Author Profile: Jennifer Hipskind

San Miguel de Allende is one of our favorite places to visit in the world. It is in the heart of Mexico, a colonial town, about 3 1/2 hours north of Mexico City. The temperature averages 72 degrees year round, rarely getting too hot or too cold. The town is filled with a mixture of retirees from the US and Canada and long time Mexican residents. It is a haven for artists, with beautiful scenery to paint and sculpt. It also has become quite the foodie town, with dozens of terrific top notch...   view more

San Miguel de Allende is a incredible town in the middle of Mexico with so many things to do. It’s a walking town, it’s a foodie town, it’s an art town and it’s a very friendly town for tourists from everywhere. With so much history, the city is also a UNESCO world heritage site. We’ve been fortunate to visit this city many times. Here are our 10 “Must Do’s” while visiting San Miguel de...   view more

Oxford is one of two historic university towns in England, the other being Cambridge. We chose to visit Oxford as we have a cousin that earned his masters there and met his lovely wife. She helped us plan this visit and we think what we have to share would be helpful for a first time visit. This post includes, a charming boat ride along the Thames, hoping on the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus, touring Christ Church, a stop at the oldest botanical gardens in the UK, and enjoying one of the best meals of our...   view more

Belgium is known for its waffles and chocolate. On a recent trip to Brussels, Belgium we learned so much more about this historical capital city. Today, Brussels is considered the political center of Europe with both the EU and NATO headquartered there. Due to this, there are over 180 nationalities that live in Belgium. French, Dutch and, thankfully for us, English are all widely spoken in this great city. This post gives highlights of places to stop, things to do and a few great eats, while on...   view more

There is so much to do in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Great art, great food and great culture. But there is also incredibly interesting history spanning thousands of years in this part of the Southwest. This post explores some of the fascinating historical sites in and around Santa Fe, from the captivating exhibits at The New Mexico History Museum to the charm of a winter walk around the historic Santa Fe Plaza, home to centuries-old adobe...   view more

Everyone has been to Charleston, right? Until recently, not us! On a recent road trip we spent 3 days in Charleston and loved every minute. Here is our trek through this great historic US...   view more

Wilmington North Carolina is such a facinating historic city for a number of reasons. Parts of the revolutionary war, the civil war, and the initial building of the US economy took place here. This was once a very important railroad and port town. Today, Wilmington has reinvented itself as an adorable historic town with plenty of great sites to see, food to eat and places to just get out and...   view more

Mexico is a beautiful country with much of the tourism in the beach cities. There is so much to discover in the interior of Mexico and in the colonial towns. On a recent trip to Mexico we spent a day in Guanajuato City, a colonial city in the mountains. We found so much history with so much to see in this beautiful city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is an overview of 10 things to see if your time is limited while visiting Guanajuato...   view more

We recently spent several days in Oaxaca City, Mexico. This was our first trip. We’d read so much about how colorful it was, how amazing the culture and how good the food, we had to see for ourselves. If you only have one day, we’re sharing three things you must do to take in quickly all this colorful, historical city has to...   view more

While beach cities in Mexico are well-known, many haven't heard of Zihuantanejo. During our recent trip, we enjoyed a few days in this charming town, which offers great shopping, dining, and warm, sunny beaches. Those familiar with Zihua, as it's often called, prefer to keep it a secret. Here is what we experienced on our first visit to this delightful Mexican...   view more

Have you ever heard of the 500 mile pilgrimage in Spain? There was a movie called “The Way” about it several years ago. The pilgrimage ends in Santiago de Compostela. (There are other routes as well, this is the most popular ending spot) This town in far Western Spain was never on our radar to visit. But since our good friends were walking the Camino de Santiago for the 3rd time, we thought it would be great to meet them at the end and see what this town was all about. We took a high-speed...   view more

I am part Portuguese. For all of my life, I’ve been told we were related to Portuguese royalty. Turns out my grandmother had a very wealthy great aunt who left her some money in 1952. It wasn’t a lot, but my grandmother said it certainly helped while they were raising their family. So much for royalty, but a pretty cool story! Needless to say, I was very excited for my first trip ever to Portugal. We started our trip in none other than Porto, the world capital of Port...   view more

If you find yourself spending some time in Italy try to get out of the big cities and discover some of the smaller ones. We made a short stop in Lucca on an adventure to Italy and found we loved this small, walled...   view more

