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Planning a Repositioning Cruise: Tips and Insights
This past February, Tom and I embarked on an 18-day cruise to New Zealand. Since I also wanted to visit Australia, I looked into repositioning cruises to see if this travel option would make a long trip more bearable. A typical flight from the U.S. to the Oceania region can take anywhere from 12 to…
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Starting Again: My Journey, Break, and What’s Next
In spring 2023, I began documenting my retirement adventures with Tom but struggled with self-doubt. Realizing I didn’t need to compete with others, I embraced my communication skills to share our journey authentically. My blog, “Tina’s Travels with Tom,” will focus on personal experiences, aiming for creativity and spontaneity over audience pressure.
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Hiking Around Tongariro National Park, Ohakune, New Zealand
Waitonga Falls and the Hapauwhenua Viaduct We are currently in Ohakune, New Zealand, on the North Island. I picked this location because Tongariro National Park, one of the country’s oldest, has some excellent hiking. It is also a dual World Heritage area, because of the park’s “important Māori cultural and spiritual associations.” It is also…
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Argentina: Buenos Aires, Ushuaia and Iguazú Falls
A country that left me conflicted but in love with some regions is Argentina. It has taken me some time to write about Argentina. I had planned a long stay in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, thinking that it would be a good place for Tom and I to decompress after the previous two…
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Chile: From Santiago to Punta Arenas
With An Expedition Cruise Through Deep Patagonia and Around Cape Horn We left Ecuador for our next stop in Chile. I was looking forward to this next leg in our adventure because it would include my first cruise. Granted, it would be on a smaller ship with other adventure seekers. But I wanted to see…
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Cotopaxi and Saying Goodbye to Ecuador
We took a day tour to Cotopaxi National Park near Quito, Ecuador. The active volcano is one of the highest in the world, rising to 19,347 feet. According to Wikipedia, it has one of the few equatorial glaciers. Though we didn’t make it to the very top – it requires crampons, ice picks, harness and…
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Ecuador, the Equator, And Its Capital Quito
A Beauty in the Foothills of the Andes At more than 9,000 feet in elevation, Ecuador’s capital of Quito sits on top of the equator and the foothills of the Andes. Ecuador also translates from Equator in Spanish Tom and I arrived in Quito via Bogota after spending the previous two weeks in Columbia’s capital…
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Our Journey Through Colombia
From Medellin to Bogota By Bus I thought we would take the bus from Medellin to Bogota, Columbia. In my mind, this would give us the opportunity to see some of the country side we might not see from a plane. If most adventure has some sort of element of danger associated with it, then…
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Comuna 13 and Plaza Botero
We visited two sites in Medellin yesterday: Comuna 13 and Plaza Botero, each with their own unique displays of art. Comuna 13 is renowned for its graffiti art. However, for years it suffered violence from Narcos, military operations, and the presence of guerrillas and paramilitaries. It used to be a very unsafe place to visit….
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Medellin, Colombia
We made it to Medellin yesterday and it is definitely a stunning and beautiful country. Surrounded by mountains, the hills are lush and green and striking. Our taxi ride from the airport took about 30 and we drove through a long tunnel before emerging on the city of Medellin. Part of me half expected a…