Only by Air: Alaska's Extremely Remote Tundra Villages

Ever since our youngest, The Boy, took a job as a pilot in Alaska we have been intrigued by the unique corner of Alaska that his small airline serves.

He flies to about two dozen little native villages that are only accessible by air - there are no roads in or out of the harsh tundra.

These are some of the most remote settlements anywhere in the United States... CONTINUE READING >>

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We've Been Accepted into the Southern Festival of Books! Come see us in Nashville!

Big, big news! 

We (and our book, Going Gypsy) have been accepted into one of our favorite book events - The Southern Festival of Books in Nashville!

Humanities Tennessee has been throwing this great event for twenty-seven years, and its popularity has inspired hundreds of similar book festivals.

Because of their dedication to the written word, the festival is free to all who want to celebrate the joy of reading!

Join us and two hundred of the nation's most prominent authors for three days of fun, interaction, and - because it's in Nashville, music!... SEE MORE ABOUT THE SOUTHERN FESTIVAL OF BOOKS AND HOW YOU CAN MEET US THERE >>

Ever wonder what's up next in GypsyNesterLand? Want to find out where you can meet us or where we'll be bringing you next? Click here to find out!

New dates!

October

9-11
Nashville, Tennessee, Southern Festival of Books, featured speakers and book signing - Saturday, October 10th, 12:00 pm, Legislative Plaza Room 12 (Corner of 6th and Union) "Ditching the Daily: Chronicles of Simple Living, Finding Joy, and Letting Go" with Scott Dannemiller and Alex Sheshunoff

Book signing 1:30 at the Signing Colonnade

13
Nashville, Tennessee, Discover Nashville with Viator

23 - November 1
Italy, Biking the Southern Coastal Villages of Sicily with VBT 

November

6-8
Woodstock, NY, Women at Woodstock, featured speaker and workshop, see why Veronica loves Women of Woodstock so much!

8-18
Passports with Purpose fundraiser for schoolchildren in Kenya

See all of our events!

Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

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How to Save Money on Travel... and the fastest train in the world!

Turning fifty sucks, but there is a silver lining!

Not gonna lie, turning fifty was not our favorite thing in the world. Not even close.

Your GypsyNesters heroically sift through all the fabulous travel savings you receive -- just by being "of a certain age" -- so you have it at your fingertips.

And for your bookmarking pleasure... CONTINUE READING >>

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Riding the Fastest Train in the World

Ever think it might be fun to levitate?

That's just fantasy stuff, right? The kind of thing we only see in movies, or magic shows. Not true.

 There is a place where floating in midair, and doing it at 200 miles per hour, is not only possible, it happens every day... CONTINUE READING >>

We're Blown Away. Simply. Blown. Away.

The uber-talented Sundance veteran Anne Flournoy of The Louise Log fame produced this hysterical 50-second short on her experience of reading Going Gypsy! See Anne's full post on Going Gypsy here or leave a comment here >>

Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

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Fear Conquering & Gliding in a Sailplane... and meet us in Nashville!

Considering that I have now jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 feet in Australia and paraglided off the sea cliffs of Lima, Peru, one would think that I would have no fear of sailplaning.

And I didn't. Until I did.

I had about three-week's notice before... CONTINUE READING >>




Hey Nashville! We're Headed Your Way!

Join us at the famous BookManBookWoman bookstore on June 6th! 

Click here for more info!

Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

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Do People Live in the Galapagos Islands?

So do they? We get asked this a lot, actually.

Truth is, we didn't know until we got there.

Say Galapagos and what pops to mind? For us, no doubt as for many folks, it was the image of giant tortoises.

They may well be the most famous attraction of these islands, but... CONTINUE READING >>

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YOU are #GoingGypsy!

Post your best #GoingGypsy moments on Facebook and Twitter and be automatically entered to win an autographed first edition of Going Gypsy!

We want to see YOU in a favorite travel moment, celebrating a milestone, hugging your loved ones, conquering a fear, or posing with the cover of Going Gypsy!

We’ll be sharing your fun on Facebook and Twitter – and you could even be featured here on GypsyNester.com!

Click here to see how easy it is to share your #GoingGypsy moments!

