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Watch Us to Know Us!
Jonathan spent part of his youth in Germany and has lived in ten different states in the US. Jennifer, took her first international trip at age 4, and has lived in England, Italy, Barbados, Mexico, and four US states. We travel 8-12 months out of each year, planning international road trips, long stays in favorite locales, cruises, and guided tours in exotic lands.
Jonathan is in charge of the technical aspects of this venture and can be counted on to research gear, history, and techniques to improve our experience and content. But most importantly, he brings his guitar on all our trips and plays songs while Jennifer is waking up or going to sleep. Jennifer makes the plans, finds the deals and packs the bags. Her enthusiasm and energy keep us moving, help us meet people, and ensure we always have new ideas and projects.
Where We've Been
47
Countries Visited
1,324,449
Miles Traveled
85
Flights Boarded
893
Cruise Days
We've travelled by plane, boat, train and car through all of Western Europe. We have done a home stay in Austria, spent 4 weeks traveling by trains, cruised the Baltic, and the Mediterranean and done a river cruise down the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. We have 9 former exchange students who live in Germany, Italy, France, Poland, Spain and Belgium who we get to visit and live like locals.
After spending Christmas in Fiji, we explored the east coast of Australia by boat, plane and car. We drove the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adelaide, went inland to Beechworth, back to Brisbane on the coast, up to Cairns, where we stayed aboard a dive boat and spent three days on the Great Barrier Reef, then headed north to Cape Tribulation where we stayed in a treehouse in the rainforest. We cruised to Tazmania and visited both islands of NewZealand.
Khalled guided our Collette tour where we spent time in Cairo, then flew to Luxor and visited other historic sites as we sailed down the Nile. The history. The culture. The geography. The history. We felt so safe, so welcomed and were so glad to have a guide who spoke the language, was an anthropologist, and was able to explain everything from traffic to religious practices. Did we mention the history?
South America
We started in Peru, stayed in the Sacred Valley, took the train and hiked to Machu Picchu, then drove by bus from Cuzco to Puno where we stayed on the floating islands on Lake Titicaca. We took another bus to Arequipa, then flew to Chile, sailed down the coast, around the horn, out to the Falkland Islands, up to Uruguay and Argentina. We then flew to Iguazu Falls, Curitiba, and Sao Paolo, Brazil before heading to Mendoza, Argentina.
England
There is a profound sense of peace that comes from turning down a narrow lane in the Cotswolds or seeing the honey-colored stone of a village cottage. We return to England every year because it feels like a second home—a place where history isn’t just in museums, but in the very footpaths we walk. From the rugged beauty of the Yorkshire Dales to the ancient canopy of the New Forest, we love the balance of grand heritage and quiet, local moments. It’s a country that rewards those who take the time to slow down, pull over for a 'brew with a view,' and truly inhabit the landscape.’m a paragraph. Drag me to add paragraph to your block, write your own text and edit me.
Norway
Norway is a masterpiece of vertical landscapes and deep blue waters. Sailing through the sheer-walled fjords is a transformative experience, but staying on land allows us to see the intricate details of Norwegian life—from the colorful wooden houses of Bergen to the quiet fishing villages above the Arctic Circle. We love Norway for its quiet dignity and the way the mountains seem to drop straight into the sea. It is a place of crisp air, midnight sun, and a profound respect for the natural world that aligns perfectly with our love for the great outdoors.
Alaska
Alaska is a place that recalibrates your sense of scale. Sailing through the Inside Passage and venturing toward the remote reaches of Dutch Harbor and Nome, we are constantly awestruck by the sheer magnitude of the glaciers and the untamed spirit of the frontier. We love Alaska for the silence of a mist-covered fjord, the thrill of spotting a humpback breach, and the history etched into its rugged port towns. It is a destination that demands a slower pace, allowing you to witness the raw, unfolding drama of nature in its most majestic form.
Jennifer traversed China by train from Beijing in the north to the Yangshuo in the south. She hiked Xihai in the Huangshan Mountains, ate street food in Changsha, the capital of Hunan, sailed the Li river on a barge from Guilin to Yangshuo, and hiked the Great Wall in Beijing. She might also have brought home a guitar for Jonathan from the Eastman Guitar Factory.
Scotland
Scotland is a land of dramatic contrasts that never fails to stir the soul. We find ourselves drawn back to the mist-shrouded peaks of the Highlands, the white-sand secrets of the Hebrides, and the royal history of Deeside. Whether we are navigating the iconic North Coast 500 in our electric car or tucked away in a tiny bakery in Callander, there is a wildness here that feels both ancient and revitalizing. It’s the combination of the untamed natural world and the genuine warmth of the people that makes every mile in Scotland feel like an epic discovery.
France
I’m a paragraph. Drag me to add paragraph to your block, write your own text and edit me.In France, our hearts belong to the regions that retain a deep sense of their own distinct identity. We are endlessly captivated by Alsace, where the colorful, timber-framed houses and flower-lined canals feel like stepping directly into a storybook. Moving west, the dramatic landscapes of Normandy and Brittany offer a powerful contrast. We love the haunting beauty of Normandy’s historic beaches and its lush, apple-orchard countryside, just as much as we crave the wild, granite cliffs and ancient Celtic soul of Brittany. Whether we are exploring a medieval fortress or savoring local cider in a quiet coastal village, these regions represent the France we love most—authentic, historic, and deeply rooted in the land.
