Contents & Quick Links

 Travel in 2024:  A spring (November and December) trip to Chile including Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Atacama,  Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego.  One night at Usuaia, Argentina. Buenos Aires, in brief.  San Diego's big swinging organ. A family visit to Milwaukee.  A quick visit to Red Rocks outside Denver. A July visit to San Francisco and its oysters. Six weeks in Spain, with links to Madrid, Valencia, Seville and other cities. Plus Joshua Tree and Death Valley, two California desert wonderlands.

Welcome to Stephen M. Bailey's Tourist First! I hope these photos and impressions from my travels will help you plan your own trips. 

These blog posts are not updated once they're posted. For example, my post about a July 2019 visit to Venice does not reflect the terrible damage done by flooding in November 2019. And some hotel links may no longer work, though I try to delete them when that happens. Small hotels and lodges, especially in less developed destinations like Nicaragua and Laos, often are short-lived and the ones I've visited may no longer exist. Please leave a comment or email me (stephenmbailey@gmail.com) if you have questions about any post or if you see errors. 

General Travel

Travel Planning: How Jane and I Plan Our Trips

In the Air, a Caste System
Here's What I Want in a Hotel Room 
And see what more than 1,000 of my New York Times readers want in a hotel room
Favorite hotels: Tripadvisor's list 

Travel Experiences With Minimal Expense
Strategies for Saving on Travel
My 2008 New York Times column on travel in a motor home or RV
My 2004 New York Times article on eco-resorts in the Caribbean (not all are still operating)
It's Easy to Avoid Credit Card Ripoffs Abroad
Road Trip: Though the Rockies on Interstate 70

Road Trip: Driving from the Chesapeake Bay to San Diego
Road Trip: Covid While Driving from Seattle to San Diego

A Few of My Favorite Travel Snapshots
What Was Your Best Vacation?

Weekend Homes

This blog is primarily devoted to tourist trips and vacation explorations, but some people prefer to make the same trips over and over ... to their weekend homes. Instead of a month in Italy, they choose almost every weekend at the lake or in the mountains. Here are some of my New York Times articles about weekend homes: 

Winter weekends at the beach.

A Chesapeake getaway is an HGTV Dream House. 

An art instructor's weekend home is also a place for art workshops.

A weekend home without beeps? Ditching technology.

Owning your own place in Mexico or Canada.

Thinking of a weekend home at a lake?

Dealing (or not) with problem guests.

Always pampered: A weekend home at a resort.

A guide to good manners at a "country house."

Creating a weekend home with grandchildren in mind. 

African Safaris
Itinerary for Six Weeks in Africa
My 2019 New York Times Article on Tips for Your First Safari
The Safari Experience
Botswana: Kalahari Desert
Botswana: Okavango Delta
Namibia: Chobe River
South Africa: Sabi Sand Game Reserve
Tanzania: Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania: Serengeti

Argentina
Buenos Aires: Cafes and More

Mendoza: Home of Malbec
Usuaia: A Night at the End of the Earth

Australia
Itinerary for 10 Days in Tasmania

Freycinet National Park: Beaches, Trails and Shellfish

Hobart: Harbor City With a Unique Museum

Lake St. Clair: Not a Platypus in Sight

Tamar Valley: The Delights of Small Cellar Doors

Britain
Wales: "Retiring" to a Canal Boat

California
Road trip: San Diego to Healdsburg

Road trip: Zigzagging from San Diego to Lassen Volcanic National Patk -- and Back

Anzo-Borrego State Park: A Desert in Bloom
Central Coast: Big Sur and Route 1

Central Coast: Hearst Castle, Elephant Seals and Points South

Death Valley: Other-worldly wonderland

Idyllwild: Mountain Retreat
Joshua Tree: A Desert Adventure

Lassen Volcanic National Park: The Landscape of Disaster

Los Angeles: Explorations on Foot
Los Angeles: The Griffith, the Broad, and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Malibu: The Getty Villa and More
Palm Springs: A Fall Getaway
Paso Robles: A Focus on Wine
Point Reyes National Seashore: Isolation on a Grand Scale

San Diego County: Potato Chip Rock

San Diego County: A Joy Ride in the Mountains
San Diego County: Life During Coronavirus
San Diego: Balboa Park's Spreckels Organ

San Diego: Cabrillo National Monument
San Diego: Embarcadero Walk
San Diego: Harbor Tour
San Diego: The "Other Zoo" is a Safari Park

San Francisco: Oysters and Alcatraz

Sonoma County: The Russian River and Points South

Cambodia
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia
Elephant Valley: Saving Asia's "Living Tractors"
Kep: The Place for Crabs (My Apologies to Chesapeake Bay)
Phnom Penh: Where the Past Is Past
Siem Reap: Gateway to the Angkor Region
The Angkor Temples: Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Bayon, Banteay Srei, and Ta Prohm. 

