Right?!? Such a good question. Well the first thing I did was to slow down after spending close to two months undoing a year's worth of travel for my clients. If you are a fan of math then these numbers may impress you...100% of all of my client travel is cancelled for the year 2020.  To be clear, given the state of the world I approve of this approach, however the amount of work involved in the "undoing" of custom travels is...well....significant.  Initiating the cancellation, speaking with suppliers to ascertain their cancellation and refund policies (which in some cases can change daily ...hello airlines!!!!), confirming when the clients may expect their refunds or travel vouchers, monitoring if that has happened, tracking and monitoring all correspondence with both supplier and client, ...honestly the scope of work goes on and on.  What clients certainly know - that others may not - is that all of this work has been done pro-bono.  Yes, that's right folks, the tens of hours that I was on the phone with the airlines cancelling and then managing the refund or credit is the tens of hours that my clients were free to spend doing things they enjoyed.  Insert note of caution here: If clients choose to cancel travel plans of their own accord; the services for that cancellation are fee based however in this case we are in a global pandemic and could I expect my clients to remunerate me for work when they are suffering with the frustration and disappointment about the cancellation itself.  Exactly.   Life happens and I believe we have to accept the serendipitous events  - whether good or bad - and be graceful in our acceptance.   My graceful acceptance is sometimes lacking when I awake at 2:00 AM worried that I may have overlooked a car rental or forgotten to save an email that I know is critical to a client's cancellation file.  However, that state also occurs when clients are travelling too...did they make their connecting flight? is the hotel room all that they hoped for? do they like the excursion I booked for  today?    For me, managing people's dreams and expectations - whether doing or undoing - sometimes feels a wee bit like the Genie in Walt Disney's Aladdin...now if I could only learn to shape-shift, and transcend space and time ...:-)

I'm on the lookout for new luggage as my trusty white rolly has suffered a crack and the handle is becoming increasingly difficult to open and store. Drat. I really love this piece of luggage and it has accompanied me on some pretty awesome trips. 
I am a carry-on girl - regardless of the destination and length of trip (can present challenges Tbh) however I am an enthusiastic carry on convert.  Important to me are the weight of the suitcase when empty, the construction and durability; 4 wheels and the aesthetic has to speak to me.  Catherine Dawson March of the Globe and Mail (Feb 8 2020 - Cleared for Takeoff) shared her adventures with X-Ray transparent luggage; part of a new collection by Canadian luggage-maker Heys. OMG. I love it. It's lighter than my current wheelie, it's Canadian made and it's available at a special price. 
Heys X-Ray for the win,win,win. It's also going to make a great conversation piece for those long lines at the airport :-).

I love to travel and I love food...sometimes the pleasures are reversed.
I tend to try to cook every day as I actually find it quite a restful place for my mind to be.   I have an abundance of cookbooks and I am an avid Instagram recipe follower. One of the Instagram food bloggers - whose food is delicious - is @foxandbriar.  Megan shares great recipes and gorgeous food photos that certainly inspires me. 
I recently made Korean Meatballs...yum. The review by my husband speaks for itself. Check out Fox and Briar, you'll be delighted with Megan's dishes.

I researched the following destinations this week; Italy, Peru, Portugal and Morocco.
I have designed travels to all except Peru which seems to hold awesome experiences for travellers; think rail travel through gorgeous landscape, day hiking trips to stunning mountains,  and amazing archaeological sites awaiting discovery and so much more. Definitely more research to be done on this destination. 
I'm also acknowledging McKayla Crump of mckaylacrump.com for her gorgeous photo of the Rainbow Mountains which are a day trip from Cusco so definitely should be part of a travel plan. 

If you are headed to Italy and will be spending time in Rome consider these activities - as vetted by the founders of Context and their local Roman guides - to be great ideas for children. 
1. Swap the Vactican for Castel St Angelo. Why? Castle St Angelo is the former palace of emperors, tomb of the Popes, and a notorious prison, the Castel is full of histories that will fascinate young visitors—not to mention the often overlooked playground hidden at the back of the Castel.

2. Hunt for I nasoni.  Nasoni—which literally translates as “large noses”— are the fountains - 2,500 of them - sprinkled through the City. The free app I Nasoni di Roma is a wonderful way to augment the exploration of the fountains.

3.Consider Ostia Antica instead of the Forum or Pompeii. This one is a challenge for me as I LOVE Pompei however I take the author's point.  Ostia Antica is a quick trip from Rome, is less visited = fewer tourists, and children love exploring it's well preserved baths and mosiacs.

4. Water, water everywhere. The Acqua Vergine aqueduct feeds fresh water into the city's nasoni and fountains (including the Trevi and Fountain of Four Rivers at the Piazza Naavona). The authors recommend viewing the Aqua Vergine from the coffee bar at the Rinascente department store on Via del Tritone— so grab a snack and see the  aqueduct in action.

5. Playtime.  Head to the Villa Pamphili, the locals love it for its playgrounds, fountains, and open spaces perfect for soccer (or football as the Italians call it).

I was fascinated by this website I stumbled upon;  FloodiQ.com. It shows coastal cities in the USA most at risk of flooding, hurricane and sea level rise. You can populate your property address to understand the risk to your property. In addition the Army Corp of Engineers has modelled sea rise for the next fifteen years - again of your property address as well as indicators of how various amounts of sea rise will impact your property and  finally some proactive measures one can take to protect their property.  This website is created with open source data provided by various partners and I find it fascinating. Forewarned is forearmed...right?

I love Melissa Clark's recipes from the New York Times. I love them so much that I bought her cookbook; Dinner.  One of the recipes I really like is her Baked Fish and Chips (however it's absent from the cookbook).  Here's the recipe via the Seattle Times. Oh and for crispy fries make sure that the potatoes are separate from each other when you organize them on the baking sheet; that's important.

Items of interest to me this week are...the  Hotel Esencia - in Tulum - that is apparently shaking up the Mayan Riviera - according to CNN Travel - with its client service, stunning decor, and quiet seclusion.  Conde Naste has a great list of "where to holiday in February" that I thought was interesting.  Suitcase Magazine wrote about The Stump which is a two hour drive from London and is on my list to investigate the next time I am in the UK.