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“Our battered suitcases were piled on the sidewalk again; we had longer ways to go. But no matter, the road is life.”
Jack Kerouac

Original content written by Jann Segal

Enjoying Hibiscus Tea in Egypt

When I took the trip Egypt and the Eternal Nile with Overseas Adventure Travel, I had two days on my own before joining the group. These two days afforded me time to see the pyramids at Saqqara and Dasher with a private guide, experience the uniqueness of Garbage City in Cairo, and enjoy as drink…

by jannsegal2

Enjoying the Taste of Tuscany at Home

When I was on the Overseas Adventure Travel trip, Tuscany and Umbria: Italy’s Rustic Heartland, I experienced more food and wine delights then I ever have on any other trip. Or rather, delights that were explained and enumerated, not simply enjoyed at mealtimes. Our trip to the Pruneti olive oil facility in the Chianti region…

by jannsegal2

Enjoying the Floral Surprises of Spello, Italy

When I was on the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Tuscany and Umbria; Italy’s Rustic Heartland, we stayed in Spoleto while on the Umbria portion of the trip. We had an optional evening of folk music in the nearby town of Spello, but the flowers that graced that walled in city was music to my eyes.…

by jannsegal2

Discovering Michelangelo’s Marble in Carrera

When I took the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Tuscany and Umbria: Italy’s Rustic Heartland, I expected many things the region is famous for, all of which I experienced. But it is the unexpected discoveries that remain with a traveler, and which turn an excellent trip into an outstanding one. So it was in Carrera, an…

by jannsegal2

Exploring Two Basilicas in Italy, Two Synagogues in Prague

I recently embarked on two sharply different trips with Overseas Adventure Travel. It was supposed to be a 5-week exploration or Eastern and Central Europe with two different OAT trips. However, thanks to the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and my own post pandemic flexibility, I returned to Italy just a few months after my…

by jannsegal2

Enjoying Parmesan Cheese, Balsamic Vinegar, and Prosciutto in Parma

On the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Tuscany and Umbria: Italy’s Rustic Heartland, we were treated to many fabulous food experiences, including learning how some of their great food is made in Parma. While on the pre-trip prior to the main trip, we learned and saw first-hand how Parmesan cheese and their additionally famous Balsamic Vinegar are…

by jannsegal2

Listening to Tuscany’s Most Famous Musical Sons

Tuscany. Land of food and wine. Balsamic vinegar. And world class composers, conductors, and singers. The musical aspect of Tuscany was a sheer delight for this former musician, when I took the Overseas Adventure Travel trip to Italy, Tuscany and Umbria: Italy’s Rustic Heartland. The native sons we learned about from Tuscany were Luciano Pavarotti,…

by jannsegal2

Discovering Italy’s Capitol of Chocolate in Umbria

I took the trip Tuscany and Umbria: Italy’s Rustic Heartland with Overseas Adventure Travel. It was undeniably a foodie tour which highlighted the geographical beauty of the region, the culture, and without a doubt, the food. After we left the beauty of Tuscany, we drove through lush vegetation as the regions changed from Tuscany to…

by jannsegal2

Learning About Refugees in the Prague Train Station, Platform 1

While on the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Jewels of the Bohemia, I was extremely interested in meeting some of the Ukrainian refugees, in whatever form was possible. I understood it was a sensitive situation, and certainly I did not necessarily expect many to speak English. My trip leader accommodated my unusual request at the end…

by jannsegal2

Understanding Stolpersteine Across Europe

When I was in Europe recently with Overseas Adventure Travel, I took the Central Europe trip Jewels of the Bohemia. On that trip, I finally saw the memorial stones to those lost in the Holocaust that I had heard so much about over the years. They have a German name, stolperstein, or stolpersteine for the…

by jannsegal2

Traveling to Explore a Deeper Truth

I’ve always known that when we travel, if we are paying attention, we can explore a deeper truth about humanity, history, and even how geography helps us get to the bottom of this truth. On the Overseas Adventure Travel trip to Central Europe, Jewels of the Bohemia, I saw both the best and the worst…

by jannsegal2

Ukraine Has Not Yet Perished

As a traveler, my heart is broken as the war in Ukraine rages on. I had to move the dates for my Baltic Capitols and St Petersburg trip three times because of the pandemic. I wasn’t so sure their Covid recovery rate would allow the trip to go this year, but Putin did what Covid…

