travel that speaks to the heart
Are you dreaming of a big trip in the near future, but find yourself overwhelmed by the information overload on the internet and social media? Does it feel like you are standing in the murky waters of uncertainty as you process all of the options presented to you on where to go and what to…
To celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary and the end of a long pregnancy, Justin and I booked a two night stay at The Don CeSar, one of Florida’s most iconic hotels located on St. Pete Beach, just west of Tampa. The Don CeSar provided us with the perfect dose of laidback luxury for our adult-only…
As I just shared in my last post, I had one of the most unique travel experiences of my life at the end of 2019 when I joined a Trekking and Photo Tour in Nepal. Nepal has always captured my imagination, but I still didn’t know too much about the country’s history or its people…
Although the year didn’t afford me much time for blogging (as I was quite occupied trip planning for clients!), 2019 sure didn’t stop me from enjoying some great eats! As it has become a Global Heartbeat Travel tradition, I am laying out all of my Best Eats of the Year, so that if you find…
While traveling around Spain this year, I was introduced to a ride-sharing phenomenon called BlaBlaCar. Given the fact that it’s becoming a fairly popular method of transportation in many countries around the world, I was surprised that I hadn’t yet heard about… and I found myself wishing the BlaBlaCar app had been in existence during…
If you follow me on Instagram, you may know that I have had the opportunity to return to Spain recently as a trip leader with Global Works Travel. You also may know that I absolutely love flamenco music and flamenco dancing. Case in point… Whenever our travel itinerary includes Granada, I always get to take…
Many traveling souls have fallen head over heels for a particular Belgian beauty named Bruges. The Flemish capital was the first stop on our epic babymoon adventure back in 2017. Little did Justin and I know that it would be the perfect place to start a trip that celebrated our marriage and our love. Allow…
2018 was a great year for great food. Take a look at my list of top eats around the globe and get my tips on how you can have a memorable meal, too!
Zermatt is home to Switzerland’s most iconic mountain: The Matterhorn. With its croissant-shaped peak dramatically thrusting up into the sky, the mountain is absolutely magnetic. Visitors to Zermatt often let out a gasp of delight and awe when they catch their first glimpse of it. (Well, I certainly did!) Although I had visited Zermatt this…
After two years of living in Zurich, I’ve been to the Zurich Airport (ZRH) enough to have noted a few things that makes this flughafen a travel experience in its own right. If you ever find yourself flying in or out of Zurich, Switzerland, then keep your eyes peeled for these six things to add…
Lake Como has easily become a favorite getaway destination for the Swiss Family Domecks over the past couple of years. Folded into the mountains of the Lombardy region of Italy, this wishbone-shaped lake is what travel dreams are made of. With romantic villas dotting the shoreline and dramatic mountains rising from the sparkling blue waters,…
Undeniably one of the most splendid cities in the world, St. Petersburg is an endless buffet of visual magnificence. From sprawling palaces and romantic gardens to mesmerizing cathedrals and authoritative monuments, Russia’s second largest city is defined by an unparalleled grandeur. Even though my encounter with this Baltic beauty was a dazzling whirlwind of sightseeing,…
With our eyes on the horizon, Justin and I cruised our way through Scandinavia, Russia and the Baltic States earlier this month. We wanted survey the region before the Littlest Global Heartbeat arrives, and we booked a 10-day cruise with Royal Caribbean as part of our “Babymoon” adventure. We had a fantastic trip that turned…
When I give walking tours around town, people often ask me where to eat in Zurich. As a result, I have created a running list of my favorite restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, and I’ve organized them by area. Each has met or exceeded my expectations, and my top favorites are marked with a “♥” symbol. Since this list is ever…
It seems like some destinations have been on my “Travel Bucket List” for ages. Recently, I had the sweet pleasure of visiting one of those locations from said list: Cinque Terre, Italy. Cinque Terre. The Five Lands. Five small fishing villages along the rocky western coast of Italy. Tiny dots on the map that millions have…
As I mentioned in my previous post, I recently discovered that boarding early to peacefully place my carry-on bag in the overhead bin is a major plus to flying when pregnant. But pregnancy has its special challenges that expecting moms may want to consider before boarding a plane. Here’s what I learned after taking 8…
If you’re travel style is anything like mine, you often try to avoid paying for checked luggage when flying by cramming all your belongings into your “personal item” and/or a carry-on bag. But when you arrive at your gate and see that 97.7% of the passengers on your flight are doing the same thing, you…
To shake things up and offer a fresh perspective, I invited my dear friend and fellow traveler, Ida M., to write a guest post for Global Heartbeat. Ida is the curious and creative mind behind About A Book, a beautiful blog dedicated to the lost art of reading and the wonderful world of literature. Today, Ida shares her top reads of the year that…
The Zurich Wine Exhibition sponsored by Expovina is a Swiss event not to be missed. Every November, the ferryboats of Lake Zurich line up to form an impressive fleet dedicated to showcasing wine, wine, and more wine. Here are the top 10 things you need to know about Zurich’s Wine Boats before diving headfirst into the vino. 1. It’s kind of…
Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast has become world famous for its sparkling blue waters and its charming old towns that dot the rocky coastline of the Adriatic Sea. Last Saturday, the Swiss Family Domecks completed our 7-day chartered journey around the Dalmatian Islands, a vacation that we will always remember. If you are already dreaming of your next summer adventure, take…
While Croatia’s sparkling coastline bustles with activity over summertime travel, another destination in the country’s interior attracts tourists by the thousands. Plitvice Lakes National Park – or Plitvička Jezera in Croatian – has experienced a shocking rise of visitors in recent years as images of romantic waterfalls and turquoise waters have spilled across the globe. As I…
It’s hiking season in Switzerland, and a yodel-like yahoo! escapes from my mouth at the very thought. Taking advantage of a gorgeous Saturday earlier this month, Justin and I set off from Zurich to tackle our first Swiss mountain of the year. We chose to hike Mount Pilatus, the impressively rugged peak jutting up into the Lucerne skyline. Summiting Mount…
I’ll be honest: this Southern girl has a love-hate relationship with winter in Zurich. Here in Switzerland’s largest city, it can be cold, grey, windy and rainy for weeks on end, causing my soul to die for a drop of sunshine! (Now I understand why people love to visit Florida…) But Zurich can also be a winter…
As I’ve shared in Part One of our Crash Course in Winter Sports, Justin and I are embracing the Swiss habit of going to the mountains as much as possible. This past weekend was no exception: we spent two nights in the Alpine town of Bergün to go sledding with our dear friends, Katie and…
Switzerland is covered in snow, and the streets of Zürich – and my apartment – are buzzing with excitement over mountainside activities. “Winter is finally here!” shouts the Floridian gal from the window. “Hooray! It’s snowing!” Spurred by my ridiculous enthusiasm over the freezing chill, Justin and I are eagerly following the lead of local…