Imagine the joy of sitting at a charming French café, relishing the gentle breeze with a delicious brie-topped baguette in one hand and a glass of exquisite champagne in the other. Now, picture doing all of this while aboard the world’s largest sailing ship, powered by the wind and your own spirit of adventure. This was my recent experience on board a Club Med cruise on the newly refurbished Club Med 2 sailing yacht. Club …

Wondering what to wear on a safari? Packing for an African safari can seem overwhelming, but with the right plan, you can ensure you’re well-prepared for an unforgettable adventure. From early morning game drives to sunny afternoons by the pool, South Africa’s diverse climate means your packing list needs to cover all scenarios. This essential safari packing guide will help you know exactly what safari clothes to pack for a successful and comfortable trip Key …

I FINALLY made it to Capri! I’ve spent a lot of time in Italy but never made it to the Amalfi Coast or Capri (shameful, I know). So after our recent Windstar Cruise from Barcelona to Rome, we decided to tack on a few days and visit Capri. We had one experience on Capri that was truly the highlight of our 2-week European trip. You’ll have to read on to learn what it is – …

Hopefully you’ve read my article on planning a South African safari, so now I want to tell you about the best luxury African safari lodge, Arathusa Safari Lodge. My brother and SIL had stayed at the lodge a few years ago so why reinvent perfection? I’m a bit OCD when it comes to trip planning, and especially about where I’ll be staying. I’m a homebody because I love my creature comforts (and my creatures) so …

Do nighttime routines work? Sleep is more than just a time for your body to rest. This is the time when your bodily functions are actually pressing their own reset button. All of your systems slow down and your muscles and organs work to repair and restore themselves. So it’s important that you have a bedtime routine to prepare your body for all this work it has to do while you’re sleeping. Just make yourself …

It’s heartbreaking to think about all the animals sitting in shelters these days, especially due to overcrowding. But there are some ways you can help homeless animals and brighten their day. If you’re shopping, consider picking up some discounted pet toys and donate them to your local animal shelter. You don’t even have to make a special shopping trip – just grab some pet toys on sale at your grocery store, big box store, or …

After the laborious, and quite frankly, sad, task of cleaning out my mother’s home when she passed away, it got me thinking about all of my own stuff and how to alleviate this burden for my own children. My mother’s aneurysm incapacitated her quickly which meant she had no time to “get her affairs in order.” So dealing with disorganization in the midst of downsizing was challenging. If you’re facing that daunting task of decluttering …

When my kids were young, just 7 and 9, we moved to Italy because I wanted them to see the world and realize that there is so much beyond the U.S. In our 2+ short years there, we traveled extensively throughout Europe seeing so many countries and experiencing so many cultures. I spent a lot of time looking for the best family vacation ideas. People, including the headmaster at my kids’ school, could not understand …

My travel style has certainly evolved over the years. And while I’ll never turn down a stay in a luxury hotel, I have found that I prefer to stay in independent accommodations when I travel to Italy. We go to Italy every year and always opt to rent a villa in Tuscany or Umbria or anywhere we decide to go. When we moved to Milan, our first month I decided to rent a villa in …

If you’re staring at a bowl of soup, wishing it were an Italian sub, welcome to the ProLon experience. In this guide, I’ll share tips on how to survive the ProLon FMD 5-day fasting mimicking diet and why it’s worth it for your health journey. After completing the program twice, I’ve become a fan (and no, this isn’t a paid endorsement). I purchased the program because I was intrigued by the science behind it—how it …