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Travel Reviews, Rants, Advice & Other Dispatches from the Champagne Aisle
Welcome to my corner of the internet where travel isn’t always filtered, the opinions are very much my own, and yes—sometimes the Wi-Fi still doesn’t work, even at the $1,200-a-night resort.
This blog is part postcard, part journal, part gentle (and not-so-gentle) rant space.
And because I’m a former history teacher with opinions (and zero chill when it comes to disinformation), don’t be surprised if a post about Tuscan villas is followed by something on political hypocrisy, historical context, or why it’s time to start reading beyond the headlines.
This is where travel meets the rest of life—with humor, honesty, and the occasional eye-roll.
If you’re into luxury with a wink—and a few strong opinions—you’re in the right place.
Honest reviews of hotels, destinations, and experiences—because not everything that looks good on Instagram is worth your PTO
Practical travel advice that balances smart strategy with a love for the good life
Personal reflections on travel as a way of living, connecting, and sometimes just escaping
Occasional spicy takes on travel trends, tourist behavior, and why some people should not be allowed in business class
The Latest
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Destination Love: Mexico City
I have got to be honest with y’all. Mexico City was never on my list. I’ve heard good things in various travel circles, but there…
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St. Regis Mexico City Review
St. Regis Mexico City Review ****.9999/***** Matt and I stayed at the St. Regis Mexico City for 3 nights. Overall it was a wonderful experience…
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Next Trip: Mexico City and Cancun
I guess it would make sense to occasionally travel internationally if one is writing a blog called Out and Abroad. We are off to Mexico…
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Welp, I Injured myself and Will Not Be Running a Full Marathon: Personal Reflection
Every May I would get excited when I saw the white signs on the Wantagh Parkway. The white signs meant summer was looming, the school…
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How Will We Get Home from Paris…and How are we Getting to Paris? Let the Redemption Guide You and Reposition!
Yesterday we casually booked a flight home from Paris. Yes, you read that right, ‘from Paris.’ Why did we book a flight from Paris without…
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Anniversary Trip Lesson 2: Redemption Rate Trumps the Destination, Why I Stopped Overvaluing the Destination
As we continue through this series of lessons learned from booking our anniversary trip around the world, I want to discuss what I suppose will…
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What is Included in Long-Haul Business Class?
I recently helped my mother and stepfather book business class seats for their trip home from Barcelona. They are using Capital One points and transferring…
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Anniversary Vacation Booking Lesson #1: Using Credit Cards to Travel Luxuriously on a Budget
No, I am definitely not suggesting you pay for business class on credit cards and go into debt. Please don’t do that as it is…
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Booked! 10th Wedding Anniversary Vacay
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about how we leveraged partner rewards to book flights to Asia. This was part of a larger upcoming…
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Transfer Partners: How we saved 10k Dollars and Hundreds of Thousands of Miles By Transferring Bank Points
Matt and I are in the early stages of planning our 10th wedding anniversary next summer. We have always discussed going on a special vacation…
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Wait, Other People Travel During the Summer Too? Solutions to Making Summer Travel More Pleasant
It is summertime so we are all subjected to persistent social media posts regarding how crowded Venice is, or how the lines to access Santorini…
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How to Thrive During a 9 Hour Delay at the Philadelphia Airport
I love living in Maine, but the problem with relying on a small regional airport for your travel is you are dealing with a small…
Out And Abroad Luxury Travel 