ROADTRIP: Italy's Chianti country

Welcome to my series of international road trips -- my favorite routes from 5 countries!  

Want to hit the road yourself?  I can help to get you on your way.   

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You've studied the Duomo, marveled at the David, and bartered for Murano glass.  Now it's time to leave Florence and head south into Italy's famed Chianti country.


ITALY ROADTRIP STOP 1:  Greve, the seat of wine country
Rent a little Fiat out of Florence (the Avis shop on Borgo Ognissanti puts you right at the south bridge to exit Florence, but beware the car-free zone because the Italians DO ticket!)

Less than 45 minutes drive and you'll be enjoying Chianti's storied landscape and pulling into Greve, with its overflowing markets and charming enotecos, or wine-tasting bars.

From here, you can get to the vineyards by either walking (or biking) the famous Strade Bianca (or white road) that's been used by farmers for centuries, or by driving, which permits you impulsive stops at little cucinas like this one, along the way!

There are vineyards and also olive farms, and detours (along back ways like the photo, right) will reward you with not only history and culture lessons of the area, but also proper tasting methods for both wine and olive oil.

Buono viaggio!  Chianti Classico!

ITALY ROADTRIP STOP 2:   Truffle Hunt
The old-school Hotel Brufani, perched atop the pinnacle town of Perugia, is the ideal stopover enroute to the truffle farm.  The head north, early the next morning, to meet Emma, the truffle-hunting canine (see her interview, here), hunt for the elusive culinary treats, and then spend a treasured afternoon in the farmer's kitchen, cooking... the savoring... a truffle feast.

Drive late to Sienna for a quick overnight in the horse-racing campo of Tuscany!   Check out this venue for your nightcap!

ITALY ROADTRIP STOP 3:  Etruscan country
Before you head south to the world of the Etruscans, grab a sunrise cafe and treat yourself to a hot air balloon ride over the rolling Tuscan hills. (champagne and classic farmhouse Italian breakfast included!)
Then detour south to Etruscan country:  deep ruts of ancient Etruscan roads, caves, and hot springs.  My favorite is a natural spring.  Yes, you WILL stoop under the fence, walk across a field, change clothes behind a bush, and crawl INTO the river alongside the locals for your free, and superbly atmospheric, soak!

I recommend an overnight in the nearby village of Saturnia, before hitting to road back to Florence.  If you're willing to brave a one-way rental charge, another options is to head straight south to Rome - you're only 2+ hours away!

Melanie is a road trip expert!  Her client, Carol, says: 

You sent us to places and found us routes that we would never would've found on our own!  Thank you!

Melanie can help you, too.  Call her today with your questions:   (609)923-0304 

ALASKA ROADTRIP: Alaska's Kenai peninsula

I'm Melanie Tucker, chief designer at Tough Love Travel, and a certified Alaska Expert.

I offer an Alaska, like you've never imagined. 

Call and let me inspire you today:  (609) 923-0304. 

The word "road trip" and "Alaska" are rarely found in the same sentence - for good reason!  Alaska's size usually makes floatplanes much more practical than Fiats....but not always!   One great exception is the Kenai peninsula, that cone-shaped piece of land jutting south from Anchorage.  It holds the only walk-on glacier, world-famous King Salmon runs, artisans and eagles, and access to not one -- but 2! - more national parks.  

ALASKA ROADTRIP step 1:  start in Anchorage

There's no need to spend much time in this hub, but on your arrival afternoon, you may want to rent a bike and explore the 11-mile Tony Knowles Trail.  It's paved, relatively flat, and runs along the shoreline of scenic Cook Inlet, from downtown to Earthquake Park (where you'll learn all about the devastation of 1964)

I'd also buy myself a ulu knife, critical to Inuit native culture (and to my kitchen too) or taxi out to the Native Cultural Exhibit. 

ALASKA ROADTRIP step 2:  26 glaciers

Early the next morning, rent your car and drive down to Whittier to hop on the 12:30pm boat cruise called "26 Glacier Express".  Yes, you WILL see 26 glaciers.  You'll also learn the difference between tidewater and hanging glaciers and why the glaciers were named after Ivy League schools.  You'll probably see Orcas too!

Did you know that there's a 2.5 mile, one-way railway tunnel to enter Whittier?  It's part of the fun, but you better time it right.  It costs $12 and runs on a half-hour schedule.  Here are the details. 

When you exit the boat, head over to Seward, 2 hours south, for your overnight. 

ALASKA ROADTRIP step 3: Seward's Resurrection Bay

You can sleep in a restored railroad car, in a picturesque log cabin on the bay, or in a saltwater lodge, but when you awake, you'll want to get out on the water to see the wildlife of Kenai Fjords.  My favorite boat is the intimate, family-run Stellar Explorer that'll show you whales, calving glaciers, and natural history. 

