Tropical Travel Girl
Who would like to be in the water with whale sharks — the biggest fish in the sea? Me! Me! Me! At the Georgia Aquarium (the world’s largest), you can do just that as part of its Journey with Gentle Giants program. If there was ever an Indoor Ocean to behold, it is here…
So what’s it like to be on board Windstar Cruises’ Wind Spirit…in Tahiti, no less? Since the ship will be your temporary home for seven to 10 days, according to which itinerary you choose (7 day, Dreams of Tahiti or 10-day Tahiti and Tuamotus), it’s nice to get a feel for what life is like …
More than six years have passed since my husband and I returned from a dozen days spent in Tahiti and the Tuamotus — a remote part of the South Pacific located halfway between California and Australia — and I still haven’t fully recovered. Any vestiges of jet lag dissipated long ago and re-entry to real …
The NATJA (North American Travel Journalists Association) award winners have been announced! I was pleased to receive three awards for 2017! The SILVER prize winner was for my article, “Eternal appeal,” on my Greek Isles cruise on Windstar Cruises, published in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, entered in the category, Cruises – Print Publication. You can …
I am honored that my site, Tropical Travel Girl, has been named to the “Ultimate List of the Best Boomer Travel Blogs to Follow in 2018” by Getting on Travel, the first and only multi-authored online magazine catering to the over-50 luxury traveler. Check out the list of 45 blogs and you will be sure to find helpful resources for your travels!
I’ve visited lots of aquariums, or as I like to call them — indoor oceans — but never one located inside a bright turquoise glass-windowed pyramid! A total of 1.5 million gallons of saltwater exhibits are contained within the 10-story aquarium, including ocean life from the Atlantic, Pacific and Caribbean. It is the largest aquarium …
While no trip to Memphis would be complete without paying a visit to the home of the King of Rock ‘n Roll, this city has a lot to offer beyond Graceland. Of course, much of it is still related to the mark Elvis Presley made after moving with his family to Memphis…
It had been 15 years since I entered the gates of Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. This year, 2017, the 40th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s passing on August 16, 1977, the timing was right to return.
Yes, my home state of Indiana has beaches! My article on the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore and State Park entitled “Beaches and Beyond,” which showcases the beauty of Lake Michigan’s shoreline, was published in the Hoosier edition of AAA Home & Away magazine’s July/August 2017 issue. In the future, I’ll be adding a Destination Page …
As a SCUBA diver for more than two decades, one of my favorite places to be is underwater exploring a coral reef, swimming among colorful schools of fish. When that’s not possible, visiting an aquarium like the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores is an excellent alternative.
Oceans. I’ve been in love with the ocean from the first time I saw the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. Since then, I’ve spent a lot of time in, on or under the Caribbean Sea as a scuba diver, as well as the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. When I learned there is an annual World Oceans Day, I wanted to do my part to spread the word.
Wide beaches and wild horses await visitors to North Carolina’s Cape Lookout National Seashore, covering more than 50 miles on three undeveloped barrier islands off its central shore.
I have slept on satin pillowcases for many years, and have traveled with them for years as well. I often give them as gifts, too, to my travel-loving friends and family members. Sleeping on satin keeps my fine hair from tangling and, as a “side sleeper,” it keeps me from waking up with facial creases …
Springtime is a glorious time of year to visit California’s central coast. I spent the first nine days of April 2016 in a roughly 200-mile area within Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties, venturing as far north as Paso Robles…
“The New, All-Inclusive Hyatt Ziva Cancun: A Welcome Addition to Cancun’s Hotel Zone,” my article posted on JohnnyJet.com, received Finalist honors in the 2016 (NATJA) North American Travel Journalists Association’s awards competition. The category was Special Focus Travel Articles – Internet: Resorts. This awards competition, now in its 25th year, honors the “best of the …
Springtime is a glorious time of year to visit California’s central coast. I spent the first nine days of April 2016 in a roughly 200-mile area within Ventura and San Luis Obispo Counties, venturing as far north as Paso Robles…
Mopion islet. I discovered it in 2004 after surfacing from a dive on the surrounding coral reefs, and snapped this photograph that has become one of my all-time favorites. It was only after…
For those of us who love to travel, looking back at the memories we’ve made in places outside our home territory is a way to extend the pleasure of the experiences we’ve had. It also helps to reinvigorate the sense of wanderlust we feel for seeking out new destinations to explore in the year to come. I hope you’ll enjoy this retrospective of my travels in the past year.
