphony riverboat.

Joe lives in Colorado. I live in Indiana. As the last two in a large family of nine, Joe and I try to get together every year but it is not always easy. Joe is a professional drummer and has regular gigs. I’m a journalist. So, despite our good intentions, a year can quickly pass and our planned visits haven’t happened.

As we traveled the mighty Mississippi, we stopped for intriguing shore excursions. One of my favorites was our visit to Houmas House in Louisiana, where we docked right across the road from the 16-room 1800s plantation where the old 1964 Bette Davis movie, “Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte” was filmed.

A few weeks later, I returned to Memphis to visit Sun Studios, known as “The Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” When 18-year-old Elvis Presley walked into Sun Studio for the first time on a hot summer day in 1953, the shy teen made a recording of “My Happiness.”

Local lore says the recording was intended as a birthday present for his mother. More likely, tour guide Daniel says, the teen was hoping to be discovered. He was yearning for stardom. And that’s exactly what he found – more than anyone could ever dream.

Next up was another musical destination – Luckenbach, Texas, made famous in the 1977 Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings ditty called “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics.”

“Let’s go to Luckenbach, Texas, with Willie and Waylon and the boys,” the song invited. And that’s exactly what people did. A very small town, Luckenbach has a population of 3, plus a dance hall, beer joint, and general store. Of course, plenty of music.

It was a rainy day when I paid a second visit to Tom’s Wall history in Florence, Alabama. Beginning in 1988, Tom Hendrix began constructing a commemorative stone wall on his property as a memorial to his great-great grandmother.

Known as Te-lah-nay, his Native American ancestor was forced as a teen to walk from her Alabama home to an Oklahoma Indian reservation. Thousands of men, women, and children during the 1830s died on that infamous 1,000-mile Trail of Tears. Tom’s great-great-grandmother survived, escaped the reservation, and walked the long trek back home.

When I first visited with Tom eight years ago, he told me that he had recently gotten a letter in the mail saying, “We are eagerly anticipating your arrival up here. You will immediately be set to work building us a stone wall.”

“The letter was signed by St. Peter,” Tom said. That was the last time I saw Tom. On Feb. 24, 2017, 10 days past his 83rd birthday, Tom left this earth to join Te-lah-nay in the Great Circle.

Next up was Coon Dog Cemetery in Cherokee, Alabama. Key Underwood and his canine buddy Troop had spent many happy days and nights doing what they loved best in these woods.

Choosing a rock from a nearby old chimney, Underwood used a hammer and screwdriver to chisel out Troop’s name and date. The stone was erected over his grave and that’s how Coon Dog Cemetery was founded.

Today more than 300 coon dogs have been buried there. Each Labor Day, the Friends of the Coon Dog Cemetery hold a special celebration with music, a barbecue and tall tales shared.

At the International Towing & Recovery Hall of Fame & Museum  in Chattanooga, Tennessee, I learned more about an important device that has helped me several times in my life. In 1916, while steering a Tin Lizzy over a bumpy road, a Chattanooga motorist took a sharp right when he shouldn’t have and helped create a major invention.

Using three poles, a pulley, and a chain hooked to the frame of a 1913 Cadillac, Holmes pulled the vehicle back up on the road. From that, the Wrecker King was born.

As a solo traveler, I’m accustomed to journeying alone. So when I was invited to test out a solo stateroom on the new American Serenade riverboat, I didn’t hesitate. My eight-night cruise went from Memphis to Nashville with interesting stops along the way.

For another new riverboat cruise, I headed to Vienna, Austria, to discover the cruising joys of the new Viva Two for a seven-night itinerary along the Danube River. Along with Vienna, we made stops in other parts of Austria as well as in Hungary and Germany.

My last GoNOMAD story for 2023 was about a newborn so small and lifeless that the attending nurse thought he must be stillborn. Placing the baby on a kitchen table, the nurse turned her attention to the mother after a difficult deliver.

But the baby’s uncle thought there might still be a chance. Taking a puff on his cigar, the uncle breathed warm smoke into the child’s lungs. The result was immediate. The baby that had been feared dead began breathing and moving.

