My earliest travel memory (that didn't come from photos) took place in the Pacific Northwest.  I had just turned 5.  My parents took me out of kindergarten for two weeks because my mother had a work trip in Oregon.  We flew to Denver and then drove up through the Grand Tetons as we slowly made our way to Portland, Oregon.  I can still picture us pulling up to this lodge with the most majestic view I could have ever imagined.  Then reality set in.  The lodge was so "rustic" it had no television.  No Saturday morning cartoons.  I was crushed.  I remember my parents explaining that you did not need cartoons in a place like the Grand Tetons.  From that point on, I relished the moments taking in the mountain views and as we headed to Yellowstone to see the geysers and further north and west to take in Sacajawea's grave I slowly forgot about the Flintstone's and Scooby Doo and experienced places completely different from my home in the northeastern Kentucky hills. 

I am sure my parents would struggle to gain permission to take me out of school these days.  2 weeks without kindergarten?!  Today I am so thankful my parents took me along because that trip created a lifelong longing to see and experience places and cultures different from my own.  Plus, when we learned about geysers and read about Sacajawea as I moved through school, I was pretty much already an expert on those topics.  My childhood was filled with trips to Colorado to see family, short drives to Atlanta for Dad's work and of course the Florida Panhandle and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  I also had the good fortune to go with my grandparents on many jaunts across Kentucky because my grandpa was on the School Board and Rural Electric Coop Board.  Even as a child I traveled everywhere I could every chance I got.

As I became a teenager, my extracurricular activity of choice was the speech team.  That meant tournaments in Chicago and Atlanta.  Each trip provided time for us to explore the cities we were visiting.  I attended Western Kentucky University on a scholarship to participate on the speech team.  That decision ultimately resulted in my first trip outside of the United States.  I was in a group of six who traveled to Rome, Italy to complete in an "international" speech tournament.  All of the schools spoke English and it was more of a way to give students a chance to see the world.   I will never forget my first moments in Europe.  Everything was so old. Like not centuries old, but BC old.  The ice cream was sweeter.  The bread was crustier.  The wine? Oh my gosh, I could drink wine as a 19 year old!  It wasn't Boone's Farm.  Everything just seemed a little bit sweeter in this new land.  Rome was followed by Paris. Paris was followed by Prague.  Prague was followed by a backpacking trip through Europe after college graduation with my best friend.  We explored England, France, Germany and both coasts of Italy carrying a gigantic backpack on trains traversing lands I had only seen in my dreams.  I was hooked. 

Today, thanks to my Irish-born husband (who also has a passion for traveling) I have the perfect excuse to go to Europe since most of his family still lives in Dublin.  My travel planning has evolved from the days of my parents calling the shots to college programmers figuring out itineraries to Rick Steves guiding my best friend and I around Europe.   Today, I relish researching locations and creating the perfect trip to today where some of my best memories are made eating dinner in the Dublin-area kitchens of my in-laws.   I try to draw upon other experts on the Internet (and yes public television) as well as family members who know far more about certain destinations than I will ever know. 

I'm a middle class traveler living in the middle of the United States in the middle of Kentucky.  That means I like to explore the sprawling horse farms and bourbon distilleries 20 miles from my home. I like overnight trips to taste craft beer in Cincinnati, Nashville and Chicago.  I like weekends in New York City and Charleston, South Carolina as well as week long beach retreats to Florida.  I like international flights to Ireland and other parts of Europe.  Wherever I go, I fall somewhere in the middle on the budget to luxury spectrum.  I don't want to stay in hostels or motor hotels, but I don't need fancy suites (unless I score them on Priceline).  I don't want to eat at chains but I don’t necessarily want night after night of gourmet food.  I tend to think most Americans fall somewhere in the middle, too, yet so many travel guides are geared towards budget travelers or those seeing celebrity-style luxury.  I hope as I explore my state, country and world to share my middle-of-the-road style of travel by identifying deals (great values!), steals (freebies!) and splurges (worth the extra money!) for each destination.  I welcome your tips for these places as well so that we can make the most of our precious travel time together.   Happy Planning and safe travels!