Destinations Diva

  Top 5 Reasons to Travel Solo to Universal Orlando      On my journey as a Universal Orlando travel writer, I often travel to this vacation destination alone.  As I walk around the theme park resort area, I have often felt that I'm the only one here by myself.  However, I've learned through some of the Universal Orlando Facebook groups, that traveling solo is actually quite common!       In my case, my spouse is not a theme park junkie as I am.  He works a full time job and would rather hike in nature in his spare time than go for the type of  entertainment which is offered at theme parks.  This even prompted my to write my second book, Escape from the Mouse Trap , a book offering other activities in Orlando besides theme parks.       I now know that lots of travelers not only travel solo to Universal Orlando, but actually prefer this style of travel.      Listed below are the top 5 reasons to travel solo to Universal Orlando: 1.     The decisions are yours!     When you decid

     The year 2020 has brought with it not just the devastating effects of Covid-19, but also the negative impacts to the travel industry.  As a travel writer, I personally had four trips cancelled.  These trips were to Costa Rica, Point Clear, Alabama, Miramar Beach and Argegno, Italy--these along with my frequent trips to Orlando to continue updates on my many Orlando travel guide books.  Even when some things began to open and we booked a trip to Sandestin, Miramar Beach, our reservations were cancelled because of high rates of infection in Louisiana.       When we finally felt safe enough to venture out, we naturally wanted to support our local restaurants in New Orleans.  We love spending time in the New Orleans French Quarter, not only because of the excellence of the dining establishments, but the history of the area.   I started to think about a traveling to a place with similar historical value and somewhere within in driving distance.  We decided on a place we had never been

      Crawfish boils are a Louisiana tradition every spring when the crustaceans are prevalent.  Affectionately referred to as "Mudbugs," crawfish are harvested from flooded rice fields after the rice is harvested every year.  Crawfish boils commonly are  accompanied by corn of the cob, new potatoes, and smoked sausage as well as whole heads of garlic (with the tops cut off), onions, lemons and a unique blend of seasonings sold as "crab boil" seasoning.       At our crawfish boils, we usually add extra potatoes, corn and sausage to the boil which make great leftovers.  After the boil, it is common to make great potato salad, scallop potatoes and the sausage is great in jambalaya.       Over time, the great cooks of Louisiana have developed after the boil recipes using leftovers.  After the boil salad is a potato  salad using up any leftover crawfish and potatoes and after the boil soup is a chowder using the potatoes and corn.     On the occasion of our last crawfis