Feedspot Names Southern Girl Gone Global a 2022 Top 35 Baby Boomer Travel Blog

Big thanks to YOU readers and to FEEDSPOT who named Southern Girl Gone Global a Top 35 Baby Boomer Travel Blog for the 3rd consecutive year!

While the pandemic continued to make travel abroad challenging, I continued working my way down the western coast of Florida. Along the way, I met some amazing women who have reinvented their lives in the Sunshine State which they now call home.

If you missed any of these posts, check them out for inspiration and info for making 2022 travel plans. If you have never traveled solo and want to try it …if you need to reconnect on a getaway with family or friends, here’s some ideas.

Work Your Way Down Florida’s West Coast

Sarasota Solo on Florida’s Cultural Coast

I brought in 2021 on the Art Ovation Hotel rooftop thanks to a solo trip hosted by Visit Sarasota County where I met new friends. In the video above, see clips of interviews with Luisella from Milan and Claudia from Boston at Pineapple Yoga and Cycling Studio which I featured here. Learn more on my Travel People podcast where I interviewed Owner Claudia Baeza about the inclusive community she has built and serves. At The Ringling Museum of Art, Virginia Harshman gave me a tour of The Cultural Coast’s Crown Jewel. She also inspired me with her story of adding to a MBA in Business Administration a Harvard Master’s Degree in Museology/Museum Studies.

Tarpon Springs

I caught up on the podcast with former colleague, Dr. Vincent Huth, who has retired in Tarpon Springs Florida, a Greek village and home of the largest Epiphany Celebration in the Northern Hemisphere.

Captiva Island Media Tour and Mother/Daughter Getaway

In April, my adult daughter, Taylor, and I had a chance to reconnect when I was invited on a Media Tour on Captiva Island at South Seas Island Resort. There I met a fun group of journalists from across the US, including Sommeliers Elaine and Scott Harris of Cuisineist. From their Las Vegas home the share insider info on what to eat, drink, and see in New Orleans, California Wine Country, Switzerland, Ireland, and beyond. They also give tips for travel journalists (or anyone wanting to break into travel media) in Parts 1 and 2. As always on Travel People, they share how they have created a happy life.

Anna Maria Island Empty Nester Moms Getaway

In August, Morgan Henderson who hosted me in her Bradenton Beach condo in 2020 invited me back to Anna Maria Island to live the dream in her new property, Seaduction, on Holmes Beach. My empty nester friend, Alba Gonzalez-Nylander of AJ Media Services, joined me. I learned that Alba has also been scouting places to land on Florida’s West Coast. Thanks to Beach Bums, we biked and golf carted around the island, filmed some epic sunsets, and met two ladies who moved to AMI and say it’s now forever home. If you’re considering a relocation to Paradise, meet business owners on Pine Avenue — Rebecca Preston of Shiny fish Emporium and Cindy Tutterow of Hometown Desserts.

Captiva Island Writers Conference and Celebration

I was thrilled to be invited back in to Captiva Island in December as one of a dozen female writers invited by Francesca Dolan of Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel and Lee County Tourism. Francesca planned the Writing Retreat and Celebration of the 65th Anniversary of Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift from the Sea which was for her (and all of us) a dream. A huge fan of the book, I’d placed writing on Captiva Island where the book was inspired on my Bucket List years ago. Doing so with the amazing women I met, one of whom was Kristina Lindbergh, Anne’s granddaughter, was an honor I never expected. Kristina was the guest speaker at the community celebration hosted by the Captiva Historical Society. She is a gifted writer herself and one of the most gentle and humble spirits I’ve eve met. I’ll be posting more on this incredible experience soon.

Downtown Fort Myers

Also in December, I featured The Luminary Hotel and Ford and Edison Winter Estates in Downtown Fort Myers. I’d been to Fort Myers Beach in 2020 but fell in love with the River District. If you’re in the area, don’t miss having a cocktail on The Luminary Rooftop at sunset, shopping, and eating your way down Main Street.

I love Florida palm trees. I miss waking up with palm fronds rustling outside my apartment windows in Morocco and Dominican Republic. Brandon Hall loves them, too, so he moved Florida north. Check out his Palm Spa here. His customers in Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts choose from many varieties of palms and tropical plants to rent or buy for homes, restaurants, weddings, and other events. Go here for a chance to win a palm tree, learn about the many varieties, and see how he brought the beach to the New York Jets.

Do a Bluegrass Retreat

Stanford, Kentucky Retreat

In addition to authors I met on Captiva Island, I spent an amazing weekend with Author Angela Correll in my home state of Kentucky. In Stanford I enjoyed the hospitality of Wilderness Road — another perfect location for a writing retreat. See more on this getaway and hear my interview with Angela here.

Work Your Way Down Italy’s West Coast

Also on the podcast, I spent the summer virtually in Italy with three amazing travel guides. Meet Raffaele Romano and Riccardo Bilotto, Archeologists, Wine Experts, and Guides at GrandTourExperience.com. Learn why Naples should be on everyone’s travel list and hear their Must-Sees, Must-Dos in their Campania region. Full interview is on YouTube here and here.

Also meet Rosa Candela, tour guide on the Amalfi Coast (listen here) and the lady who taught me how to make a mean limoncello for the bridal party at my niece’s wedding.

Walk the Red Carpet on The French Riviera (or Côte d’Azur)

If you’ve ever wanted to walk the Red Carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, Toni Thompson tells you how here.

And if you’re looking for a new exercise resource that will sweep you away, check out Silver and Fit options here.

For more adventures in Morocco, Spain, Oregon Wine Country, Canada, France, Switzerland, Asia, and The Middle East, check out Travel People: Living Authentic Lives, Finding Kindred Spirits, Fulfilling Dreams with photos and videos or listen on the go here.

Trailers…

Pompeii, Naples, Amalfi Coast and Beyond with Italian Archeologists, Wine Experts, and Walking Guides

A Tale of 2 Teachers… one in Dubai and one in Vegas. Both will inspire you to do what you love and see the world.

Again, much thanks to you, the readers, and to you, Feedspot. Here’s to more adventures in 2022!