That is how famed artist Pablo Picasso entered the world on Oct. 25, 1881, in Málaga, Spain. On April 8, 1973, Picasso took his last breath. He died of a heart attack at the age of 91. But what a life he lived and what an astounding artistic legacy he created during his lifetime – more than 148,500 works – paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and illustrations. He even authored books and wrote two plays.

As for that surprise, at the annual awards ceremony of the Midwest Travel Journalist Association, I was awarded the honor of Mark Twain Travel Writer of the Year.

One of my stories that won first place was about Tom’s Wall. A most surprising way to end the year, this was a record six times I have won the top award – in 1998, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2012, and 2023.

Jackie we are so proud of you! Max Hartshorne, GoNOMAD Editor

Cindy-Lou Dale Senior Writer

March: Riding an eye-catching Can-Am Roadster through Umbria’s panoramic Sibillini Mountains, one of the major mountain groups in Italy, is something else, especially being tailgated by two superbikes.

Also in March: I’m on a road trip in South Africa’s Limpopo Valley, doing the Ribola Art Route visiting crafters in rural villages who’s homes are brightly painted in geometric patterns.

April: Ruzzola – the National Cheese Rolling competition in Italy is something to behold. The rules are simple – wrap the coarse string around the girth of the cheese then launch it by unwinding the string, with one end held in one hand. The method used is best described as playing yo-yo and ‘walking the dog’, then letting go to see how far it travels – that’s near enough to what Ruzzola is.

July: Most first-time visitors to Cape Town, South Africa, seek out the world-acclaimed tourism hot spots but what I did instead was look deeper and seek out. off-the-tourist-path places in the rural Cape.

August: To find everything you didn’t know you needed, go shopping in Cleveland. It’s shopping and just oozes history, with restored Victorian architecture. The cafe tables along the scrolling iron balconies are especially elegant places to relax and people watch.

September: This is when Munich, Germany, celebrates their annual Oktoberfest. It’s a total blast! Beer drinkers loudly clunk their tankards together and sway to the slow, rhythmic music, whilst others take their partners for a waltz in any space they can find.

October: In Jaipur, watching skilled craftsmen giving new life to near destroyed antique furniture. India is almost unique in the world for the number and diversity of things that it still makes by hand – it’s the way of life, rather than an exception to it.

November: For a weekend break I’m at a family-run agritourism wine estate in Tuscany, near Siena, Italy. What makes a hotel extraordinary for me is always an emotional experience. Often, they’re corporate, state-of-the-art, and without character; and sometimes, just sometimes, they’re sweetly unpretentious. Which is exactly what La Torre alle Tolfe is, unapologetically so.

December: Driving a Lamborghini Huracan, the closest thing to a street legal racing car, through scenic Italian villages is the quickest way to draw attention of the local fuzz.

John Henderson Senior Writer

Every year in Rome, my girlfriend and I get out of town for our birthdays. Sometimes we switchdates, such as this year.

She wanted to go to Istanbul but her birthday was in June. It’s too hot. I wanted to go to Cyprus but my birthday was in March. It’s too cold. So we flipped sites and I spent my birthday in Istanbul where I took an interesting side trip – to a tourist trap.

The Pudding Shop became legendary from the 1978 film “Midnight Express.” It was about a 23-year-old American named Billy Hayes who got busted in 1970 for trying to smuggle hashish out of the Istanbul airport and spent five years in prison before escaping.

//He made his drug connection at the Pudding Shop, which was the backpacker and hippy nerve center in the 1960s and ‘70s.

Marina and I never did make it to Cyprus in June. Instead, that month I went to Tropea, a teardrop on the coast of Calabria, the 19th Italian region I’ve visited with only Val d’Aosta to go.

Billed “Italy’s Most Beautiful Village” in 2021 by the TV show Borgho dei Borghione, Tropea is the highlight of Italy’s poorest, most rural region.

The beaches are almost as terrific as the sunsets you see while sipping cocktails on bars high atop cliffs.

