Inspiring Travel and Wellness. Join me for adventures above and below the ocean, exploring nature, luxury travel experiences, spa and wellness activities.
Our first response is to blame the airline when air travel goes wrong. Let’s look at five common air travel woes and determine who is at fault, and what you can do about it!
Late flight? Stuck on the tarmac? Lost luggage? Something missing from your luggage? Cancelled flight?
These are ALL an annoying part of air travel.
As a frequent flyer, and former airline employee (focused on baggage handling technology), I am amazed at everything travelers blame on the airline. Some things are absolutely the airlines fault, such as giving your seat away, bad service, and rude employees! But airlines give blamed for everything, even the other problems that aren’t in their control and definitely not their fault.
Our first response is to blame the airline when air travel goes wrong. Let’s review five common air travel woes and determine who is at fault, and what you can do about it!
Travel tips to discover the local treasures hidden in your backyard!
For as long as I can remember I have had the Travel Bug, my Dad calls this my “itchy feet” since I could never stand still. I loved going on road trips and vacation getaways with my family as a child, then exploring on my own as I got older. I was excited to get my Passport so I could travel to distant lands and experience the World!
After two trips outside the United States I realized that my hometown of Phoenix, Arizona was an exotic location for many people. The locals that I was visiting were just as fascinated by USD currency, desert climate, and the “wild, wild, west” as I was with their home. Some of my new British friends even made the trek out to Phoenix to see for themselves. Treating my home as base camp, we explored my neighborhood through tourist eyes. And I discovered treasure in my own backyard!
Here is my ultimate travel list of 7 destinations that everyone should visit in their lifetime.
Connect with family – Visit where your parents were born and raised. Learn how they grew up, listen to childhood stories, and get to know the experiences that shaped your parents lives. Look at the photos from their childhood and visit those locations to see how they have changed. Ask questions about achievements, struggles, silly stories, and the mundane daily tasks. Find the storyteller in your family, and just listen.
Research your ancestors and stroll through your homeland, as far back as you can discover. Learn your history and culture. Try the food. What is the national activity or sport? What traditions have carried over into your family? Watch for all of the faces that look like you. Find gravestones and landmarks with your family names (maternal and past generations). Walk through the living history of your ancestors past.
Seek out Adventure! Try something that gets your heart pounding. Adventure can be found in your backyard, just start somewhere.
Push beyond your comfort zone – Travel alone, visit a big city, stretch your physical limits, go beyond your usual activities. Now is the time to try something new, that scares you, just a little.
Visit Poverty and a place of hardship – Volunteer and contribute to improve an impoverished area or situation. Provide assistance after a natural disaster. Helping others and seeing how little some people live with will remind you how much you really have, and leave a better appreciation of how good your life is. Make the world a better place, by starting in your hometown and make this part of your life style.
Take a mini Luxury Vacation – Save up for an opulent getaway and indulge in a wildly extravagant trip. This will teach you the value of saving, waiting, and anticipation. Reward your discipline and discover the abundance available in exchange for hard work. Find the activity and location that will motivate you to set higher goals for achievement. Learn what your definition of “Success” looks like.
Find your Peace – Where is your Happy Place? Different for everybody, and never marked with an X on the map, your place of peace is the journey of discovering who you are. And for that precious moment, you will know, it is exactly where you are meant to be at the exact moment. Once you find it, finding your peace is easier each time.
Hiking is one of my favorite free activities in Phoenix. Our desert valley is surrounded by mountains providing stunning views and wildlife. South Mountain Park/Preserve in the heart of Phoenix is over 16,000 acres, approximately 20 times the size of New York’s Central Park, it is the largest municipal park in the country! Now is the perfect time to Go Take a Hike!
South Mountain Park
South Mountain Park is easy access from anywhere in metro-Phoenix and offers trails for every level of athletic ability. Horses, dogs, and mountain bikes are all welcome on the trails.
Desert Classic Trail
With nearly 60 miles of trails, I like to map out the hike before heading to a trail head. Most trails are easily followed with metal signposts along the trail as a guide, and many of these were recently updated with trail name, QR code, elevation, and specific trail post information. I always bring a hard copy trail map of the area I plan to be in. A recent hike with friends was so beautiful we decided to add another couple miles to our hike, which was easily accomplished with a brief look at our trail map.
There are at least 4 main parking lots, and many more parking areas near perimeter trail heads.There are excellent maps and detailed descriptions of trails provided by National Geographic at All Trails website. Here is more information about the beautiful desert trails including petroglyphs and ruins.
Pima Canyon entrance from Guadalupe
Pima Canyon entrance is accessed from I-10 and Baseline road, just off of 48th street and Guadalupe. This popular parking lot is usually packed with cars, and offers restrooms, water fountains, shaded benches, and areas for cooking/grilling.
Pima Canyon Gazebo
Desert Foothills Parkway is a smaller parking lot located at the Southern tip of the park and offers shaded area, water fountains, and portable toilets.
My favorite, and the most luxurious theater in Phoenix is the Orpheum Theater in downtown Phoenix.
Home to performances from the Phoenix Theater League, comedians, and high quality shows. Capacity is less than 1400 seats, which means there really are no bad seats. Even mediocre views are easily avoided by skipping the last 10 rows lower level or last 5 rows on the balcony.
Originally opened in 1929 in the Spanish Baroque architecture style, the 1997 restoration gave the theater amazing acoustics and modern lighting while keeping the Roaring 20’s class. The theater itself is beautiful, with new details inside and out to be discovered during every visit.
Orpheum lower level seating looking up to the balcony
The seat rows are a smidge close (not as much leg room as Phoenix Symphony Hall). Seats on the interior aisle are a great option for taller people or anyone needing a little more room.
Beverage bars serving wine, coffee, and light snacks are open before and during intermission for performances. The bathroom lines tend to be short and fast moving. Every comfort is provided in the Orpheum. The ground level lobby is small, venture downstairs to the lower level bar (not always open), large area for mingling, and restrooms.
Performances at the Orpheum are a great excuse for date night, family afternoon matinees, girls’ night out, and more. Incorporate one of the nearby restaurants for the perfect dinner and a show event.
