Barbara Redding - Freelance Travel Writer

Time Traveling Aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California

Adventures, Family, Food & Drink, History, Hotels, Lifestyle, Luxury, Stories, Travel

July 13, 2023 by Barbara Redding

Pictures of a robust Winston Churchill and a young Queen Elizabeth decorated my art-deco stateroom aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. The iconic 1930s ocean liner, now permanently docked on the Pacific Coast, has harbored movie stars, British royals, and prime ministers–as well as more than a few ghosts. In fact, Time magazine designated it one of the most haunted ships in the U.S. I was thrilled to be one of the ship’s first overnight guests when she finally reopened in...

San Miguel Enjoys Worldwide Acclaim for Art and Architecture in Central Mexico

Adventures, Food & Drink, History, Hotels, Lifestyle, Luxury, Stories, Travel

May 31, 2023 by Barbara Redding

San Miguel de Allende’s colorful colonial buildings and narrow cobblestone streets make this Central Mexico city an enchanting place to visit any time of year. But during Day of the Dead festivities, visitors can join locals in honoring loved ones who have passed and in celebrating life. To learn more about my visit and my stay at a colorful casita called Casa Carly, please read my story about San Miguel de Allende. My article is available on the Rovology travel website, which is a wonderful...

Keukenhof Gardens Tulips: The World’s Most Beautiful Spring Garden

Adventures, Family, History, Lifestyle, Luxury, Stories, Travel

May 2, 2023 by Barbara Redding

Vibrantly colored tulips pop up everywhere in the Netherlands when warm weather heats the low-land country’s fertile sandy soil each spring. The best place to appreciate the beauty and variety of this prized flower is Keukenhof Holland, an English landscape-style garden in Lisse, about 30 miles south of Amsterdam. The perennial with cup-shaped petals is cultivated by the acre at Keukenhof, but the show only lasts eight weeks each spring. To learn more about my visit to the world’s most beautiful spring garden,...

Pagosa Springs: Wine, Resorts and Hot Air Balloons in Colorado

Adventures, Family, Lifestyle, Stories, Travel, Wellness

April 24, 2023 by Barbara Redding

Pagosa Springs may be challenging to reach, but this southwestern Colorado town is an amazing place to take a hot air balloon ride, soak in hot springs, and sample wine from grapes grown on a remote sheep farm. I’m exciting to share my article about my adventures in Pagosa Springs on the online travel website Rovology .You can also view my Instagram video of my hot air balloon flight. Pagosa Springs is encircled by the largest contiguous wilderness areas in the lower 48...

Magical Morocco Tour Explores the Country’s Vibrant Customs and Landscapes

Adventures, Food & Drink, History, Lifestyle, Stories, Travel

April 6, 2023 by Barbara Redding

A visit to the North African country of Morocco awakens the senses. In Rabat, the savory aroma of chicken simmering with olives in a clay tajine pot piqued my sense of smell. The cobalt blue walls in Chefchouen’s maze-like medina nearly blinded me on a sunny day. The lyrical sound of the “call to prayers” echoed in my ears from small-town minarets in the Atlas Mountains to the country’s largest Islamic mosque in Casablanca. I could not resist running my fingers over the...

Fairmont Tazi Palace Hotel adds a Touch of Mystery and Luxury to Tangier

Adventures, Food & Drink, History, Hotels, Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel, Wellness

March 1, 2023 by Barbara Redding

The colors, the furnishings, and the decor of the Fairmont Tazi Palace are reminiscent of an earlier time when an advisor to the sultan of Morocco built this hilltop retreat in Tangier. After a major renovation and expansion, the Fairmont hotel now offers modern luxuries still fit for royalty—and curious visitors like me interested in exploring magical Morocco. I stayed at the palace, which has 133 rooms and several eclectic restaurants, on a recent press trip to Tangier. To find out more about the...

“Big Blu:” A Dream Vacation House for Rent on Lake Michigan

Beach, Family, Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel

January 17, 2023January 18, 2023 by Barbara Redding

I am still a Midwest gal at heart, despite trading frigid winters for searing summers in Texas years ago. So, when my sister called to say she had rented a house on Lake Michigan for five days in September, I was excited. The Great Lakes were our summer playground growing up. We were a big camping family drawn to isolated locations where we could fish and swim in the cold, blue freshwater lakes. (Three of my five siblings still live close to the lakes.)...

Anna Maria Island offers a taste of the simple life on Florida’s Gulf Coast

Adventures, Family, Food & Drink, Lifestyle, Travel

January 13, 2023 by Barbara Redding

The Florida Gulf Coast has been a favorite of mine since my college days, when I interned one summer at The St. Petersburg Times (now The Tampa Bay Times). In my free time, I explored the beach communities north and south of St. Pete, where I lived in a retirement hotel with my Irish-American grandmother (that’s another story…). The Bradenton beaches on Anna Maria Island were idyllic, with long stretches of blindingly white sand, clear blue water, and few crowds. While kayaking in the...

A slice of paradise—and a dog—at Compass by Margaritaville in Bradenton

Adventures, Family, Food & Drink, History, Lifestyle, Travel

December 30, 2022January 2, 2023 by Barbara Redding

Artimus has a way of sneaking up behind you and poking you with his pointy nose to get your attention. That is not unusual behavior for a Shetland Sheepdog. What is surprising is when he greets you in a hotel lobby. Compass Hotel by Margaritaville on Anna Maria Sound in Bradenton isn’t your typical Florida hotel. It is part of a new brand of hotels associated with popular singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffet. Parrot Heads, as Buffet fans are affectionately known, will recognize its pet-friendly...

Commodore Perry Estate: An Italianate mansion reimagined as a luxury resort deep in the heart of Austin, Texas

Food & Drink, History, Lifestyle, Luxury, Travel

October 5, 2022 by Barbara Redding

A stone wall wraps around the Commodore Perry Estate, obscuring views of an ornate Italianate mansion built by a wealthy cotton merchant and his socialite wife during the Roaring ‘20s in what was then the outskirts of Austin, Texas. But the estate is hardly a secret these days. Auberge Resorts Collection has reimagined the 10,800-square-foot mansion as the centerpiece of a 10-acre urban resort that is enticing luxury-minded visitors from around the world. On a recent assignment for Travel Weekly, I explored the whimsically...

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Chefchaouen: Morocco’s Blue City Mesmerizes visitors

Big brands, boutiques spice up the New Orleans hotel scene

A Whale-Watching Adventure in Victoria, B.C.

Exploring the Bayside of the San Francisco Peninsula