Tropea is also a good base to drive around one of the most unspoiled regions in Italy, where the pretty farmhouses and street carts selling Tropea’s famous onions belie the economic woes.

I explored Algeria in the company of a group of Traveler’s Century Club members, this was a fascinating place with no interest in tourists.

Cathie Arquilla Senior Writer

Getting in my last licks of the ski season, I headed to Banff Sunshine Village, just outside of Calgary, Canada. From New York City, it’s a time commitment to get there, but it’s definitely worth the trip. If you manage a stay in Alberta, you add a fun city adventure to your ski village trip.

A deep dive into the neighborhoods of Charlotte, NC, made for a good story about getting local in this bustling

financial city. Charlotte’s “Got A Lot,” and I advise spending several days there exploring the different neighborhoods, eating and eating! Their food scene is as impressive as their art scene.

Outstanding weather was to be had on the Côte d’ Azur in October. As a travel writer, the off-season is generally when media is invited to a destination. These days, with so many chic places like the French Riviera suffering from overtourism, that’s the perfect time to go!

The hook of my story for Everett Potter Travel Report was about the historic, quaint, beautiful city of old Antibes.

Noreen Kompanik Senior Writer

My first international journey was a 19-day family trip to Phuket and Bangkok, Thailand where we thoroughly engaged in this fascinating culture searching for the region’s most precious hidden treasures.

March took us to the Dominican Republic for 10 days, first to the historic town of Santa Domingo and then off to the stunning beaches of captivating Punta Cana. The trip was followed by a five-day media visit to Cancun which included a hidden paradise tour of local cenotes.

Later in the month, I was privileged to be invited to the MSC Cruises Naming and Delivery ceremony in Saint Nazaire, France with a stay in the charming town of Nantes. Sailings on the MSC World Europa and MSC Euribia included port calls in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Naples, Italy.

June brought another cruise adventure but this time on a magnificent Viking Rhine River Castles & Cathedrals Cruise that commenced in Amsterdam, and ended in Basil, Switzerland. The eight-day cruise included stops in Kinderdijk, Netherlands, Cologne, Koblenz, Speyer and Breisach Germany along with Strasbourg, France.

It was back to the open seas in July on the MSC Explora’s North American inaugural voyage from New York City to Quebec City with port calls in Boston and Saint John, Bay of Fundy, Canada. This new line of luxury ships from MSC provided so many exquisite and unforgettable moments on the high seas.

In August, my hubby and I were invited on a dream trip – an Adventures by Disney South African adventure that took us to Cape Town, the home of Nelson Mandela, South African wine country, Knysna and the amazingly picturesque Garden Route before entering the Realm of the Lion King at the Kapama Private Game Reserve in search of the Big 5 (a story captured by my husband).

September was all about the beautiful state of Colorado as my business partner and I attended the Ultimate FO Overseas Bootcamp as an exhibitor followed by a travel writers retreat and media trip to one of our favorite Rocky Mountain towns – Breckenridge.

In October, we headed to another wine country – this time to Southern California’s Temecula for another retreat and media trip. Other than doing lots of wine tasting and dining on delectable delights, our group of female travelers most enjoyed our horseback riding through the vineyards and magnificent landscape of the Temecula Valley.

Los Cabos, Mexico was a fun family trip in November to our fractional ownership villa for a week of complete and total relaxation and then we ended the year with another amazingly relaxing trip to the oceanside destinations of St. Petersburg and Vero Beach, Florida.

Rich Grant Senior Writer

I spent a lot of 2023 with dogs and horses, first in a sea of cuteness at the largest gathering of Golden Retrievers in history at Goldens in Golden, Colorado, and then at the World Cup Dressage event in Omaha, Nebraska.  Except for Bud Light, nobody gets bad press like California, so I drove down the coast to see if any of the bad stories were true.  They weren’t. We still love you California! 

Worse than bad press is no press at all.  In Oklahoma City, the Mayor asked our group, how many of you have been here before?  No one raised their hands.  The Mayor said, “Great! Your low expectations make my job so much easier.”  He didn’t need to worry. OKC is wonderful and fun, as is nearby Tulsa. 

