Sample Journeys

A few examples of the unhurried trips I design. Every journey is built around you.

Spain and Morocco

Alicante · Tarifa · Tangier

Alicante: Stay at the Meliá, with sea views, restaurants, pools, a fitness area, and soft, clean beds. Join the Seven Secrets of Alicante Discovery Tour up to the old walls, then slip behind the touristy promenade into the cobblestone streets of the charming old town.

Tarifa: A charming old seaside town with amazing seafood and a lovely port, and the starting point for the hour-long ferry to Tangier.

Tangier: Meet your guide, Ali, at the ferry. Ride a camel on the beach, then wander the medina, where dark, winding streets open onto ornate tile work, windows, and lighting. Have lunch while a band plays Moroccan music on the oud, shop for skincare, rugs and oils, and visit a centuries-old bakery with a huge brick oven. Finish at the Cape Spartel overlook, where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic.

The Amalfi Coast

Naples · Sorrento · Ravello · Pompeii · Positano

Sorrento: Land in Naples and take a private drive or rent a car to Sorrento. Stay at a cliff-edge Airbnb with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean and spend a day at a beach lido where the water is warm and sparkling and the views from below are just as stunning as from up top. Tour the Gargiulo olive oil farm and have an olive oil tasting, then stay for a wine tasting accompanied by a delicious meal prepared at the Captain’s Terrace. Don’t forget a glass of Taurasi from Salvatore Molettieri's Vigna Cinque Querce.

Ravello: Rent a car and meander down the Amalfi Drive to Ravello. Wander Villa Rufolo, right off the main square, with terraced flower gardens and the views that inspired Wagner. Then make the uphill walk to Villa Cimbrone and its Terrace of Infinity, lined with marble busts high above the sea.

Pompeii: Walk the ruins of Pompeii and look for the stone reflectors that lit people's way in the dark before electricity. In September it is extremely hot, so plan for the heat.

Positano: Stunning pastel-hued buildings with bridges over cliffs that are over the Mediterranean, where the gelato makes you feel like you never want summer to end.

The drive back: Skip the hairpin turns of the coastal road and return to Naples through the mountains. It is jaw-droppingly beautiful, with very steep cliffs.

An honest heads-up: Expect no less than 30,000 steps a day on steep hills and steep stairs. You need to be able-bodied for this trip!

Euro Summer

Milan · Berlin · Zadar · Frankfurt

Milan: Milan surprised me. It’s a walkable mix of a bustling, modern city and old Italy. As a solo female traveler I felt very comfortable the whole time. The highlight was seeing The Weeknd’s After Hours til Dawn tour at San Siro stadium, a once-in-a-lifetime night. Dinner at Sea Signora Milano was delicious, and the décor was gorgeous. I visited the Galleria and the Duomo, then spent a lazy day wandering the parks and gelaterias on my way back to my hotel. One of my favorite days was at QC Terme, a spa with an outdoor pool, saunas inside old train cars, a cold plunge, thermal pools with jet chairs and a waterfall, a tactile ceiling display, and a rose-scented sauna. Check-in is fully automated with time slots you choose ahead, and I treated myself to the buffet lunch with wine and topped it off with a massage.

Berlin: In Berlin I stayed at Ringhotel Seehof, with a view of the old radio tower and a beautiful lake. I met up with friends who had recently moved there from the US, and we spent a day exploring Schöneberg, Berlin’s oldest gay neighborhood. The grounds of Charlottenburg Palace were absolutely beautiful, and so was the palace itself. A daytime water cruise took me past old buildings and the glass Humboldt Forum, with bullet marks from the war left in the stone on purpose. Of course, beer was on the menu the entire trip, and it was delicious!

Zadar: I chose Zadar because its water was named the clearest and cleanest in the EU, and it lived up to it. Hotel Kolovare sits steps from the Adriatic Sea, with a beautiful pool and excellent dining on site. I walked the old town, visited the Sea Organ and the Greeting to the Sun, and even saw people swimming right off the organ. I always felt safe on my own. Evenings meant Mediterranean fish, gelato as good as Italy’s, and a glass of Pošip, a local white wine.

Frankfurt: My last stop was Frankfurt, where I visited the Imperial Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew, wandered streets with a Bavarian feel, and enjoyed a good German beer. I stayed at the Steigenberger Hotel Frankfurt, which has a rooftop pool, a fitness center, a sauna, and a cocktail bar with great views. I spent my time at the pool and the cocktail bar, skipped the sauna, and then it was home to Portland.