In our youth, we traveled all over the Western US with our parents and brothers. Perhaps this is where the travel bug came from, although Cathy swears she got it from the magic of reading books at a young age. Nowadays, travel is not in the avocado green converted camper van crammed with six people and a porta potty. Back then, a hotel stay was rare and meals in restaurants were few and far between.
Together, we enjoy seeing new places and traveling in comfort. Our goal is to show women that anyone can travel and enjoy the world. We have reached the point in our lives where we like upgraded flights, pampering hotels and amazing restaurants. A good spa is also a must! We enjoy seeing the sights of the world and engage in as much fun as we can find. We have been on safari, parasailing, ziplining, and cliff-jumping. We even let little fish nibble our feet. And always, we dabble in the local language and customs.
Cathy’s love of traveling has led her to visit 44 of the 50 states in the U.S. and tour 36 countries in the last 30 years. Some countries she loved so much she has been to them time and again – often with new travel companions who she wanted to share her travel adventures with and help them see the world!
The countries she has frequented include England, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Canada, and Mexico. In the United States, Cathy’s favorite big cities include Honolulu, Washington DC, and San Diego.
Of her international travels, she hesitates to choose any favorite because each country has its own unique adventure. She celebrated a milestone birthday with seven weeks in Italy with eighteen different family members, so Italy is obviously a favorite international destination. As for international cities her favorites include Dublin, Ireland; Edinburgh, Scotland; Rome and Siena, Italy; Munich, Germany; Paris, France; Toledo, Spain and Interlaken, Switzerland.
Lorretta finally visited Alaska after the pandemic cancelled the trip three times! She has now visited all 50 states in the U.S. It was great to visit the 50th state in the US as her 50th state. Starting in the late 1980’s, she took her family to sites all over the country including Gettysburg, the Oregon trail, dinosaur digs in Utah, and Washington DC. Internationally, she has enjoyed the culture, people and history of 45 countries and 5 of the 7 continents. She first traveled internationally with her sons who were elite archers. In 2011, she started traveling with Cathy as well as her husband Bob and checking off countries that she had longed to see.
In the US, Lorretta’s favorite city is Boston, with Washington DC a close 2nd. In Boston, with American history ever present – the Freedom trail, Boston Museum of Arts, Paul Revere’s house and the great food are among her favorite things to do there. Out of the 45 countries visited, it would be hard to pick a favorite because every country offers beauty, excitement and adventure, but topping the list are Italy, Iceland, France, Norway, Scotland. Croatia, Slovenia and Portugal were fantastic! Talk about good food and nice people!
Eating at wonderful restaurants is an important part of the experience when traveling. While we both like to try local cuisines (for the most part), Cathy is the more adventurous and willing to try almost anything, though she did pass on the fried caterpillars in Zimbabwe. Lorretta eats many different foods as well but passes on pork and most game meat. Though the kudu and hominy stew in Zimbabwe was incredible and the warthog was okay too.
Good wine is always part of the plan and we have shipped home wine from all over the world so we can enjoy our experience even when we get back to the US.
Join us as we travel around the world and hopefully inspire you to go out on your own as well!