I finished with an unofficial tour of hurricane and earthquake damage on the south shore of Puerto Rico.   It’s still there, but being covered by jungle and beauty everywhere

Donnie Sexton Senior Writer

My travel stars aligned in 2023, yielding trips to far-flung places much to my joy. January started with a trip to Ethiopia and an exploration of the Omo Valley tribes and the underground rock churches of Lalibela.

The tribes are one of the last frontiers of Africa, living relatively unchanged for hundreds of years. With hours on gravel roads and less-than-stellar accommodations, the trip isn’t for the faint of heart.

A storm chasing photo workshop based in Oklahoma City was on the docket in late May. I quickly learned this is a hit-and-miss proposition, requiring oodles of patience waiting for an epic tornado to materialize. While that never happened, I did capture some ominous cloud formations.

I made the long journey to Kazakhstan in June with seven journalists on an invite from the government to explore the city of Almaty. The country declared its independence from Russia in 1990, yet most locals still speak Russian. If you’re fond of horse meat, you’ll find it plentiful in Kazakhstan.

I made my fifth trip back to Tanzania in August, co-leading a group of photographers to the wilds of the Serengeti. We ticked off the big five –lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo, and rhinoceros. We witnessed the great migration of the wildebeest, a genuinely mind-blowing sight to see thousands of the critters cross the Mara River on their way to greener pastures.

Feeling guilty about all my travel without the hubby, I planned an easy getaway for us to Portugal, exploring the wine region of the Douro River valley. Starting in Porto, we sipped our way through the peaceful countryside, its rolling hills covered in vineyards.

Attending the Society of American Travel Writers convention in November landed me in Extremadura, Spain. Packed into a few days were discoveries of Roman ruins, medieval villages, castles, and historical convents. It was a flavorful visit, with tastings of locally produced wine, cheese, olives, paprika, cherries, and most notably, Iberian pork.

Anne Braly Senior Writer

It was a milestone birthday for me this year – number 65 to be exact – and I knew exactly how and where I wanted to spend it: Having dinner at Greyfriars Bobby in Edinburgh, Scotland.

But first, I wanted to experience a ride on the Jacobite Express through the Scottish Highlands.  With some planning, making reservations in advance, and pounds in my pocket, I flew out of New York with a direct flight to London and caught a plane to Inverness and a taxi to my B&B to await my once-in-a-lifetime ride on the train that Harry Potter made famous. 

But just as all travel writers, travel is in our blood, part of our DNA. It’s an addiction, one that’s hard to stop with just one trip. So I made it down to Jamaica this past year.

All-inclusives dot the island, but I don’t know of any that strongly encourage its guests to step off property and experience life outside the resort. S Hotel does just that. 

In August I took a gamble on the weather and headed to Las Vegas to check out the newly designed entrance area of the Plaza Hotel in downtown Las Vegas, aka Old Town Vegas and the Freemont Street Experience. The gamble paid off as far as the excitement is concerned, but the 100-plus degree temperatures, as well as the drought, made being outdoors rather tough, especially on a side trip to Hoover Dam.

Cooling down a bit, I traveled to North Carolina’s Brunswick Islands and was amazed at its natural beauty and the fact that much of it remains undeveloped, much like it was when I was there as a young girl.

Sure, developers have moved in to raze the land and raise some hotels and new restaurants, but with few high rises in sight, visiting this piece of paradise is a must if a beach vacation doesn’t mean bright lights and late nights. It’s perfect for families.

As many times as I’ve driven past Cartersville, Ga., on my way to the Atlanta airport, I’ve never stopped to check the town out. This year, I did and was impressed with the number of local restaurants that have hopped on the farm-to-table trend and are now serving gourmet fare that brings foodies from as far away as Chattanooga and Atlanta for dinner.

And finally, giving a nod to perhaps the most famous of all Tennesseans, Dolly Parton, I made the 90-minute drive to Dollywood to hear her sing and talk about the newest addition to her beloved theme park, Big Bear Mountain, the longest roller coaster at the park.

What a ride I had in 2023!