Sailing Indonesia With Star Clippers
Cruising on a cruise ship holds the inherent promise of a dream come true, but sailing on a sailing vessel is an experience of sheer fantasy. Sailing under unfurled ivory sails stokes the imagination of any would-be sailor, and nowhere can you savor the experience better than in and around the exoti
Steve Abroad: Recapping a WILD 2018
As a feature writer for Porthole Cruise Magazine, I spent a great deal of 2018 at sea. While mainstream cruising is covered in great detail by writers from all backgrounds, it’s been my mission to seek out off-the-radar cruise itineraries that go virtually unnoticed. Here’s a synopsi
Five Fave Adventure Tours in Southeast Asia
As if travel to Southeast Asia isn’t exciting enough, there have been enormous strides to develop shore excursions that appeal to the adventurous spirit of both young and old intrepid travelers. Entrepreneurs from around the globe have created ingenious activities deviating from traditional, “
Food To Thai Me Over
Thai food has long held a special place in my professed obsession with searching for ultimate culinary bliss. It is definitely my ‘go to’ ethnic food. Who hasn’t felt the urge to make the phone call to your local Thai restaurant and order the quintessential Pad Thai, Tom Ka Gai or Chicken Sa
A Star Performance
Cruise line reputations are generally established on a wide range of subjective criteria: culinary creativity, elegant luxury, superior service, engaging itineraries, top-notch entertainment, and high-tech vessels. While every brand is quick to expound on specific hallmark qualities, Windstar Cruise
China’s River Run
Given that travel to China involves more than the short hop and skip to domestic cruise ports in the U.S., it makes sense to plan a detailed itinerary. A majority of the spectacular destinations within the country can be conveniently accessed by train or plane, but one can add a new dimension to a C
Tips for Choosing the Best Cruise Vacation
Choosing your dream cruise involves some planning, knowledge and soul searching. What exactly do you expect from your experience? Are you looking to set a course for adventure, your mind on a new romance…wait… those are the words from The Love Boat and I’m not going there! There is a g
Expedition Cruise Eats
People always ask me, “What is the food like on a seventeen day expeditionary cruise?”. Well, to be honest no one has actually asked me that, yet, but I want to offer my answer and head off eventuality. I would argue that it’s relatively easy to come up with a rotating roster of creative cui
Nice Rice: The Many Flavors of Indonesian Cuisine
Indonesian cuisine has always been one of my favorites since my first exposure to it on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Why Curaçao you ask….(You did ask didn’t you?). The ABC islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, are intrinsically tied to the Netherlands with a strong Dutch profile.
Cruise Connection: Peruvian Perfection
Under normal circumstances, one would be hard pressed to find any commonality between intrepid exploration of the Amazon, luxury cruising, and culinary creativity. Then again, cruising with Aqua Expeditions is anything but common. Scheduling a 4-night sailing out of Iquitos, Peru, on the Aria Amazon
Ooo La La, On The Move To France
I’m onto the France vacation segment of this summer’s epic cruise and travel adventure, so it’s Arrivederci, Roma and after a two hour flight, it’s Bienvenue, France. When you think of cruising in and around France, Paris, Nice and Marseilles always come to mind. Rightly so. With reputa
Enticed by the Flavors of Abruzzo
To my throngs of ardent Porthole Cruise followers (both of you!), you know I love to expound on regional foods. Well, it’s been two days since I posted anything about that dear to my stomach subject, so allow me fill the void in your never ending search for culinary enlightenment. In Abruzzo, It
La Dolce Vita Cruising: An Italian Vacation
Italy. The land of pizza, Pisa and pasta. I’m about to start my annual pilgrimage to my adopted, de facto homeland and can’t help but wonder why so few of my friends have not made this destination a bucket list priority. I’m absolutely convinced that if my Nebraska birthplace hadn’t encr
Making Tracks To Machu Picchu
Any travel to Peru is certain to include a visit to the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu. Shrouded in the clouds and enveloped by dense mountaintop forests, the magnetism of this attraction establishes it as a perennial bucket list destination. In spite of the need for requisite planning and a certain
Made In China Part Three: Real Chinese Takeaway
The popular fall back response to the ‘what’s for dinner’ query is the ubiquitous “How about some Chinese?”. How can such a non-American food staple become so American? The fact that Chinese cuisine takeout is readily available in almost every suburban strip mall in the United States is
Gettin’ On The Ritz
It’s been said that there is a cruise for everyone. But what is an upper-echelon pleasure seeker to do when you don’t want a cruise that’s for everyone? You want one for you! Who do you turn to when generic five-star service just isn’t good enough? The answer lies with The Ritz-Carlton
Shanghai, On The Side
I’m not particularly fond of the motor coach, follow the guide’s umbrella brand of sightseeing and I have an affinity to off the grid type of travel options, especially when it comes to exotic destinations. While Shanghai, China doesn’t really fall into that category, it certainly has an appea
Gaga for the Galápagos
If you’re anything like me, you likely spent leisure time of adolescent years perusing iconic National Geographic magazines in search of natural phenomena, half-naked jungle tribes, and a milieu of animal kingdom photos. Those youthful fantasies of exotic adventure come to life through National Ge
Chills and Thrills with Hurtigruten
Living outside the borders of any discernible cruise demographic, I am well aware that I have an insatiable appetite for anything divergent or off the beaten path. Cruising the Antarctic on Hurtigruten’s MS Midnatsol (Midnight Sun) is the realization of a long-held yearning for travel to the froz
All Ships Great AND SMALL!
If you follow my cruise escapades, it’s obvious that size doesn’t matter to me. It’s not that I’m not impressed by a ship with a bowling alley, ice skating rink, elaborate shows, or robot bartenders — I am. But I don’t need those types of accoutrements to make my cruise fantasies come