You'll also want to tie on your boots for a remarkable coastal hike out at Lowell Point.   Yes, that means you'll have to drive the short but sketchy gravel lane OUT to the point, but that's part of the fun of this Caines Head Trail. 

Note of caution:  this trail is 100% tide dependent, so make sure you check a current tide chart before you set out, and consider hiring Miller's water taxi for a pick up if hiking and tide times don't jive. 

ALASKA ROADTRIP step 4:  fish, fish, fish

The Kenai peninsula is all about fishing!  Salmon run throughout the summer months, and the prized King Salmon can also be caught.  Permits limit an angler to one King per day, so you'll have to choose whether or not to keep a fish.  If he's a 45 pounder, should you put him back and wait for a 70 pounder?   What about bait?  waders and other equipment?  These are all things that a good guide will help you with.  They'll even make you lunch in the boat as you practice your fly casting from the riverbank. 

ALASKA ROADTRIP step 5:   Homer's eagles and artisans

Homer is one of my all-time favorite towns in Alaska.  Perched on a 2-mile spit of land at the bottom tip of the peninsula, Homer is all about halibut fishing, hand-knit sweaters and caribou earrings (yes, foraged straight from the tundra by this artist!),  kayaking, and seafood dinners. 

For dinner, take the Danny J ferry out to Halibut Cove, an abandoned herring fishing village that's turned its boardwalks and cabins into an artist colony.  Stroll the studio wharf and then enjoy dinner dockside at the Saltry Restaurant! 

ALASKA ROADTRIP step 6:  the grizzlies of Katmai  

From Homer, you can contract a guide for day trip out to Katmai National Park. It'll take you a bush plane, a float plane, a full day, and about $680 pp to do this, but it is a day in your life that you will never, ever forget!   Here's a story about the journey OUT to Katmai, and here's another tale about my own family's encounter with a grizzly bear, Awed by the Claws. 

Wondering how to pull all these ideas together? 

Don't have time to plan this trip? 

Want the coolest, off-the-beaten-path places to stay... cabins right on the bay catered fishing cabins, flats on Homer Spit where you'll have a front-row seat to watch the eagles? 

I can help you.   Schedule your complimentary 20-minute call now, but clicking here. 

Roadtrip: the Maui Circle

If you're dreaming of a Maui escape, and you don't know what to do -  or where to stay --  

let someone with firsthand experience on Maui guide your journey.  

Call Melanie, owner of Tough Love Travel, today:  (609) 923-0304

Here it is... (drumroll please).... a clockwise route around Maui, discovering waterfalls, red and black sand beaches, bicycle-powered smoothie bars, swim up bars and swanky resorts,  ocean-rafting and America's Cup sailing, and - of course - the mystical 68-mile, hair-pinned Hana highway along Maui's east coast!  Put on your seatbelt, because here we go...

MAUI  ROADTRIP PART 1:  Airport to Surfing Goat Dairy
Only minutes from the Kahului airport in eastern Maui, you can find a charming goat farm where you can feed and pet the 4-legged creatures, then sample their udderly delicious products --  goat cheeses like Purple Rain and Ole!, and even goat cheese truffles.  Have a snack on the farm but also buy a tub and some crackers to go, because the Red Sand beach is right down Maui's Hana highway, and you'll enjoy a special picnic there!











If you're still hungry, make a quick stop at Sam Sotos in Kahului for a bowl of noodles and a teriyaki strip!  Or grab some authentic Maui BBQ to go, from the food trucks by the waterfront.
Then you're off to Paia for the evening.

MAUI ROADTRIP PART 2:  Paia through Hana
An overnight in Paia is key, to soak up Maui's surf culture, experience the very special Fish Market, and get a good night's sleep before you tackle Hana.
Where to overnight?  If you can get a room at the Green Tile Beach House, you'll fall asleep with the sound of the surf over your pillow and you'll awake to your own stretch of Maui beach below your porch!
The next morning, head south on Maui's cliff-hanger known as the Hana Highway.  Highlights start with a waterfall (which some crazy people think is jump-able), the Heulo Lookout fruit stand, and even the well-loved Maui roadside institution, the Bird Man.


A must-stop is the black sand beach at Maui's Waianapanapa State Park, where you can hike to sea caves too, then continue down this serpentine lane towards Hana town.





Will you stay in a treehouse tonight?   Or in a cabin at the state park? Or is a posh resort?

Which ever you choose, you must overnight, because you should really soak in some Maui ambience... the hippy Hasegawa general store, the organic pick-you-own garden, and the RED sand beach in Hana before heading further south, to...

