All the Cool Kids are Doing It: A 2011 Retrospective

Posted on January 2, 2012 by Jan Ross

This has been a truly, truly wonderful year.

It didn’t start out that way.

Sometime last January, I got punched in the stomach with the news that the travel company I was writing for was doing away with the travel blog I had painstakingly designed and maintained for almost two years. Not only did they decide to do away with it, they did it almost overnight, with little warning, and I lost any writing I had not backed up – which, unfortunately, meant most of it. Trips of a lifetime to places like Ireland, the Hawaiian Islands and a wine tasting river cruise of Europe were wiped out in a moment, with only our hundreds of photos and memories left to tell the story, along with a few desperately and frantically copied posts before the blog went dark.

Not only that, they also cut off my company email even before they deleted the blog so any travel contact information I had was also gone. They were completely unresponsive to requests to allow me to get to my writing or my contact information.

I had to face it – that relationship was over.

In Amsterdam before I knew the blog was about to be obliterated.

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Categories: Beach, BlogHer, Caribbean, Destin, Disney Cruise, Florida, Girlfriends Getaway, Hotels, NCL Cruise, New York, Resorts, Restaurant Reviews, San Francisco, Tours, Vancouver | Tags: | 6 Comments

Destination:Destin. Yes, AGAIN.

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Jan Ross

I thought I might be able to squeeze just one more trip into 2011 but it looks like my Girlfriends Getaway to the Emerald Coast is going to bump right over into 2012. And seriously, how fabulous is the name of that area of Florida? But appropriate when you consider the color of the gorgeous Gulf of Mexico along that beach.

This trip is not quite as spontaneous as the one that I took in August with about three minutes of planning time, but almost. Complications and personal lives of my fellow travelers had me waiting to attempt to book a trip right up to the last few days, but thanks to the lovely folks at Visit South Walton, the Watercolor Resort and the Sandestin Resort, we are good to go.

View from a balcony at the Watercolor Inn and Resort.

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Categories: Beach, Destin, Florida, Girlfriends Getaway, Hotels, Resorts, Restaurant Reviews, Spa | Tags: , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Nolita (North of Little Italy), New York City

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Jan Ross

Check out my review of the Nolitan Hotel on my Examiner.com site HERE.

Apparently, we ate a lot when we were in New York, judging from the photos I just sorted through. There are an exorbitant number of photos of food, places to purchase food, and restaurants. This should not surprise you, if you have been reading this blog for long.

Exhibit A. And yes, it was just as good as it looks.

 

Of COURSE you want to know where we bought it. Right here.

After a stop in Niagara Falls, we headed to the Big Apple for a couple of days before we began our fabulous cruise of Canada and New England on the Norwegian Jewel. I did a lot of research before our trip and decided to stay at the lovely Nolitan Hotel, which is located in Nolita, New York.

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Categories: Hotels, New York | Tags: , , , , , | 4 Comments

Merry Christmas from Wanderlustwonder!

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Jan Ross

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone who reads my blog. I appreciate each and every one of you so very much. This has been a wonderful year for me as a travel blogger; I have learned so much and your support in the form of emails, comments, Stumbles, Tweets, etc. has been invaluable.

I have lots of travel plans in the works for 2012 and am anxiously awaiting replies to lots of emails about other trip plans. It’s going to be another wonderful travel year and I hope you will follow along. Thanks again for all your support. Have a wonderful and safe holiday season with your family and friends!

Categories: Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Why A Caribbean Cruise is the Perfect Girlfriends Getaway

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Jan Ross

I lolled back in my pool side lounge chair, opened my eyes, glanced out at the navy blue strip of ocean I could view through the railing slipping silently past as we cruised to our next gorgeous Caribbean port, and lazily mulled over whether to apply more sunscreen, move into the shade, or possibly just go visit the soft serve ice cream dispenser.

Then I checked out what my girlfriends were doing. One was deeply involved in reading a novel on her Kindle, another was swimming laps in the pool, two were having an animated conversation about what to wear to dinner and one, I noted jealously, had already been to the soft serve ice cream dispenser and was happily spooning up chocolate ice cream.

Read the rest of this article on Travelhoppers HERE.

Categories: Caribbean, Girlfriends Getaway | Tags: , | Leave a comment

I’m Featured on BlogHer!

