Sleepless in Seattle

And Portland. Tomorrow I fly to the US for a 10 day media road trip which will be fun (if I can manage to shake this horrible cold I brought back from South America, that is). Defo looking forward to some sunshine, though.

See you on the other side.

(Pic credit: Google Images)

Tales from home and away

The first ever North & South Magazine travel compilation is out and I managed to get TWO stories in there (as well as a pic of my ugly mug and one of Bristol and myself standing atop Mt Vic on the back sleeve).

The first story is one I had published in North & South a few years ago, about being genetically wired to travel (click here to read) and the other is from my Southern US Trafalgar media trip from Nashville to New Orleans (click here to read that one).

      

Random

While sorting though my notes and thousand-odd photos from last month's media trip to Italy (in preparation for the many stories that have to be written), I came across this photo which was taken at the top of Mount Solaro on the Island of Capri (after we'd braved the dodgy chair lift to get there - health and safety, it seems, isn't quite the thing in Italy it is here!)

Anyway, this is Sam who was my tour director on the Trafalgar Tastes and Sounds of the US South media trip I did last October. He now works for Insight Vacations' LA office and he came up to me the first night in Rome and said, "Do you remember me?" Hilarious...I always knew I'd run into the Alabama-born chap with the gentle southern accent somewhere in the world.

As with last time, Sam was an absolute pleasure to travel with (note his questionable moustache was for Movember).

Memphis' National Civil Rights Musuem

My story from the Southern US media trip is published in The Dominion/Stuff/the Press (click here to read).

Heart & Soul

My travel piece on Tennessee, from the Trafalgar media trip last year, is one of two stories I have in the November issue of NEXT Magazine (click here to read).

The King and I

My story on Graceland, which I visited last year as part of a Trafalgar media trip, is published in this week's NZ Woman's Weekly to coincide with the 39th anniversary of Elvis' death (today, as it happens). Click here to read.

    

Southern Comfort

My story on Southern food is published in the March/April issue of Taste Magazine (click here to read).

The Big Easy

Another of my stories from last year's Trafalgar famil to the Southern US is published in MAS Magazine (click here to read).

  

Tennessee Waltz

My travel piece on Tennessee, which I visited as part of a Trafalgar media famil last year, is published in this month's issue of North & South Magazine (click here to read).

Last New Orleans pics

A couple more pics taken this time last week: of the jazz cruise along the Mississippi and the beautiful city of NOLA.

Oh heat, how I miss thee...

The South - and gravity-defying hairdos

I finally arrived in Nashville - a day and a half after leaving Welli - and a tangle of flights and check-ins and security and filling in of forms.

Oh, and an hilarious eight hour layover at a dodgy LAX hotel, where I had to wind back my watch several decades. But it was clean and the staff was friendly and the roar of aeroplanes, not too far away, wasn't too intrusive, allowing me to grab a few hours' kip. And to have the longest shower in the history of womankind.

It got even better when I checked into my hotel in downtown Nashville this morning - there were 3,000 women from the Pentecostal church here for a conference. Which isn't interesting in itself but where it does get fascinating is that they don't believe in cutting their hair which, of course, means they end up with quite a lot of it. And then they get creative with styling, including up-dos Dolly Parton would be proud of. A unique, if slightly odd, introduction to the city.

Had a quick wander in the glorious sunshine and then collapsed in my room.

But Nashville sure looks pretty and I'm looking forward to the next few days. Only a couple of pics from today - promise more tomorrow when the Trafalgar Tastes and Sounds of the South kicks off..

Born in the USA

The  travel gods have awoken from their slumber and awarded me a media trip to the US - a 10 day famil from Tennessee to New Orleans at the end of next month with those wonderful folks at Trafalgar.

Have never been this far south, so I'm really excited about the chance to visit lots of fabulous places I can write the shizzle out of. I'm especially amped to visit Graceland - I'm no Elvis fan, but having been married by a particularly impressive one, I'm keen to check out the real Elvis' whare.  

On the way home, I'll be spending a couple of nights in LA with a mate from journalism school, so that should be fun.

Woohoo, what a fantabulous way to end a busy week!