I’m your ideal travel guide

In over thirty years of exploring the world as a travel journalist, I have been to many countries, taken uncountable photographs and fallen in love, over and over again, with beautiful places. My husband jokes that, had I not had him to give me wise counsel, I would have bought properties in multiple countries that caught my fancy – a small cottage on the cliffs in Ireland, a little git in rural France, a seaside condo in Puerto Vallarta or a rambling farmhouse in Spain. I thank him now, resented him then.

Wherever I go, however, I look for the art. Is there a museum to visit? Does an artist live here whom I can connect with? Is the home or inspiration of Turner or Dali or Tom Thompson within reach for a visit? Are there architecturally significant buildings, and do they have a story to tell? Or, probably most compellingly, is there a vista or a building or a streetscape that I can sketch?

And food is art too, right? After working as the food writer for out city magazine for close to twenty years, I can attest to the conjunction of appetite and art.

Come with me and together we will scour the world for the best things to look at, to draw, and to eat . I’ll visit museums, review gallery shows, trace the histories of famous buildings, and seek out painting classes in Tuscany, Thailand or Turkey for the travelling artist.

If you are inclined, and want to sketch the world with me, know that no extreme talent is needed. The desire to capture the world in a sketch or a quick painting is all that is necessary. The results may not be high art, but if they are done in the spirit of capturing the feeling of the moment and the space, your sketches will be important. I’ll find you some perfect places to sketch – one of my favourite spots is at the Arcadia Bar in Borough Market, at a little table, with a cup of Turkish coffee and a view of the bustling market crowd.

Or maybe, like Chauncey Gardener, you just want to look. If so, we’ll find the beautiful things in the world and figure out how best to enjoy them.

Grab your passport, hoist your paintbrush, and let’s go!

Ethics and Ethos

This is What I have done: (the boring stuff)

I’ve been a travel journalist for about thirty years, and have been published in major national and international print and electronic outlets. I am active in social media and have written guide books and apps. I write a regular column, “Luxury Adventures: Near, Far and Farther” for upscale magazine West of the City. My blogs, Upper End Travel, Passport and Paintbrush, and Barb’s Burlington showcase my travel adventures, my love of art and my local and international knowledge. I’m a two time recipient of the Lowell Thomas Award for Excellence in Travel Journalism )inordinately proud of that!). I’m the author of the Frommer’s Guide to the Niagara Region 2010 and 2012, and Globe Pequot’s Day Trips from Toronto. My work appears regularly in the Globe and Mail, (or did, before COVID) and I have written for American Express, Family Travel, AAA Worldwide, Fodors, ASTA, NUVO , Ensemble Vacations and more. I blog for All Things Cruise, am an enthusiastic amateur sketcher and travel with my paints and sketchbook as well as my camera. I am the past President of the Society of American Travel Writers.

This is what I value:

I believe in being direct and honest and, whenever possible, kind. I tend to be an optimist, and usually see the positive things in the places I visit, while understanding the negatives.

This is what I promise:

I will take you on a journey through the gorgeous bits of this world, savouring its beauty and maybe capturing some of it in art. I will be honest, with the caveat that I tend to find the light in even the darkest corner. I will share my experiences and my travel suggestions, without prejudice from sponsors or suppliers.

Let’s begin!

Read my blog posts to find the perfect place for your artistic journey, to enjoy the stories, to learn something you didn’t know, or just to savour the lovely things we find together. Ask me questions, send suggestions and follow me! We’ll have fun, make art, and just possibly make our own lives a bit more artsy!