Notes from the Road
Destination Guides, Travel Tips and Product Reviews
“When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable.”
– Clifton Fadiman
The England 48/24 Challenge is scheduled to kick-off in 2026!
Did you know that there are 48 counties in England?
Nope, neither did I.
In a trip reminiscent of my original Challenge – The USA 50/50 Challenge, where I travelled through all 50 US States in 50 Weeks – I’m going to visit all of the counties of England in six months.
A near miss at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport
The closest call in all of my travels happened at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
Announcing a new trip to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of The USA 50/50 Challenge!
The ten year anniversary gift is tin or aluminium, so I’m putting a foil feather in Travel Hat and preparing to celebrate this milestone by revisiting some of my top ten cities and adding in some I missed along the way.
Rome, Italy: 15 helpful hints and tips
Helpful hints and tips to have to travelling around Rome like and an expert, even if it’s your first time.
First time driving in England
An essay on the pitfalls and perils of driving in England without any foreknowledge of signage and GPS settings.
Hotel rooms… what do you really get for your money?
An essay on how hotel “nights” work.
When did we lose the wonder of flight?
An essay on the way we take flight for granted.
The Definitive Guide to Afternoon Tea
Ever wondered whether it’s Afternoon Tea or High Tea?
Jam first or cream?
This is the definitive guide to the origins of this quintessentially British past time.
COVID-19 puts the kibosh on this year’s fabulous travel plans!
How this traveller narrowly scraped back into her home country before COVID-19 closed the world!
Product Review: GoToob Flexible Travel Tubes
Product Review – GoToob is the civilized, smart, squeezable tube for travelling, outdoors and more.
The USA 50/50 Challenge book is now available!
The Packed Bag spent one whole year experiencing one week in every state in the United States!
Did you know that approximately 90% of international visitors to the USA go to only four states?
The USA 50/50 Challenge: Top Ten States
People were continuously asking me which were the best states, hoping that their made the cut. I've come up with my top ten based on my experiences during The USA 50/50 Challenge, again, in alphabetical order.
The USA 50/50 Challenge: Top Ten Cities
I lost count of the many, many cities I visited during The USA 50/50 Challenge. It was a near impossible task to choose only ten. These were the ones that I wanted to revisit the most, in alphabetical order.
The USA 50/50 Challenge: Top Ten Towns
Explore The USA 50/50 Challenge’s Top Ten Towns. While I know that they may technically be cities, I found them more friendly and easily navigable than some larger destinations. After all, all cities are towns, but not all towns are cities.
I Lost My Jeans in Guatemala
A unique travel experience involving running, hats and disappearing jeans in Antigua, Guatemala.
The 14 Hour Flight from Hell
An essay on how plane travel can be wonderful and dreadful at the same time.