As our one year wedding anniversary approached, Rufio and I decided we would make a tradition of celebrating each year of wedded bliss in one nearby domestic location and one international location. As an added bonus, we decided to take turns selecting the domestic destination and planning out the details, as a mini-surprise for the… Read more »

If I’m being completely honest, I wasn’t as excited about our honeymoon safari as I was about some of the other wild adventures we had planned in South Africa. Sure, I was looking forward to seeing all the animals, I’m certifiably obsessed with nature and wildlife, but I completely and utterly underestimated how worthwhile this… Read more »

Rufio’s interest in Port wine began many years ago, a love affair actually spurred by lucky standby upgrades. It took some gentle coaxing to get me to enjoy these high sugar- and alcohol-content fortified wines, but with the help of our favorite neighborhood sommelier, I slowly began to appreciate a good tawny now and again…. Read more »

I began contemplating where to spend my 30th birthday right about the time I blew out the candles on my 29th birthday. I LOVE my birthday, and there was no way I was letting one so monumental slip by without doing something big and exciting. When Rufio suggested visiting South America for the first time, I initially dismissed… Read more »

On August 31, 2016, history was made as the first commercial passenger flight from the U.S. mainland to Cuba in over 50 years embarked from Ft. Lauderdale to Santa Clara. That flight was the one of a series of events over the course of two years intended to normalize relations between the former Cold War enemies…. Read more »

The sun peaked over the snowcapped Andes as the last day of my roaring 20s dawned. My ego had just suffered a blow from our snowboarding debacle, but I wasn’t going to let this amazing decade culminate in defeat. Before we left the ski resort the day prior, Rufio hired a private ski instructor as… Read more »

As a Florida native I grew up water skiing, wakeboarding and surfing. I never took lessons, perhaps with the exception of a friend or family member shouting backseat-driver directives at me from the stern of the boat. I wasn’t a pro by any means, but learning water sports just came naturally. Snow sports, on the… Read more »

South Africa is known for its huge swaths of untamed wilderness, but most of the attention on big game and outdoor adventure sports focuses on Kruger National Park in the north or Drakensberg in the east. The wilderness of the Western Cape can be easily overlooked in favor of the posh metropolitan glitz of Cape… Read more »

Yap island, though largely unknown, is one of the most unique and interesting islands in Micronesia. The traditional Micronesian culture and customs are better preserved on Yap than anywhere else in the region, a fact that is the source of immense pride among her people. This pride is reflected in the care taken by locals to keep… Read more »