About

Welcome to Wayfaring Views

Sometimes the “must see” sights, simply aren’t. Wayfaring Views will help you explore beyond the obvious and the mundane so that you can find extraordinary, cool, weird and unforgettable travel experiences.

Sometimes going beyond the obvious means getting off the beaten path (like this corner of Patagonia that is positively stuffed with marine mammals). Sometimes it means spending more time in a place that others usually breeze through (like London’s Shoreditch neighborhood). Sometimes it means seeking out something truly weird (like the punk rock museum in Reykjavik) or kitschy (like extra large donuts and zombies in Las Vegas).

Give yourself permission to buck the prevailing herd mentality and craft yourself some truly cool itineraries and your travels will be the richer for it.

Flight Attendant “You are going to Luxembourg? No one goes to Luxembourg”
Me: “Well, I’m going to Luxembourg“

Finished walking the Camino de Santiago — The completion of my Camino

Why Listen to Me?

Independent travel came early for me. I was just fifteen when I left the family road trip in the rear view in order to take a student trip to New York City. Over time, I slowly and steadily built a travel portfolio which allowed me to experience the running of the bulls Pamplona Spain, skiing in the French Alps and hiking the Milford Track in New Zealand. The more places I went, the stronger the itch to go.

When I hit 50, I committed myself to making travel a more deliberate pursuit and have redesigned my life to make more room for it. I kicked off the journey by walking the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage in Spain. That was indeed an act of willful travel as women are often discouraged from doing it solo. But for me, that was the point. I wanted an epic quest, a physical challenge and the opportunity to clear my head, and walking the Camino, did that for me. When I returned home, I chose not to resume a 9-5 job. Instead I hung a shingle for consulting and spun up Wayfaring Views.

I’m not a digital nomad or a backpacker. When I’m not traveling, I’m hanging at home with my devastatingly handsome husband and fluffy dog Cocoa. I prefer the comfort of mid-range travel. I like a travel deal and delight in finding modestly priced, independently run hotels. I’ll splurge on a luxury when its worth it and go budget if it allows me to extend my travel. I’m not an adrenaline junkie, but I do like to travel bravely. You might say that I’m an adventur-ish traveler.

All this is my way of saying that I’m an experienced traveler with an independent streak. I’m always on the look out for something extraordinary when I travel and I promise to keep an eye out for you as well.

Lac Bay Swimming — Doesn’t it look fun in Bonaire?

What You’ll Find Here

While here, you will find insanely practical travel guides, surprisingly useful packing lists, ideas for filling up your bucket list and a whole lotta cheek. I promise to give you the straight scoop with a minimum of BS and a maximum of destination eye candy.

I travel widely and have many interests so you will see global content that covers a wide range of content covering both nature and culture. However, there are a few areas that I’m extremely passionate about and so have more of that type of content.

Alternative Itineraries

OK, sure, maybe you want to see a few of the top sights, but going beyond the obvious also means seeing out what is cool, strange or edgy. These alternative itineraries feature just that with killer attractions like a penis museum, defensive abutments in caves, urban donkeys, a neon sign boneyard and other delights.

Cool Things to Do in Reykjavik
Kitschy Things to Do in Downtown Las Vegas
Top Things to Do in Shoreditch London

Street Art

Street art is like a museum en plein air. Seeing it will tell you a lot about a city’s relationship with it’s artists, immigrants and popular society. I’m crackers for it and seek it out every time I travel to a new city.

Start by checking out my list of the best street art cities around the world.

Literary Travel

I am a recovering bookseller and I believe strongly that reading books inspires travel and that travel can make for an informed reader. So I’m bringing you travel-inspired reading lists, literary destinations and profiles of UNESCO cities of literature to help you bring together the printed word with the world at large.

Find reading lists for places like Paris, Iceland and Ireland.

Outdoor Adventures

Are you awestruck by a grand landscape? Do whales make you cry? Yea, me too! I explore outside spaces that are unique for their cultural or natural history. These articles feature landscapes that will hit the top of your bucket list.

You can do thinks like explore Joshua Tree National Park, find Grey Whales in Mexico or find remote Gilligan’s Island in Colombia.