“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste it, to experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Globe Gallivanter

Hey there! I'm Marianne ... welcome to my website!

My greatest passion is traveling the world! I started late in life and have spent the last 20 years trying to catch up! And catch up - I have done. I have visited 48 countries and by the end of this year it will be 50!

This whole "website thing" is new to me so forgive my blunders. I thought I'd share my experiences and hopefully encourage others to embrace the travel bug.

A little over 20 years ago, I suffered a horrible breakup ... consider it a "left at the altar" scenario. Along came New Year's Eve (which was miserable) and I promised myself - next year I'm going to leave the country. When the new year came, I packed my bags and headed to Panama City, Panama ... alone. Prior to heading down, I researched books about the Panama Canal. I found "The Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough - about the building of the Panama Canal.

I had a fantastic time wandering the streets and discovering a new country. This trip was so life-changing that I decided EVERY year for NYE - I'm going to visit a country I've never been to! This year - Vietnam and Cambodia. The tremendous thing about this tradition - for the past 19 years ... I can tell you exactly where I was standing when one year closed and the next opened!

If you ever have questions ... about a place or about travel - please reach out! And if you're looking for adventure and need a travel buddy - just holler!

A lot of people ask me "what is your favorite country?" This is a hard question to answer. There are so many special countries around the world - how can you pick just one?

What I can say, is that South Africa will always hold a very special place in my heart! The country is truly breathtaking and offers amazing experiences from safari to wine tastings! Interested? Take a look! I'll also share where I stayed down in the Kruger area - I do not get any benefits for promoting - I just love this camp (I have been three times!)

Of course, the most magical thing about South Africa is Safari! When you head into the bush - you enter the world of animals and quite honestly - you are completely and totally irrelevant to them! At first it is a bit intimidating to have an elephant or lion walk by the jeep, but the guides will tell you - all the animals see is an inanimate jeep (no connection to dinner!)

I have been to South Africa 3 times and each time I've had an amazingly different yet special experience. I've seen the river full of hippos, the lionesses teaching their cubs to hunt and the junior elephants talking smack to our jeep! Each and every time has been extraordinary, and I look forward to returning to the bush and its residents!

How can you truly be on safari without the appropriate safari hat?! (Purchased in the airport!)

Our amazing safari guides -Hector and Shadreck. (Make sure you get ones with a sense of humor!)

I love staying at Ezulwini. The camp is beautiful, food is great and the staff ... extraordinary! Here's a bit about the experience of Ezulwini. Your day starts with a gentle tap on the door at 5:30am. Normally, you might growl, turnover and go back to sleep. Not in South Africa. You'll jump out of bed and go for a cup of coffee. At 6:00am - time to head out to the bush. Be prepared to be gobsmacked! After the morning drive - it's back to camp for a lovely breakfast. The rest of the day is all yours ... take a nap, read a book - chat with the other guests. A hearty lunch and then at 4pm ... it's back out to the bush for your evening ride!

The evening rides are especially wonderful. The bush transforms into an entirely different world - the animals are different, and the skies are different. Halfway through the evening ride - the guides find a safe place to stop. Climb out of the jeep and enjoy a special evening cocktail hour set up by the guides. In addition to the wine and beer - they always packed a few nibbles. It is a great time to chat with the other visitors and with your guides.

Once back at camp - it's time for an amazing dinner and lots of conversation reliving the highlights of the day. Then off to bed - where you'll most likely sleep like a baby. And when that little tap happens at 5:30am - you'll hop out of bed - ready for the next day of adventure.

Cape Town is a 3-hour flight from Kruger Park. It's an amazing to get on the plane surrounded by the bush - and exit the plane into a highly sophisticated metropolitan city.

Unfortunately, some of the locals had a bit of an issue with "sharing" the road!

Others - just sit and watch the world go by!

Be sure to make time to stop at Boulders Beach! Near Simon’s Town, this magnificent beach has ancient granite boulders which protect it from the wind and large waves. More importantly, you'll find 3,000 of the local residents - 3,000 thousand African penguins! The best place to watch these little critters is Foxy Beach where newly constructed boardwalks take you amazingly close to the birds. But take care - these birds are close to extinction and can only be found in South Africa. Interestingly, these penguins are relative newcomers to South Africa - they arrived in 1982!

It is such a joy to spend some time watching the antics of these sweet creatures! You may see some very fuzzy ones ... these are the babes! The greatest smile is watching these little fellas swim to the brink of shore and then waddle up the beach! They apparently, travel in duos - quite the romantic community!

And of course, don't forget to make the trek down to the Cape of Good Hope! This is a don't miss! It is the most Southwestern point of Africa and the beauty is breathtaking!

On my recent visit, we ran into a few friendly baboons. Apparently, they were just as annoyed with the masks as we were!

Have you tried cruising?

I just returned from a cruise which originated in Panama and ended in Aruba. Wonderful ... all I was hoping for. Did a lot of reading, met interesting and warm people, ate great food and imbibed heavily in adult beverages! Let me tell you a bit more about this adventure and hopefully, provide you with motivation to start cruising.

I chose Windstar Cruises. I travel alone, and Windstar offers great discounts for solo travelers.

Windstar Cruises | The World's Best Small Ship Cruise Line!

Tips for Cruising

• Bring plenty of books - there will be lots of time for reading and chilling!
• Once you board and get settled ... familiarize yourself with the ship. You may be surprised by all the sweet spaces to visit.
• Don't be shy about meeting other guests. Some remarkable relationships begin on a cruise. I can't tell you how many times, people on the cruise have come up to me and asked, "Are you traveling alone?" - often with amazement. I've received many invitations to come join groups for meals!
• Pace yourself ... food and drink is available 24/7 (including room service!)
• Don't feel that you have to take advantage of the excursions and don't feel as though you have to leave the ship at every port! The beauty of traveling solo (and/or with understanding friends!) is that you decide when and how to enjoy your travels!

My cabin was spacious and elegant!

The Panama Canal

One of the most special things about this Windstar cruise was transiting through the Panama Canal. As school kids we learn about the Canal, but I never thought I'd be going through it. It was a unique and special experience.

• A man-made waterway that lets ships travel from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean through Central America

• Built under Theodore Roosevelt - it actually was begun by the French in 1881.

• Work stopped in 1894 due to an outbreak of yellow fever and malaria. More than 22,000 workers died during construction and France lost nearly $287 million.

• Americans took over in 1904 and completed the work 2 years ahead of schedule in 1914!

• Crossing the Canal takes 8 to 10 hours - big difference from the 22 days it had taken prior to its construction!

• Highest toll ever paid was $165,235 (lowest was 36 cents, plunked down in 1928 by Richard Halliburton, who swam the canal!)
  

Great Travel Apps!

TripIt - Highest-rated trip planner and flight tracker- Highest-rated trip planner and flight tracker. This is one of the greatest finds! The app collects your air, hotel, cruise information and keeps it in one, very cool place! You can manually add restaurant reservations, places of interest, excursions. AND it keeps your trips stored until you choose to delete!

PackPoint travel packing list app (packpnt.com) - I consider myself a fairly experienced traveler. But 9 times out of 10 (okay ... I lie ... it's 10 times out of 10) I forget something. This is your virtual checklist. It gives you a head start of "standard" items and you can add your personal items!

Tripadvisor: Over a billion reviews & contributions for Hotels, Attractions, Restaurants, and more. I have used this site for many years. I continue to use this site to check out pricing and traveler reviews. Note of caution - there is always one negative person providing a review ... look for the "theme!"