Just the words, “World Travel,” sound romantic. What’s it like to really chuck it all and travel around the world for a year? After visiting over a dozen countries on a shoestring-budget, I thought I’d do a little visual re-cap of some of the highlights. First stop, on my world travel adventure – Australia, including the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, where I took a leap of faith as well as a leap in the ocean, and...

How do you know when you’ve landed in Scotland? The men are in skirts, of course! Kilts, to be more accurate (and no, I don’t know what they wear underneath…) Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, was my first stop, with its beautiful medieval Old Town and elegant Royal Mile. The cobblestone streets are lined with shops selling everything in plaid – kilts, scarves, purses, postcards, mugs and key rings, as well as other...

Galway, a fair-sized harbor city on the west coast of Ireland, boasts the usual castle, cathedral, and old town square, but my favorite spot was in the winding lanes of the Latin Quarter, amidst portions of medieval walls, where a vibrant Irish music scene lives in the pubs as well as out on the streets. Galway is also home of the original makers of the famous Claddagh Ring, two hands holding a heart with a crown, symbolizing friendship, love,...

The scenic route from Kenmare to Killarney includes winding roads through the Killarney National Park, as well as rain and sun and rain again, mist and clouds, green green hills, and even greener moss, soft as a blanket. The lakes you pass are worth a stop. I could have stayed and gazed at the views for days. For a break from the car, I took a long hike to Torc waterfall, and spent a couple of hours on a rocky, muddy trail, up and down, mostly...

With only 2 days in Dublin, I set out to make the most of it. I’d tried repeatedly to book an affordable hotel, but there didn’t seem to be such a thing available, and I’d not found any couch surfs, so I checked out my Air B&B app, and was delighted to find an opening with 2 great guys in their 1930’s home, with a cool old tiled fireplace and beautiful backyard deck. Plus, Brian and Oliver gave me lots of travel...