by jannsegal2

Reflecting on Volcanoes, Pomegranates, and Moorish Heads in Sicily

During my recent trip with Overseas Adventure Travel called Sicily: Ancient Landscapes and Timeless Traditions, I came away with many great learning experiences. But three of them which were unexpected were seeing and experiencing such a magnificent volcano, the cultural influence of pomegranates and pinecones, and the story behind the all-pervasive Moorish Heads. Mt Etna…

by jannsegal2

Learning and Discovery in Sicily’s Last Arab Casbah

One of the most intriguing parts of the Sicily trip I rook with Overseas Adventure Travel called Sicily: Ancient Landscapes and Timeless Traditions, was the time we spent in the old Tunisian Casbah in the fishing port of Mazara del Vallo on the West coast of Sicily. Our day wandering the Casbah and enjoying the…

by jannsegal2

Learning in Italy about the Sweetness of Doing Nothing

In Italy there is the concept of dolce far niente – the sweetness of doing nothing. The Italians claim to be masters at it. I enjoyed some of it on my own during rainy days in Matera in Southern Italy and other times in Sicily. I much prefer the Italian description rather than the American…

by jannsegal2

Olive Oil Production in Southern Italy and Pure Italian Joy

I learned a lot when I was in the Puglia region of Southern Italy as part of the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Sicily: Ancient Landscapes and Timeless Traditions. The pre-trip to the main Sicily trip is in the “heel” of Italy, and includes exploring the ancient city of Matera, and the more modern city of…

by jannsegal2

Visiting Sicily’s World War Two Landing Museum

On the Overseas Adventure Travel trip Sicily: Ancient Landscapes and Timeless Traditions, one real highlight for me was visiting the World War Two Landing Museum. This museum documents the invasion of Sicily by allied troops in 1943, an event that was a turning point for Sicily in the war and marked the beginning of the…

by jannsegal2

Exploring Sicily and Traveling thru Time

Time travel. That is what Sicily was with Overseas Adventure Travel, on their trip Sicily: Ancient Landscapes and Timeless Traditions. For me, it had been exactly two years of no international travel due to the pandemic, so this added to my sense of time. In Italy it would have felt like traveling back in time…

by jannsegal2

Traveling to Observe Burial Rites and Graveyard Customs

I have come to learn throughout my travels that tourists are interested in graveyards. This would surely not be my first point of entry in any country, but I have visited them. One time in Aruba on an island tour, we strolled around the graveyard and I had a premonition about my father’s impending death,…

by jannsegal2

Exploring the Crazy (and Floral) Uniqueness of Da Lat, Vietnam

A visit to Da Lat, Vietnam is a unique experience compared to rest of the country. I traveled to Vietnam with Overseas Adventure Travel on their tour Inside Vietnam, and Da Lat was a stand-out. This impression was due to a combination of factors, not the least of which was that it was relatively unscathed…

by jannsegal2

Traveling to Discover Friendly Feathers

I have never been a big fan or birding. I have been on trips with Overseas Adventure Travel with those who have brought along birding books and have shared with each other what birds they saw and where. I’ve looked at these interactions with interest, in the Peruvian Amazon and Iceland for instance, both areas…

by jannsegal2

Exploring the Middle East: Mankind’s Invention? A Tale of Two Countries

Ever since the first time I was in Israel to celebrate turning 40, I commented that if Israel didn’t exist, someone would invent it. That’s how powerfully it seems mankind needs to have conflict. We will create it if it isn’t there. Israel and its long and often tortured history is there to remind us…

by jannsegal2

Learning About the Cats in Northern Africa

There are so many stray cats in North Africa, it reminded me of my travels to Turkey where we saw so many in Ephesus what were considered famous historically. So that got me thinking about he cats I saw in Morocco on the Overseas Adventure Travel Trip, Morocco’s Sahara Odyssey. I wasn’t sure if these…

by jannsegal2

Mixing and Matching Travel Resources in Asia

I always said I would not write an article about how I effectively combine hotel and airlines points to create great trips. I figured that if I did, the travel industry would change how they do things to make it much more difficult. Well, they have started making things difficult anyway, so I figured there…

by jannsegal2

Visit South Korea and Tour the DMZ in the North

A trip to South Korea is an exquisite experience, filled with cherry blossoms, grand palaces, handicraft streets and whole handicraft villages, as well as an amazing if not somewhat creepy availability to the DMZ of North Korea just an hour outside of Seoul. And a visit to the North Korean Demilitarized zone is indeed worth the effort. No dramatic changing of the…

by jannsegal2

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“The most beautiful thing in the world is the world itself”
Wallace Stevens

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