Wherever travel takes us........
Riding camels in Australia,
Climbing inside Ancient Stone Forts in Ireland,
Driving across the Hungarian countryside,
We try to appreciate the unique beauty of the moment

.......... Susan Smeder and Jim Taylor


This is a travel website for those who are like me (and my hubby Jim) and really enjoy the adventure of traveling without the limits of an organized tour but certainly will take advantage of one when it is offered!  With a little bit of planning and research we can be free to travel wherever our dreams take us.  Most of time on our own, but sometimes with good friends or friendly strangers.

Jim and I are confirmed veterans of what we fondly refer to as, Jim and Susan's intrepid style of internet travel planning. We have planned and taken dozens of trips in the last ten years using the internet as a vast resource.  We have used it for booking hotels, tours, cars, plane tickets, attraction tickets and generally amassing information about our destination.  Of course as I write this, Jim has pointed out that he is actually the planning guru in the family and I wouldn’t be able to do it without his expertise.   I must reluctantly admit he is right.

Along the way, as we get older, Jim and I are refining our planning techniques and developing strategies that make our trip more comfortable and compatible with our new aches, pains and challenged energy levels.  Since you are reading this, it is likely you are working on your second half of a century of life and love the idea of traveling the world.  So leave your red hat at home and live some of those fantasies while you still can.  Jim and I are history buffs with a big dose of architecture and art history addiction thrown in for my part and Jim loves tropical locals.  This leads to lots of debates about where to go next! 

Even people like us, who are travel junkies and are trying really hard not to relent to age, have to admit that traveling can be challenging and exhausting.  So plan thoroughly and then go with the flow because nothing ever happens as planned!

Join us as we take you with me on some of the journeys my husband and I have taken.  Check out my blog to see where we are heading now.  With any luck some of these stories and tips will help get you started on your journeys.  Just click the tabs at the top to view the latest travel observations! 

Bon Voyage!   

Read my other blogs at Travelblog.org.       Ireland      Belgium     Cinque Terre     Tuscania and the Etruscans