Category: Travel
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Sharing Wisely on Social Media
Years ago I learned a thing or two about information warfare, psychological operations, troll farms, phishing and a few other nefarious digital activities that seem far removed from cute photos of puppies and Bible verse memes. The details of these digital realities quickly become technical and even I strain towards wanting the bottom line up…
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Where the Locals Shop
We ducked into a shop on the boardwalk in a beach side village in Portugal a couple years ago. All the shops sold local handcrafts, food and tourist trinkets, but none sold what we needed. Even down a side street, we didn’t see a store that might carry a phone charger. “Bom dia! Do you…
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The Puzzle of History
Many years ago, my American puzzle started out as a six-piece puzzle with large wooden pieces– a toddler puzzle. The pieces were The Colonies, the Revolution, the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Cold War. Eventually there was a seventh piece– 9/11. Fairly straightforward. Pretty memorable. Not bad for a child.…
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The Presence of Kings
No one embarks on a journey by camel lightly. Traversing the breathtaking landscape of “the East” to meet the King of the Jews, the learned scholars from a foreign land most certainly believed their efforts would not be in vain. They had one purpose in mind when they saw the star arise from their easterly…
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Personally Practicing Prevention
This year we had the opportunity to travel to nearly ten countries. Aside from the normal processes of purchasing tickets, booking rentals cars and lodging, coordinating meet-ups with friends, planning the itinerary, and the new normal of PCR tests and passenger locator forms, we did what we’ve always done – check our vaccination cards to…
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The Car Seat Racket
By far one of the most tedious aspects of travel in this season of family life is the daunting ‘hauling of the car seat’. Heavy and durable, it slides with great effort into a canvas bag that can be carried on the back of whichever parent is the beast of burden for the day. When…
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Cape Town during a pandemic
Before every move we have a ‘List’ discussion. We list two or three places we want to go if we get a long break. We list three to five places we want to go on a long weekend. I won’t travel to those places without my husband. Those are reserved for family trips. After one…
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The Gift
The details are hazy, but the mental snapshots are clear. There were palm trees and red tile roofs, individual buildings interspersed with tropical plants and the occasional bird of paradise. The images are faded in the orange glow of a Mediterranean sun. Perhaps we took a bus to this location, far from our apartment complex…
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The Fortress and Those Who Flee
My earliest childhood memories include forts and castles. The structures were reference points for giving directions in the city or historic landmarks to explore. For a child exploring a fort, a measure of bravery was always involved, climbing uneven stone steps with no guardrails in a time that pre-existed liability lawsuits. I had no context…
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It’s Been a Year
One year ago I lived half a world away from where I sit today. I sat in my comfortable home in southern California. I had no idea that a black man named Ahmaud Arbery had been lynched. COVID came. We were bound to our home. In those early days, we grasped for opportunities for fellowship…
will travel with kids 