Canada
Montreal: Frenchy but Not Exotic
Niagara Falls: The Canadian Side, Please
Toronto: First Impressions
Toronto: Second Impressions

Chile

Itinerary for Three Weeks in Spring (November and December)

Atacama: Salt flats, geysers and countless volcanos

Patagonia: Horses, Mountains and More at Torres del Paine

Rapa Nui: The Strange History of Easter Island

Santiago: A Day or Two in the Capital

Tierra del Fuego: Glaciers, Fijords and History

Colorado

Road Trip: Through the Rockies on Interstate 70

Denver: Art and Animals

Denver: Rocking at Red Rocks

Pikes Peak: Taking the Train to the Top

Croatia
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Dubrovnik: Beach Resort and History Theme Park
Hvar: The Blue Waters of the Adriatic
Split: Ruins and 20th-Century Art
Zagreb: The City of Broken Relationships

Czech Republic
Prague: Music, Art and Architecture

Dominica
My 1997 New York Times article on the Caribbean's greenest island
An Island Everyone Seems to Love

Ecuador
Otavalo: My 2002 New York Times article on a New Years visit to the Andes
Quito: Mountain Capital

France
A Family Road Trip Finds the Best of France
Bordeaux: Wine Capital
The Loire Valley: Chateau Visits 
Paris: Trying to Avoid the Crowds

Greece
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Athens: Better Than I Imagined
Chania: Walls and Charm on Crete
Delphi: The Oracle is Silent
Heraklion: The Capital of Crete
Hydra: Quiet and Carless
Santorini: Island as Shopping Mall
Thessaloniki: A Party Town With Few Foreigners

Iceland
Reykajavik: Geothermal Wonderland

Iran
A 2016 Family Visit
What to Expect If You Visit Iran

Italy
Itinerary for a Three-Month Visit
Agrigento: Sicily's Valley of the Temples
Alberobello: Home of the Trulli
Capri: Another World
Catania: Gateway to Mount Etna
Lecce: Baroque Wonderland
Maratea: Italy for Italians
Masala: More Than Wine
Matera: Modern Cave Dwellers
Naples: One Night Isn't Enough
Palermo: Beyond "The Godfather"
Pompeii (and Herculaneum): What Vesuvius Wrought
Rome: The Palaces
Rome: The Churches
Rome: The Ruins
Rome: Dining
Rome: Walking
Siracusa: Outpost of the Ancient Greeks 
Taormina: Mountains and Sea in Sicily
Trieste: The Least Italian City in Italy
Trani: On the Adriatic
Venice: A Summer Visit

Laos
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Luang Prabang: Monks and Tourists 

Maine
Georgetown: Do it for the lobsters.

Maryland
Assateague: A Fall Afternoon
Annapolis: My 2008 New York Times article on Maryland's capital city
Baltimore: My 2002 New York Times "36 Hours" article on Charm City
Blackwater: My 2012 American Forests article on Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge
Chesapeake Bay: A Fishing Trip
St. Michaels: My 2004 New York Times "36 Hours" article
Tilghman Island: Where I Lived for 10 Years

Mexico
Ajijic: Expat-Friendly Town on Lake Chapala
Baja California: Cabo Crowds and Peaceful La Paz

Minnesota
Boundary Waters: My 2011 American Forests article on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area

Mississippi
Ole Miss: My Alma Mater
Oxford: My 2008 New York Times article on Faulkner, Football and Food  


Montenegro
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Kotor: Small but Choice 


Morocco
Itinerary for a Three-Week Visit
Ait Benhaddou: Kasbahs and Movie Locations

Chefchouen: The Blue City
Essaouira: Beachfront Medina
Fez: The One Must-See City
Meknes: Discovering an Outpost of the Roman Empire
Marrakesh: Not So Tourist-Friendly
Sahara: Camels and Sleeping in a Posh Tent
Tamatert: Village in the High Atlas Mountains
Tangier: Cosmopolitan City With a Past

New York 
Finger Lakes: My 2012 American Forests article on Finger Lakes National Forest

Manhattan: Hot time in the City. 