MAUI ROADTRIP PART 3:  Beyond Hana
Ohe'o Gulch!  Allot 1/2 a day to hike up through the tinkling bamboo forests to the pools -- higher and higher up into the jungle crevasse, from waterfall to plunging waterfall -- until you find your perfect Maui spot.  It's called the 7 Sacred Pools!

MAUI ROADTRIP PART 4:   the decadent southwest coast
Savour your last snippet of this idyllic haven by stopping at the local smoothie shop, west of Ohe'o Gulch (here's the bicycle-powered blender) but save some daylight because your final stretch of today's drive is along Maui's remote, cliff-hugging gravel road that'll lead you back to civilization of Wailea, where a night of fancy resorts,  swim-up bars, water slides (and water elevators!) awaits!

MAUI ROADTRIP PART 5:  Lahaina
Lahaina was the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom in the 1800s and most of the whaling ships of the Pacific came through this port town on Maui's northwest coast, including the ship that carried Herman Melville.  Many of his tales for Moby Dick originated in this very village.


I suggest you finish up in Lahiana, Maui.  You can go on a sunset sail on an America's Cup Sailboat, or snorkel with the whale sharks of Molokini crater, or even ocean raft with the dolphins over to Lanai, Maui's next door island neighbor!   There are delectable dinner spots (disguising themselves as hidden shacks) for 5*+, $100pp dinners, and the best shaved ice on Maui.   No need to splurge on lodging here.  The Pioneer Inn does the job and it's RIGHT on the main drag and by the marina.

Now was that fun, or what?

Want more?    I offer complimentary 20-minute get-acquainted sessions where you can explore your travel dreams to Maui, and beyond!  Schedule a time that's convenient for you, right here. 

ROADTRIP: The Maritimes

Eager to get away this summer but don't have a plan?  I can help!

Schedule a complimentary 20-minute get-acquainted session here. 

If you love lobster, seascapes, oceans and tides, and whales, then the Maritimes is YOUR kind of road trip.

From the northeast US,  ferry from Portsmouth ME to Yarmouth Nova Scotia, your first landfall in the Maritimes.  The ferry departs Maine this summer at 9pm, making an overnight voyage that arrives into NS at 8am AST.   For yourself, you can choose a flat rate or a cabin, but for your car, make a reservation early!

WELCOME TO THE MARITIMES
Enjoy your drive, counter-clockwise around this Maritimes peninsula.  Make sure you stop in Mecklenburgh, a quaint maritime-focused village, with offshore islands called the Tancook, which make an interesting day trip.

In nearby Lunenburg, you'll want to see if the Blue Nose II is in port.  Lunenberg is a world class shipbuilding port near Chester, and the home of the BlueNose.  If it's not off on tour, you can take a sail on this mighty schooner!

And another Maritimes' wonderful stop is Mahone Bay where you'll find a sailing school and opportunities to get out onto the water for a taste of this sailing life.

Before you leave the Lunenberg area, Ovens National Historic Site and Park is a beautiful series of sea caves, famous as the site of 1860's gold-rushing in this Maritime area.

Halifax marks the border between southern Nova Scotia and the Cape Breton National Park to the north.  You can stay overnight in Halifax at the lovely boutique Waverly, but don't miss the Press Gang pub!  It was named after the historic maritime practice of getting patrons besotted, and then pressing them into service, as they'd wake up from their hangover the next morning, miles out to sea.


NEXT MARITIMES STOP:  CAPE BRETON ISLAND
The northern half of Nova Scotia is Cape Breton Island.  Whale-watching is a big deal here, whether from the coast (like here off of Fisherman's Cove near Pleasant Bay where there's also a  Whale Interpretive Museum) or from a boat (like Captain Cox' Hazel Mabie, a 27' zodiac whale and seabird watcher with 97% success!)

Lobster-eating is also a Maritimes highlight.  You'll see little shacks sprinkled along the coastline but I love this place - the Chowder House in Neill's Cove at the northern tip.

And one of the most unique (and non-maritime) activities on Cape Breton are the ceilidhs.  These are pick up musical improvisations with celtic instruments -- fiddle and definitely a piano.   You can experience a ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) at the Red Shoe Pub in Mabou, but there's an entire ceilidh route you can follow too.

NEXT MARITIMES STOP:  PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
Ferry westward from Caribou NS to Woods Island PEI, and head westward along the northern coastline of red beaches.
Pretend you're Kate and William, the royals, and splurge on an overnight at Dalvay by the Sea, an old beach barn facing the quiet waters of the Gulf of St Lawrence.
Nearby is the storied cottage of Anne of Green Gables.  Bike the Confederation Trail, a car-free route that traverses this flat, pastoral isle, and then head down to Victoria, for some more lobster shanties and tidal flats which make for an unforgettable low-tide stomp.

