Travel On Your Terms

06/17/2026

Solo day in Seattle and it did NOT disappoint. 🌊🏔️

Ferry from Bainbridge with Rainier in the background, ceviche at Pike Place, piroshky, huckleberry ice cream, and the owner of Honest Biscuits handed me a fresh baked blueberry strawberry vanilla biscuit just because. They start at 5:30am and make everything from scratch. That’s my kind of place.

Finished the day on a waterfront swing watching the Sound. People were lined up waiting for a seat the second someone got up. Now I understand why.

This is what happens when you stop waiting for someone to go with you.

06/17/2026

06/14/2026

Virgin Voyages!

If you have always been wondering what it’s like to cruise Virgin, let me tell you.

I can’t think of a space or time as when I sat in this hammock on my balcony and was so peaceful and relaxed I FELL ASLEEP!!

Watch for more Virgin stories and itineraries it’s a must do!

06/10/2026

Six weeks. Two cruises. One road trip. Zero permission asked.

Earlier this year I packed up, left the Pacific Northwest, and spent six weeks exploring Florida completely on my own terms. No tour group. No travel companion. No itinerary required.

Here's what I did:

🏰 A week at Shades of Green — the military resort on Disney property — plus Disney World and Universal on MWR discount tickets
🚢 Virgin Voyages — an adults-only cruise unlike anything I'd experienced before
🚗 Two weeks on the road — Key West, Key Largo, the Everglades, and Navy lodging that many veterans may not know about — and a hidden value worth knowing
🚢 NCL Norwegian Luna — the finale I didn't know I needed

I'm a retired chef, a veteran, and a travel advisor. I've traveled a lot. But this trip reminded me why I do what I do.

Over the next few weeks I'm breaking it all down — what I spent, what surprised me, what I'd do differently, and what I'd do again in a heartbeat.

Follow along. This one's worth it.

👇 Have you ever taken a big trip on your own terms? Tell me about it below.

Nobody's Permission Needed.

06/09/2026

🎖️ Your military service should be paying for your cruise. Here's why it probably isn't — and how to fix that.

Most veterans I talk to know vaguely that "military discounts exist" for cruises. What they don't know is that there are actually THREE separate benefit pipelines, and most people are only tapping into one (if any).

Here's the quick breakdown:

✅ DIRECT CRUISE LINE DISCOUNTS
Several major cruise lines — NCL, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland America — offer military rates of 5–10% off, plus onboard credits. But you have to ask. They don't advertise these the way they advertise flash sales.

✅ MWR / ITT OFFICES
If you have access to a military installation, this is often your single best deal. MWR and ITT offices buy blocks of cabins at wholesale rates and pass the savings to you. I've seen discounts of 20–40% off brochure rate. That's not a typo.

✅ AMERICAN FORCES TRAVEL
The official DoD travel portal (americanforcestravel.com) has negotiated military rates on cruises worth checking — especially for last-minute sailings.

The real move? Stack them. Military rate + current promotion + onboard credit from your service branch. A good travel agent who understands military benefits can help you build that stack.

And if you're cruising out of Port Canaveral — don't overlook Shades of Green at Disney World for a pre-cruise night. Military-only resort. Rates based on rank. It's a whole different category of trip.

Your DD-214 earned you more than a thank-you. Let's make sure you're collecting.

📥 I put together a full tactical guide — cruise line breakdown, stacking strategy, documentation checklist - (DM me "CRUISE" and I'll send it your way).

Nobody's Permission Required. 🪖✈️



Photo from my recent Norwegian Cruise where I was the only Coastie recognized 🙂

Norwegian does a great job of thanking Veterans. I also received a photo with the crew, a ships coin and NCL Luna patch.

10% off is great, but if you keep following me you may see 20% off at some point.

Also note that first responders and school teachers are also eligible for a discount!