Going Gypsy: One Couple's Adventure from Empty Nest to No Nest at All (find out more) Available from Skyhorse Publishing! Order Now - Wherever Books Are Sold! Also available as an audiobook from Audible.com

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Oh My Aching Feet! Cobblestones, Comfort & Flight-induced Cankles... and the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul

Yup, it's time for another women "of a certain age" post from me. So far I've overshared about stray hairs, arm flaps, botox, and mammograms - so why stop now, right?

This time it's about my feet and cankles - yuck, I know, but it's life and if I don't overshare, who's going to?

So here goes - some frank talk (but no gross pictures, promise), a little bit of whining and a solution or two... CONTINUE READING >>

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A Romp Through the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul

The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul is the granddaddy of all malls - one of the oldest and certainly largest covered markets in the world. 

It seemed as though most of the 400,000 visitors who come each day were inside with us. 

With over three thousand shops packed in along sixty-one covered streets, we felt like lab rats looking for... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef – Bucket List, Check!

A visit to Queensland, Australia without getting underwater on the Great Barrier Reef would be unthinkable! 

As soon as Lady Elliot Island, a highly protected coral cay only accessible by air, came into view, we knew we were about to embark on an unforgettable adventure of a lifetime.

Because the southern tip of the reef is outside the tropics, the cooler water temperatures have kept the coral... CONTINUE READING >>

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Our Son Has One of the Most Dangerous Jobs in the World

The Boy has just embarked on a new journey. He has accepted one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.

He is now an Alaskan bush pilot (I suppose we should now call him "Captain The Boy").

This is something he has wanted to do for a long time, and though I'm beyond-words proud of him for realizing a dream (and working extremely hard for it), I am not thrilled by... CONTINUE READING >>

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Fabulous Food Signs of Osaka's Dotonbori 

The competition for most eye-catching advertising extravaganza is nearly as much of a draw as the food in Osaka, Japan's Dotonbori District.

When the crab restaurant Kani Doraku erected their giant mechanized crab sign back in 1960 they kicked off quite a craze of giant animated... CONTINUE READING >>

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Big, Big, BIG News! Going Gypsy and the Story of its Cover (you may judge the book by it)!

Remember that big news we've been spouting off about? The news we were afraid to talk about because we couldn't believe it was actually happening?

Well here it is (drumroll please!):

We have a book coming out!
Can you imagine how hard this has been for over-sharing me to not say anything?

But, before we get into the details, I want to tell you the story about the cover.

Last December... CONTINUE READING >>

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Lugging Luggage: Our "One Trip Rule" and Florida Manatee Fun!

No matter where we go or how we get there, one constant always remains - packing.

So we thought we'd explore the pros and cons of lugging luggage through airports and beyond.

And share with you our always-adhered-to "One Trip Rule"... CONTINUE READING >>

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It's Florida Manatee Time: How to Spot the Gentle Giants

November to March is the time to head to Florida for spectacular manatee sightings. 

These gentle giants head for warmer climates in the winter, much like their human snowbird counterparts. 

Here are our tips to having a manatee-filled getaway... CONTINUE READING >> 

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Our Grand Canyon Adventure LIVE

Follow us in real time as we take on the majestic Grand Canyon by mule, in a helicopter and by bike - a true fear conquering adventure!

And if that's not enough, we will be having a grande time at the 40th Annual Fiesta del Tlaquepaque in beautiful Sedona, romping in Flagstaff, eating as much Mexican food as we can, and showing off all the natural beauty of Arizona... CONTINUE READING  >> 

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Fear Conquering & Zip Lining 300 Feet High

I have to wonder who thinks up things like zip lining? What kind of sick mind muses - "hey, lets launch folks across a gaping canyon on a wire - that'll be awesome!"

Zip lining, in my mind, falls into the bungee-jumping, rodeo-clowning, leaping-off-buildings-in-suits-with-wings category of antics. Better off left to the fearless young whippersnapper types.

Not something I'd ever... CONTINUE READING >>
  
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A Tale of Two Flights AND a new contest!

It was the best of planes, it was the worst of planes, that was our feeling after spending nearly thirty hours on two non-stop flights.

The first one, United flight 895, from Chicago to Hong Kong clocked in at sixteen hours. Back when... CONTINUE READING >> 

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