For years, Chicago was a regular business destination for me, but those trips rarely allowed time to truly explore the city. On one occasion, we decided to stay for a long weekend, and that’s when we discovered just how much Chicago has to offer—amazing food, countless activities, and a vibrant downtown that makes walking the best way to get around. The city's dynamic energy, paired with its rich history, culture, and architecture, quickly won us over, and we were eager to...   view more

After a two and a half day road trip we finally made it to Park City. We have a special love of this place for all kinds of reasons; the beauty, the climate, and fond memories of time spent here. That love exists both in the summer and the winter. Our first full day was a Sunday. In Park City, throughout the summer, each Sunday Main Street closes down to vehicle traffic and a market opens up. It is called “Park Silly Sunday...   view more

The thought of visiting Mexico City can be overwhelming. After all, it is one of the largest cities in the world. It is also a vibrant blend of history, culture, and modern life, offers an endless array of attractions that cater to every traveler. From the heart of the city at the Zócalo to the colorful canals of Xochimilco, each stop tells a unique...   view more

France is home to countless charming towns, each with its unique allure. For those with an interest in WWII history, Bayeux, located about four hours from Paris by car, is an excellent destination. It serves as a perfect base for exploring the historic beaches of Normandy. However, Bayeux's rich history extends far beyond WWII, with stories spanning many centuries. In this post, we share our experiences from a recent five-day stay in Bayeux, hoping to inspire your visit. Plus, we have a...   view more

We’ve heard a lot about Todos Santos. It’s about an hour and 15 minute drive from Cabo San Lucas. It’s an art community, along the Pacific ocean side of the Baja peninsula. It is supposed to be Cabo or Tulum 30 years ago. We were curious to check out Todos Santos so we rented a car and took a day...   view more

Budapest wasn’t originally on our radar, but when we finally decided to try a river cruise, it became our launching point. We arrived a couple of days early to explore — and we are so glad we did. This captivating city, rich in history, welcoming locals, and fantastic food, quickly won us over. In this post, we’re sharing the top sights to explore — all easily walkable or accessible by public transportation — to help you make the most of your own visit to...   view more

Roughly 30% of Austria’s population lives in Vienna, a city shaped both literally and figuratively by the Danube River, which cuts it in half making it feel like an island of its own. The Austrian’s actually don’t call the city, Vienna, rather, Wein. Our first impression was that, even though it’s a bustling city, it is a big walking and biking city for...   view more

Salzburg is a bucket list city visit for any lover of the musical, “Sound of Music.” But there’s much more to this beautiful Austrian city to see and do, even if you only have one day. This short little post highlights a few spots to see inside the city, hopefully to inspire your trip to Salzburg,...   view more

Whenever we arrive in a new city, we try to set out on foot and see as much as possible. Nice is not as small as some of the other towns in the South of France, so we limited our walking to the beach and historic area. The main square (“place” in French) is “Place Masséna.” On a warm summer day it was full of tourists and locals enjoying the...   view more

We all have our bucket list places, and for some reason visiting a lake town in Italy was one of ours. So many people flock to the exclusive, busy (and expensive) Lake Como, but Lake Garda, still in the same region in Northern Italy, was the place we wanted to visit and stay for an extended time. This post covers four of the key towns to visit in and around Lago di Garda (Lake Garda): Desenzano del Garda, Sirmione, Limone Su Garda and...   view more

Monaco, the second smallest country in the world, is packed with more glamour per square inch than most places dream of. In just a few dazzling hours, we took in Monaco’s greatest hits—from the harbor to the palace, a peek at the iconic casino, and lunch at a longtime...   view more

There are many beautiful museums in Madrid, a city filled with so much rich history. If you have a chance to visit be sure to get out and see the plazas, parks and architecture throughout the city. But if you have time, be sure to visit both the Reina Sofia and The Prado National Museum when in Madrid...   view more

Munich was not exactly the charming, quiet Bavarian town we had pictured. It was lively, crowded, and full of energy — with construction cranes almost as common as church steeples. The city felt like it was constantly in motion, from the hum of trams to the buzz of renovation projects. Still, amid all that activity, we found plenty to explore — from historic beer halls and royal palaces to sleek car museums and a massive palace just outside the...   view more