Posted on December 20, 2011 by Jan Ross

 

Check it out! I’m featured in the BlogHer spotlight this morning. Nice early Christmas present, huh?

 

Categories: BlogHer | Tags: | Leave a comment

My Around-the-World Christmas Tree

Posted on December 19, 2011 by Jan Ross

When my husband and I went on our first big trip, I had never thought about buying Christmas tree ornaments while traveling. I was too thrilled to be on an actual cruise ship, headed to tropical locations I had only dreamed about in the past. Even though I had technically been a traveler my whole life since my dad was in the Marine Corps, most of our vacations included heading back to the mountains of Kentucky or the beaches of Pensacola to visit family. Fun, but hardly the globe-trekking I yearned for.

It wasn’t until I noticed a little, lifesaver ring Christmas ornament in a shop in Key West and thought how cute it would be on my tree that an idea was born. And so the travel Christmas tree ornament buying tradition had begun. Much to my husband’s chagrin.

Oh, I kid.

He’s fine with carting home tiny little Eiffel Towers and painted seashells and other sparkly things that catch my fancy. Or at least he doesn’t complain which is basically the same thing, right?

So, let’s take a little trip around my Christmas tree and let me show you some of my ornaments, although I will spare you a trip to the kitchen where I have magnets covering my fridge because yes, I am that person who buys magnets and Christmas tree ornaments when I am traveling. In case you have ever seen either of those things in a shop and wondered who in the world would buy something like that. Now you know. That would be me.

I’m sure my children will be thrilled someday when I am gone and they are divvying up the magnets and Christmas tree ornaments and it’s like no, you take the magnet from the aquarium in Seattle and the windmill ornament from Amsterdam no, please, I’m begging you to take it. Seriously. I will pay you to take that magnet bottle opener from Vegas. I will pay you. I know they can’t wait.

In the meantime, I enjoy all my junkie little magnets and ornaments – they may be junk but they are my junk and I like them.

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Categories: Tours | Tags: , , , , | 15 Comments

Peggy’s Cove, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Jan Ross

I was so proud.

Looking back from gazing over the peaceful harbor, I could see my husband, Tom, with his hand on the shoulder of an older man with a cane. They were both way out on the granite boulders which lined the shore of Peggy’s Cove and the lighthouse that perched right on the edge of the shore.

How kind he was to help this older gentleman, who must have been struggling on the treacherous and slippery rocks! There was even a sign that warned about this very situation.

You do NOT want to mess with the rocks at Peggy's Cove.

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Categories: NCL Cruise, Tours | Tags: , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Choose a Real Castle For Your Next Stay: Dromoland Castle, Ireland

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Jan Ross

Drive through the stone gateway of historic Dromoland Castle, a luxury 5 star hotel, in Ireland and winding through gorgeous acres of lush grass, you will see the green rolling hills of the world-class golf course and beautiful, majestic trees. As you pull up to the ivy-covered front of the gray stone walled castle, your excitement will begin to build because you are going to actually stay in a real castle.

Dromoland Castle is one of the most famous baronial castles in Ireland and was the ancestral home of the O’Briens, Barons of Inchiquin. The Queen Anne Court was built in 1700 with 29 guestrooms and is a century older than the rest of the castle, which was rebuilt in 1800 with stone from a nearby quarry on the Dromoland Estate. In 1962 the castle and part of the grounds were sold and converted into a luxury hotel but the O’Brien family retained a home and part of the estate and continue to live there.

Read the rest of this article on Examiner.com HERE.

Categories: Hotels, Tours | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

I Have Travel Writer ADD

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Jan Ross

On any given morning, I take my Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper – we all get our caffeine fixes in our own way, thankyouverymuch – in my Tervis cup with lots of ice because we Southerners are all about lots of ice and settle down in front of my computer, all prepared to get a ton of work done.

And when I made that link for the Tervis Cup because I love them so much not because Tervis gave me a free cup, I accidentally typed in Tevis Cup and did you know there actually is a Tevis Cup and it’s the Official site of the world’s best known and most difficult Equestrian Endurance Ride and this is how I often get distracted.

But I have great intentions.

Great, great intentions.

But you all know what the road to hell is paved with.

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Categories: Uncategorized | 10 Comments