What a perfect Winter day to start writing my blog again! It’s so cold in North New Jersey that I expect to see a bunch of penguins outside of my window right about now. Although I did survive a winter in Finland in 1997, I can’t say that I am a fan of this white stuff falling from the sky.

Needless to say I have been plotting an escape for February, which is usually when we get the brunt of the winter weather in New Jersey/New York. There’s a Beach in Puerto Rico calling my name! Actually it's this beach right here in San Juan. Photo courtesy of my friend Madeleine.

Stay tuned for that trip… If the Airfare gods are with me, it will be booked at a reasonably cheap rate later today!

However, I am not having much luck finding an affordable Ticket to Belgium for end of April, so I may have to do some airport hopping before getting to Brussels Airport, just to find a ticket that doesn’t require me to live off just bagels for a month. What has happened to airfare lately? Everything seems to be a lot more expensive than last year. No matter what happens with airfare prices, I will be crossing the pond to visit the mother country some time in spring.

At the start of a new year, it’s fun to start planning all kinds of upcoming trips (local or international). If there are any places I should visit this year, let me know. If it fits in my schedule and budget, who knows where I might end up!

I recently read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (def. recommended reading). One of the tips was: “For happiness, you’re better off using your money to have a great experience than to gain a possession.” Now those are words I can live by. Travel does just that: it provides a great experience which will give you a life-time of memories, not designer handbags! Amen to that!

Happy Travels in 2014!

Extra credit:

My favorite airfare site (Kayak)
The Happiness Project