Travel n Tour

Making the most of the best in the world

If you’re visiting Florence, Italy, you’ve got to see the world-famous Uffizi Gallery. But why? Because that’s what one does in Florence? Because you feel compelled to post a selfie in front of Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus”? Those are obviously terrible reasons. We shouldn’t go to places because they’re world-famous; we should go to fully..

May 17, 2019

Travel n Tour

Vacationing while volunteering with shelter animals

When Valdemar the chug (Chihuahua-pug) puppy bounded toward me, I scooped him up in my arms and petted him. I was helping Valdemar become more comfortable with being handled by humans, so he would have a better chance of being adopted. This summer, I volunteered at Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah, believed to..

May 16, 2019

Travel n Tour

C Is for Concussion

Hillary Clinton is in excellent health, so shut up: That’s a summary of the media narrative that emerged last month after Donald Trump questioned whether Mrs. Clinton has “mental and physical stamina.” A Puffington Host headline proposed: “Let’s Call The Conspiracy Theories About Hillary’s Health What They Are.” What are they? You guessed it: “The..

May 16, 2019

Travel n Tour

‘It looked like a Wild West movie’: road tripping in Utah

We blew into Moab in Utah on the back of a thunderstorm. Sand clouds billowed across the wide road in front of our car, and a ball of tumbleweed bounced away. Lightning streaked the dark skies above the high rose-orange cliffs. The storm clouds had been gathering all afternoon as we drove carefully along the..

May 16, 2019

Travel n Tour

Bed and breakfasts are holding fast in the age of Airbnb and Expedia

Tami and Doug Schluter weren’t looking for a life change when they set out on a driving vacation in the summer of 2005. Tami, whom Doug jokingly calls “unemployable because of her authority issues,” worked part-time in sales and in real estate. Doug had owned his own CPA firm since 1990 in Eden Prairie, Minnesota,..

May 16, 2019

Travel n Tour

I Finally Understand Newfoundland

As we sat down to our last meal in St. John’s, Newfoundland, after a busy week of activities and exploring in the city as well as around the Avalon Peninsula, I asked my 17 year old daughter if she would recommend Newfoundland as a family vacation spot for her friends. “Only my adventurous ones”, she..

May 16, 2019

Travel n Tour

YOU books: It’s never too late to write your next chapter

Many of us feel that we have a book in us, but few get round to putting pen to paper. Victoria Woodhall meets some inspirational late-blooming novelists Dinah Jefferies The Silk Merchant’s Daughter Dinah, 67, began writing seven years ago. She has since had three novels published, including a number one bestseller. She has worked as a teacher and an..

May 16, 2019

Travel n Tour

Best of the rest: Events for September 12 and beyond

9/11: STANDING FOR OUR HEROES CEREMONY: 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Lexington County 9/11 Memorial. This service is a collaborative effort with members of law enforcement, fire service, EMS, officials, local pastors and community members participating to remember those who lost their lives during the September 11, 2001 attacks while also showing support for first..

May 15, 2019

Travel n Tour

Personal Journey: London holiday almost beyond words

Though I am usually terrified to fly, let alone across the ocean amid a time of unrest (Paris was still on everyone’s minds), the joy of seeing my daughter Jessica in London and plans already forming put the fear at bay, and off I went. The heart of the Christmas season and a ceremony of..

May 15, 2019

Travel n Tour

‘I look at the world as potential disasters,’ Insureon content director says

at’s it really like to work at Chicago startups and tech companies? Blue Sky’s Inside Job lets people on the ground tell us in their own words. Brenna Lemieux, 31, Content Director at Insureon I look at the world as potential disasters now that I work in insurance. It’s like, “Oh no! Don’t do that!”..

May 15, 2019