One amazing activity to do on PEI, that's an iconic Maritimes event, is the Clam Dig.   Boat out, dig your own clams, then BBQ them on a beach -- all with the guidance of a PEI guide!

LAST MARITIMES STOP:   NEW BRUNSWICK
South over the bridge and into New Brunswick where you could spend a month, but if you only have a day, you should kayak the Bay of Fundy, one of the highest tides in the world (over 30'!)

THE BIG PICTURE:
Here's a map of these Maritime provinces so you can envision the counterclockwise route for yourself:

WANT SOME HELP? 

I'm Melanie Tucker, owner of Tough Love Travel where I specialize in designing unique trips for adventurous travelers. 

I have done this Maritimes trip myself, and in addition to the tips above, I have secrets for biking routes, hidden B&Bs, and wonderful guides whom I have vetted myself. 

Click here to select a time that's convenient for you to talk about your trip -- it's complimentary and it's right here:  www.MeetingWithMelanie.com

Roadtrip: Canadian Rockies

Welcome to my series on Road Trips for Summer 2014!  

I'm Melanie Tucker, owner of Tough Love Travel.

I am here to help YOU get on YOUR next adventure.  Contact me today!

We drove a gauntlet through snow-iced mountains, glaciers poking at us from the left -- then the right.
We walked on these black- and gray-streaked glacier hulks, peering into turquoise crevasses.  Then we kayaked on avocado-colored lakes, biked along bubbling streams, and hiked to the summit for views that seemed to reach to the end of the continent.   We saw bulls in a rodeo and bears by our picnic table.
This was our summer road trip through the Canadian Rockies.

HIGHLIGHT OF CANADIAN ROCKIES (why choose this trip): 
#1:  Mountain scenery and cascading waterfalls!
#2:  chance to see, learn about, and walk on glaciers  
#3:  bald eagles (and elk and moose and even wolves) complete your alpine experience.

WHAT'S THE DRIVING ROUTE THROUGH CANADIAN ROCKIES:
There are many organized coach tours through this area, but if you want to travel independently, stopping to hike and take photos at will (and you WILL!),  rent a car.
It's a condensed route, too - a straightforward triangle connecting Banff, Jasper, and the Parkway to Calgary, your arrival city.
You can either drive out and back, or you can drive the loop through Edmonton.

A 3rd GREAT OPTION FOR GETTING AROUND THE ROCKIES:
Viarail!  Drive from Calgary through the Icefields to Jasper, then return your rental car and hop the train west to Vancouver.  You can choose a special glass-topped sightseeing car for this journey, or a regular coach, and both This one-way route is more expensive, but is by far the most efficient and allows you to also experience the great coastal metropolis, sometimes referred to as the City of Glass for its architecture!

WHAT TO DO IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES: 
We loved our bike ride along the creekside trail in Lake Louise.    Straight from our lodge (see below), our group of 8- to 45-year-olds could all enjoy this relatively flat route. Rent bikes here and check out a full biking guide with more routes here.

I also have a touchstone to Jasper's Lake Maligne where we kayaked in silence, in pristine wilderness, for hours.  Yes, the water really IS this blue.   Magical....


THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY, A NATIONAL TREASURE IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES:
This 144-mile national park route is designated Top 20 Drives to take in a lifetime!
There's a shouldn't-miss visitors center and a snow coach ride that helps even young families and disabled folks get out to the face of the glacier.


ICEFIELDS PARKWAY LOGISTICS:

• only ONE gas stop that's very expensive and often backed up with long lines, so fill up before you enter the drive
• it's convenient to grab a snack at the Visitors Center, but it's ideal to organize yourself the day before and pack your loveliest picnic, to enjoy along the route. 
• this drive is do-able in wintertime but sometimes is closed for weather, so call for updates before you drive

WHERE TO STAY IN THE CANADIAN ROCKIES: 
I highly recommend The Post Hotel in Lake Louise.  It's hand-heuned wooden king bed had the fluffiest mattress I've ever laid my body on, and I can still remember the crisp sheets and cozy duvet.  Either I was exhausted from a day of mountain biking or this place was extraordinary -- probably both!   If you're going to splurge anyway, take a cabin by the stream.

Have fun like THIS in the Canadian Rockies!

I'm Melanie Tucker, owner of Tough Love Travel, 

and I did this road trip myself a few summers ago. 

Want me to design a trip for you, too? 

Here're times for a complimentary Get-Acquainted call - 

pick one today and you'll be on your way

to the Canadian Rockies!