New Zealand 
Itinerary for a Long Summer Visit

Auckland: The City Most Tourists Can't Avoid

Blenheim: Marlborough Means Wine

Christchurch: A City Reinvented

Dunedin: Birds, Beaches and Bars

Hahei: The Coromandel Peninsula

Martinborough: Charming and Quiet Wine Town

Pohara: Preserving a Wonderland

Queenstown: Destination for Thrillseekers

Taupo: A Huge Lake, Rapids and Geysers

Wellington: Nightlife and Wildlife

Wild, wild west coast: Punakaiki and Franz Josef

Nicaragua 
Land of Great Diversity and Monkeys and Volcanos
Managua: Not a Pleasant Place
Ometepe: Volcanos in the Lake  and Instructions on How to Use a Toilet

Rio San Juan: Howler Monkeys and River Huts
Selva Negra: Ecology-Minded Coffee Plantation
Solentiname Islands: A Poet-Priest's Art Project
Solentiname Islands: My 2012 New York Times article and a photo slideshow

Panama
Bastimentos: Nature Inn and Chocolate Lodge
Bocas del Toro: Surfers and Backpackers
Boquete: A Coffee Estate in the Mountains
Panama Canal: An 11-Hour Trip Through an Engineering Marvel
Panama City: My 2014 New York Times review of the Panama City Waldorf Astoria 
Kuna Yala: A Cabin on the Water

Pennsylvania
Adamstown: My 1999 New York Times  article on Shopping for antiques in Amish country
Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob

Peru
Itinerary for One Month in Peru
Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu: Mountain in the Rain Forest
Amazon: River and Wildlife Cruise
Amazon: Fatal Fire on a River Cruise Boat
Arequipa: Juanita's Story
Colca Canyon: In Search of Condors
Cusco: The Inca's Capital
Lima: Museo Larco's Amazing Pre-Colombian Pottery
Lima: Ancient Culture, Modern Life
Ollantaytambo: Life Amid the Ruins
Paracas: An Ancient Mystery Beside the Sea

Portugal
Itinerary for a Three-Week Visit
Belmonte: Mountain Retreat
Evora: Cusine and Cork
Douro Valley: Where the Grapes Grow
Lisbon: Riverfront and Seafront
Obidos: Old Walls and New Buddhas
Porto: The Sweet Life
Sintra: Royal Aerie

St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Bequia: The Moonhole Experience
Bequia: A Happy Island
St. Vincent: My 2004 New York Times article on Petit Byahaut and Other Eco Resorts
St. Vincent: My 2004 New York Times Slide Show on Petit Byahaut

Slovenia
Itinerary for Two Months in the Balkans
Ljubjana: Cozy Capital
Piran: At the Concrete Beach

South Africa
Robben Island: A Visit to Mandela's Prison
Sabi Sand: Safari Satisfaction Guaranteed

Western Cape: Beyond Cape Town and the Wine Regions

Spain
Itinerary for Six Weeks in 2024: Madrid, Valencia and Southern Spain

Almeria: In the Shadow of the Alcazaba

Cadiz: The City We Didn't See

Cordoba: Triumph of Islamic Architecture

Granada: More Than the Alhambra

Hondarribia: Basque Country
Madrid: Cosmopolitan City of Tapas and Vermouth

Malaga: Art, Art and Automobiles

Murcia: Few Tourists and a Pair of Oxen 

Ronda: Into the Bullring

Santa Engracia: Hidden in the Pyrenees

Seville: Home of the Magic Mushroom

Toledo: Shining City on a Hill

Valencia: Is There a Better City in Spain for Food?


Tanzania
Zanzibar: As Exotic as Its Name

Thailand
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Bangkok: River Metropolis

Turkey
A 2010 Vacation, Istanbul and Beyond
Aboard a Gulet for a Blue Cruise
Istanbul: Seth Kugel Does It on the Cheap
Istanbul: Visiting a Hamam

Utah

The Marvels  of Arches National Park

The Hoodoos of Bryce Canyon National Park

Vietnam
Itinerary for Three Weeks in Southeast Asia
Small Airlines for Touring Southeast Asia
Religious Images: The Divine in Southeast Asia 
Ha Long Bay: Two Nights on a Junk 
Hanoi: Swarming and Sophisticated
Hoi An: Fine Dining, Fine Silks 

Virginia
My 2008 New York Times article on Virginia's Eastern Shore

Washington, D.C.

Shame and celebration at the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Washington State

Seattle: Geoducks and Dale Chihuly.

Walla Walla: A town dedicated to wine

Wisconsin

Milwaukee: A Family Visit to a Family-Friendly City

Wyoming

Yellowstone National Park: Morning Glory Pool and Other Wonders