Canada
Across the vast expanse of Canada, we find a beautiful harmony between cosmopolitan grace and rugged wilderness. We are particularly drawn to the maritime charm of the Atlantic coast, where lighthouses stand watch over rocky shores, and the dramatic, mountain-fringed beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Whether we are exploring the historic streets of Quebec or navigating the coastal waters of British Columbia, we love Canada for its welcoming spirit and its endless opportunities for discovery. It is a country of grand vistas and quiet, coastal moments that stay with you long after the journey ends.
Jennifer has a special love for the Philippines. Through Rotary International, she's taken three groups to the Vizayas region to work with local villages. It is a beautiful country, but the draw is the people. Her teams have worked on livelihood, sanitation and nutrition projects, gone island hopping, and made friends and memories that keep beckoning them back.
Iceland
Exploring Iceland is like witnessing the world in its most primal state. We’ve sailed into its deep fjords and trekked across its volcanic interior, and every time, we are humbled by the sheer power of the landscape. From the thundering waterfalls of the Golden Circle to the quiet majesty of the Snæfellsnes Peninsula, Iceland is a place of 'fire and ice' that demands your full attention. We love it for the adrenaline of a RIB boat adventure, the serenity of a hidden hot spring, and the feeling of being at the very edge of the earth."
Italy
Italy is a sensory explosion that stays with you long after you’ve left its shores. From the timeless canals of Venice to the sun-baked ruins of Rome and the dramatic cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, every corner feels like a living gallery. We love Italy for its infectious energy, its unparalleled artistic heritage, and the way every meal feels like a celebration of community. It’s a place where the past and present live side-by-side in a vibrant, chaotic, and utterly beautiful harmony that keeps us coming back to explore just one more village.
Greenland
Greenland is perhaps the most profound landscape we have ever explored. It is a world defined by ice, where massive bergs drift through deep blue waters like floating sculptures. We love Greenland for its quiet isolation and the incredible resilience of its coastal communities. Stepping ashore in these remote settlements offers a rare glimpse into a way of life that is deeply connected to the rhythm of the sea and the ice. It is a destination that feels like the last great frontier—a place of haunting beauty and immense, quiet power.
Alaskan Solstice
We are redoing a cruise we took two years ago because we thought it was one of the most special cruises we'd ever taken. Admittedly, we love Alaska, but this cruise got us beyond the two or three typical ports and allowed us to do scenic cruising unlike most other ships provided. We'll be on the Holland America Noordam for 28 days including stops in remote outposts like Nome, and Dutch Harbor, but just as importantly, in our favorite towns of Valdez, Kodiak, Haines and Wrangell.
Summer Solstice Eclipse
After a one month stay on the first leg of the Queen Mary 2 World Voyage in 2026, we've decided to go back for more! We'll do the full world voyage on the Queen Victoria with stops in New York, Aruba, a Panama Canal crossing, El Salvador, Mexico, Los Angeles, Hawaii, Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia, Indonesia, the Philippine, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Mauritius, Le Reunion, South Africa, Namibia, Senegal, Spain and Portugal before returning to England in May. Since this is when we usually arrive in Europe, we're planning to stay for the rest of 2027 spreading our time between Italy, the UK and undertaking a 2 month road trip around Finland, Sweden and Norway.
Rails Across America
Since Jonathan doesn't like to fly, we're always on the lookout for unique ways to get where we want to go. So this year, we'll travel by Amtrak from Seattle to New York City taking the scenic Empire Builder across Washington, Montana and Wyoming to Chicago where we'll then catch the Lake Shore Limited that will bring us into Grand Central Station.
Northern Lights
The Holland America Nieuw Statendam will reunite us with good friends and take us up the coast of Norway into the Arctic Circle for long nights searching for Northern Lights.
We'll be back just in time to head to Budapest for Jennifer's "Sisters Without Borders" gathering of women from around the world for Christmas markets, thermal baths Danube cruises and ruin bars.
We'll spend Christmas in Grassington this year, enjoying village life, snowy weather, and a quiet holiday tucked into our favorite little corner of the world.
Iceland
We'll sail on Oceania's Insignia from New York City to Reykjavik with stops in Canada and Iceland. Spending two weeks on the south coast of the island, we're planning on great hikes, 4x4 drives, natural hot springs under the midnight sun, and Iceland's magical mix of fire, ice, water and lava.
Queen Victoria World Cruise
We'll be sailing with Oceania on the Vista from Rekjavik, Iceland to Southampton, England with a week in Ireland during the Eclipse.
Jonathan is going to get his history fix, along with a bit of a pub crawl, and I'll find my niche wandering the countryside, nestling into pubs, and enjoying the quiet but rugged coastline around Ireland.
We're renting another EV and will head to Scotland where we'll spend quite a bit of time in Shetland, Skye, and the HIghlands as well as a week back in the Cairngorms.
After Scotland, we'll head back to England for all of our favorites - 1940's weekend in Grassington, a group trip to Robin Hood's Bay, some walking in the Lake and the Peak District, sea views in Devon and Cornwall, and fairy tale days in the Cotswolds.