So there I was in my white lab coat examining the 40 different vials and trying to determine which combinations to mix to get the best outcome. Admittedly, I wasn’t enacting some important scientific discovery or creating a medical breakthrough but it felt almost that significant. What if I screwed up, made ridiculous choices as to the most effective ingredients and came away with an awful smelling product. Yup, I was making perfume at the Tijon Parfumerie & Boutique on the French side (obviously!) of the Caribbean island of St. Martin.

After 45 minutes on the water, we wanted to explore beneath the waves. So when the boat docked, we walked a couple hundred yards to the world-famous Aquarium of the Pacific for another ocean adventure. It was a memorable and educational day in Long Beach, California. 

Desert Hot Springs has long been a destination for rest and rejuvenation. Situated 20 minutes from Palm Springs’ expansive golf courses, artistic rows of palm trees and desert estates, rustic Desert Hot Springs feels a world away. It is one of the few places on the globe with naturally occurring hot and cold mineral springs. The Mission Creek Branch of the San Andreas Fault bisects the wellness getaway where one side is a cold-water aquifer while the other a hot-water aquifer, naturally heated to temperatures as high as 180 degrees by geothermal forces thousands of feet below the earth’s surface.

I enjoyed just observing the California beach goers. You know the song --- “I wish they all could be California girls” --- oh behave! They came in all shapes and sizes --- chiseled vs. cellulite. From skins that were smooth and youthful to overcooked and leathery --- the vegans mixed with the fast food junkies. It's interesting how most sun bathers started out very demure --- unpeeling each layer of clothing but, as the day progressed, all inhibitions were thrown by the wayside. You know the old saying --- "When in Rome ..."

Hidden in the heart of West Los Angeles is a mini-Disneyland known as the Riot Games campus. No, you can't buy tickets to get in. No, you can't sign up to enter. The only way to enter is to know somebody who works for the company and who will sponsor you and act as your tour guide (there are some top secret, restricted areas you know). For a company that is Chinese owned (Tencent, the economic giant) this secretive imposition should not be surprising.

Are you planning a week-long road trip or need a temporary ride while your car is in the shop? Renting a car for a week can be expensive, but fear not! With some savvy hunting and a few tricks, you can snag an amazing weekly car rental deal that won't break the bank. In this article, we'll share some relatable tips and advice on how to score the budget car rental in Denver, so you can hit the road without emptying your wallet.

The only thing better than a great hotel room, is a great hotel room on the beach. And this is why Zachari Dunes on Mandalay Beach is one of my new favorite Southern California destinations. Located steps from the beautiful sand and ocean in Oxnard, California, the resort has everything one could want for a waterfront vacation.

Cape May, New Jersey, the nation's oldest seashore resort, has been catering to vacationers since pre-Revolutionary days, although there were probably a lot fewer T-shirt shops at the time. There's evidence that even earlier tourists in the form of local Kechemeche Indians came there in summer "to hunt and fish." Later, the shady tree-lined streets and colorful homes of Cape May became the playground of presidents. Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, Chester Arthur and Benjamin Harrison all sought refuge there from the humidity of D.C. summers. Those are not bad references!

The Palm Springs Aerial Tram is often called the 8th “Wonder of the World'' because of the groundbreaking engineering behind its construction. This year, the modern marvel is celebrating its 60th anniversary, so I thought it would be a great time to visit, while also spending a couple days relaxing in the warm paradise of Palm Springs.

I've been on several boat trips - a barge cruise in France, a Danube River cruise, a sail along the Nile - and always the accommodations have been lovely. Sometimes very lovely. But it took a Mississippi River Cruise from Memphis to New Orleans with American Cruise Lines to reach luxurious.