Category Archive: Personal

6 Products for Self-Care at Home and For Travel

I don’t know whether it’s because of inactivity or advancing years, but it seems the everyday aches and pains are a little more prevalent these days. We’re sheltering at home, enjoying the things we can do while in self-quarantine and unable to travel, and focusing on keeping a positive attitude about things. But there’s no doubt, I’m feeling in need of a little self-care these days. Since many of my usual self-items are not possible during our current situation – manicure, pedicure, hair cut, massage – I’m developing a keen sense of what soothes my spirit on a DIY basis. While a relaxing bubble bath, a good book, and a glass of wine are always delightful ways to relax, sometimes I need something a little more targeted.  No self-care will take the place of medical advice, so call your physician […]

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51 Things to Do While Self-Isolating from the Corona Virus [with resources]

Unless you’ve been totally cut off from civilization, you’ve heard of Covid-19, colloquially called the coronavirus. People are quarantined, countries are closed off from the rest of the world, schools are closed, professional and amateur sports have canceled seasons and tournaments, travel restrictions are in place around the world, employees are encouraged to work remotely, there are restrictions in place about people gathering, and it feels like our lives are in disarray. We’re encouraged to engage in social distancing – which for a social introvert like me is my status quo when I’m not traveling. I love being home and reviving after people with a bunch of people all day long. Before we get too wrapped up in the changes in our own lives, remember that around the world people are sick and dying from the coronavirus. My home state […]

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How to Update Your Bucket List for 2020

I’ve had a bucket list for years, and don’t understand the derision that the concept often receives. I’m not rushing around trying to see things before I die (kick the bucket) – I’m making lists (I LOVE lists) to serve as a roadmap to living the very best life that I can with the years I have left. Lists help keep me on track, plan efficiently, and make sure my life priorities – travel is one of them – are kept front and center. I do realize, however, that simply saying “see and do everything” isn’t really a practical approach. So, instead, I started writing down places I wanted to go, things I wanted to see and do, and experiences that caught my eye. I set a top limit of 100 things that could be on the list because, let’s […]

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Third Annual Travel Reading Challenge

The four things I love most in life are my family (including a rather chubby Siamese cat), travel, food and wine, and reading. Life is the best when I can combine any of those things. Sitting in a cafe in Italy, drinking a glass of Barolo, and reading a book? YES! Reading in a bubble bath with a glass of wine? Bliss! Lounging on the couch with my cat on my lap and reading? Absolutely. Curled up in business class with the latest best-seller? Anytime! See what I mean? Those things all seem to work well together and I’m happy to indulge. I also love picking up a book set in a destination that’s on my travel schedule. I’m generally a Kindle reader, with the exception of some gorgeous coffee table books I’ve picked up. While reading with Kindle has […]

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2019: A Year of Travel in Review at Traveling with MJ

What a year!  2019 kept us busy with travel to new destinations as well as building some internal organization within our new media corporation (Leeward Media, LLC). There’s rarely a dull moment around here, and that’s just the way we like it. This is our annual update post, our chance to wrap up the year and let readers know more about our business, our travels, and our future plans. It’s like those annual Christmas newsletters, we just hope it’s not that annoying. We now own and manage the following travel and lifestyle sites: Traveling with MJ – This is my personal blog focusing on value luxury destinations, experiences, and products. Everyone has a different opinion on what constitutes luxury. For some people, that’s flying business class. For others, it’s enjoying a fabulous glass of wine. And for still others, it’s […]

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Do You Have Good Work/Life Balance?

So, you’ve finally taken your vacation days. You’ve rented a condo on a sugar-sand beach in the Caribbean. The family just ran down to the water’s edge to look for shells. Then they’re going to walk up to the beach shack for cold drinks and maybe spend some hardcore time hanging in a hammock slung between a couple of palm trees. Or going SUPing. And you? You’re holed up in the condo, checking your work email, texting your friend, or banging out a report on your laptop that your boss suddenly realized was imperative…right now. You’re not working on your tan or clearing out your mind or enjoying your vacation with your family. Being always connected to the internet, consuming digital media, texting friends and colleagues, or checking some app for the latest news or trend has become a modern […]

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When I’m 64

I remember singing along: When I get older losing my hair Many years from now Will you still be sending me a Valentine Birthday greetings bottle of wine When I’m 64 was written by Paul McCartney as a teenager, and the song was released in 1967 on The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. It was also featured in the movie Yellow Submarine. It’s a catchy tune. A song about aging with a young man querying his love about whether they’ll remain together through the ages. It’s about choosing to grow old together, about finding ways of staying connected. At the precipice of my teen years, and the accompanying angst, I sang along, although the words didn’t have much relevance at the time.  Now, I find myself humming the tune more often. I now know what the song […]

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It’s a Whole New World

Welcome – I’m glad you’re here! Last week I celebrated my 12-year anniversary of blogging. Today, I’m excited to roll out the new look here on Traveling with MJ. It’s been a long time since I’ve changed the theme and narrowed in on the focus of the site, and it was long past due. Here are some of the changes, new features you’ll find here, along with some tips to help navigate the site: I deleted close to 1,200 old posts that date back to 2006. It was tough letting go of those old archives, but the reality was that they weren’t serving anyone. My writing style and focus have evolved over the years and many of those posts don’t represent my focus any longer; they don’t represent my best work and don’t serve you – so they’re gone. Some […]

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It’s My Blog Anniversary!

On March 17, 2006, I wrote my first blog post ever on my travel blog then named Flyaway Cafe. You can read that first post here. And for those who don’t know my “why story” you can find that here. I knew nothing about blogging or the technology involved. Social media was practically non-existent – the first tweet was sent four days later and Facebook wouldn’t be available to everyone for another six months. Those colleagues who I started blogging with back then were looking for a way to turn a love of their subject matter into a paying gig, and it wasn’t always clear that it could be done. I look back on those wild west days of blogging and often shake my head and the things we did. Travel blogging has changed a lot. I’ve learned enough about […]

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Join the Travel Reading List Challenge

Today I’m excited to announce the first of a couple of new projects that I’m launching for 2018 – the travel reading list. I’ve always been an avid reader, going back to childhood days where I’d read under the covers at night. My love for reading was fostered by my grandparents, who took me to our local public library when I was barely able to walk, and parents, who bought me books and encouraged my patronage of the library. When I was older and started traveling, I used to pack around two or three books at a time. I’d never want to finish one and not have another one to start. You can imagine how it must have been traveling for three weeks in Europe – I lugged around way too many books, leaving them behind as I finished, and […]

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