Ever since a Chico’s store opened in my hometown of Evansville, IN, in the early 2000s, my wardrobe has increasingly been filled with Chico’s clothing and accessories. I am truly a Chico’s girl! The classic styling with just enough trendiness to not be boring and stodgy suits me, and many of my Chico’s pieces have …
Thinking of booking a cruise of the Greek Isles that leaves from Athens? If so, you should plan to arrive a day before the ship departs from Piraeus port for a couple of reasons. Most importantly, you don’t want to miss the ship, due to unforeseen circumstances, like a flight delay or cancellation. And you don’t want to miss experiencing the high points of this amazing ancient city.
Learn more “About Me” in a new interview posted on Anda Galffy’s site, TravelNotesandBeyond.com: Click Here: Interview – Debbra Dunning Brouillette – Tropical Travel Girl I’ve introduced myself here on Tropical Travel Girl on the About Me page, but if you would like to get to know me even better, you may wish to check …
Serendipity: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.
What were the chances… “You’re going to Santorini when?” My husband and I had booked our Windstar cruise of the Greek Isles and two weeks before we were to leave, I found out that a couple from my hometown — very good friends that I’d known most of my life — were going to be staying on Santorini the same week we would be visiting from our ship.
Thinking of traveling to Cancun? The all-inclusive resort, the Hyatt Ziva Cancun, is worthy of adding to your list! My blog post about this special place, posted on Johnny Jet’s website – johnnyjet.com, several months ago, will give you a full report on its rooms, restaurants and activities.
Scuba diving to a soundtrack of tunes like Jimmy Buffet’s “Fins” and the Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” was a first for me. Typically, the only sounds I hear underwater are the sounds of my own breathing, in and out through the regulator, as I fin along the reef.
“Stow Away,” my article on a Star Clippers Mediterranean cruise, published in the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, received Finalist honors in the 2015 Awards Competition of the North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA). The category was Special Focus Travel Articles – Print: Cruises. The cruise departed from Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands off the coast …
While the focal point of Morro Bay, California, is Morro Rock, one of nine extinct volcanic peaks found along the central coast, the sea life in the bay itself is what attracted me most on a recent visit. Along with a group of fellow travel writers, I boarded Sub Sea Tours’ SSV Seaview, a 21-passenger …
Anne McAlpin, nationally known packing expert and author of Pack it Up: Travel Smart, Pack Light, travels more than 100 days a year and averages 12 flights each month. She has visited 78 countries on six continents, including lots of tropical islands. In a recent interview she shared specific tips on what to pack for …
I have strolled through many museums, admiring artwork and sculptures from renowned artists, but my visit to an underwater museum, outfitted in SCUBA gear, was a first for me. Last July, my husband and I visited Grenada’s Underwater Sculpture Park during our stay at the all-inclusive, Sandals LaSource Grenada and found it to be a …
While Sanibel Island, Florida, is perhaps best known for its world-class shelling, it is also the location of the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge Complex — the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the U.S. Covering over 6,400 acres, it attracts over 245 bird species and is famous worldwide for its spectacular migratory bird populations. …
It’s not every day that you get to walk the beach with a “shellebrity.” Pam Rambo, shelling expert extraordinaire, based on Sanibel Island, Florida, graciously agreed to meet up with me, along with my husband, Stephen, when we were on vacation in Sanibel in early January.