Local Travel

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Our Santa Barbara Weekend: Perfect Getaway for Families

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Though there are many California beach towns, each one has its own attitude and vibe. At this point, our family has explored many of them from cliffs of NorCal to the laidback shores near the Mexican border. But there’s something about Santa Barbara,…

Top 5 Reasons to stay at Basin Harbor Resort

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As a native Vermonter, it always gives me the greatest of pleasure getting to experience hotels in a place that I know so well. Of all the resorts in the state, I think Basin Harbor offers something unique and transporting, that you do not find anywhere…

Fall in Vermont: A Trip Guide

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Though Vermont glitters under a white blanket in the winter and blooms shocking green in the spring and summer, the most famous season of all is definitely FALL. September and October bring in a fiery transformation that streaks across this state’s…

Review of the Shade Hotel Redondo Beach

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As you might have guessed, I LOVE far flung destinations. Some of my most cherished trips were taken halfway around the globe (looking at you South Africa, Japan, Australia and Greece!) But there’s something pretty amazing about the easy breezy local…

Your Summer Guide to Santa Monica with Little Kids

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Santa Monica is one of America’s most famous beach towns and as you can imagine, summer brings an influx of traveling families from far and wide. As a local and a mom, I spend (almost) every single day here in the summer, figuring out a fun, nearby…

Weekend Guide to Geneva, Switzerland

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Geneva, Switzerland is often associated with international affairs or luxury goods-- which is not a bad reputation at all. But there’s a lot more to this city. Despite its long history which goes back several thousands of years, Geneva is surprisingly…

The Catalina Island Guide For Everyone

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My second time visiting Catalina made me fall even more in love with this island just off the Southern California coast. This time around, I was not pregnant and it was one of my first trips away from my infant daughter--meaning MOM WAS OFF DUTY!…

The Best things To Do in Santa Barbara

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My Tips on How to Explore this California Beach Town Santa Barbara is a captivating beach town that to me, feels like nowhere else on along the pacific coast. It has a distinct, down-to-earth yet kinda quirky personality that is nestled in the…

How To do a Day Trip to the Channel Islands

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If you’ve been to the Southern California Coast, chances are you’ve seen the Channel Islands. On clear days, they rise up out of the Pacific, faint outlines in the distance. They’ve always beckoned me. I would gaze at them and wonder how could…

Winter in Vermont at the Woodstock Inn and Resort

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Each time I go back to my little Vermont hometown, I am reminded that I basically grew up in a storybook. Woodstock, Vermont is a bucolic little village nestled amidst rolling hills, hugging a charming center green and a briskly flowing river.  Stone,…

Babymoon Ojai Valley Inn

Where to take a Babymoon

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Let’s face it. Of all times in your life when YOU (or your partner, bestie, sister, daughter) deserves a vacation, it is when she is carrying around another human life in her belly. Babymoons are necessary and relieve a lot of pressure, put mom-to-be…

Kauai Sheraton Aulii Luau

Top 5 Things to do on Kauai, Hawaii

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Hawaii and I are in a serious relationship. We just met last spring, when I first landed in Maui with my husband. We spent 10 days roaming her grassy hills, sand swept beaches and lush jungles. Eager to return and explore more of Hawaii’s shores, I…

Kelley Ferro Los Angeles Travel & Adventure

Speaking at the LA Travel & Adventure Show: Where to Go NOW!

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This past weekend travel lovers descended on Downtown Los Angeles for two days of world exploring without leaving the convention center. The Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show attracted hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of attendees, the show…

calligraphy suzhou

Calligraphy in Suzhou & Trip Giveaway to Suzhou, China!

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I only returned from exploring Suzhou, China two weeks ago and still am reeling from such an eye-opening, visually stimulating and immersive trip! Suzhou is just what you expect traditional China to be. Though there are high-rises and busy modern…

Sunset Beach, Oahu

Oahu, Hawaii Travel Guide

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I was positively giddy as I caught sight of those volcanic islands erupting from the expanse of blue out my airplane window. It was only my second time to Hawaii, my first trip being to Maui a few months earlier, and now I was going to be making Honolulu…

Travel Adventure Show LA Kelley Ferro

Speaking at the LA Travel & Adventure Show: My thoughts...

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    In February, I had the honor of speaking at the Los Angeles Travel and Adventure show and I have to say, it blew me away. I’ve spoken at a dozen or so travel conferences around world, including some you may be familiar with like…

travel guide to switzerland

My Travel Guide to Switzerland

This is my ultimate guide to an incredible country: Switzerland! I spend two weeks on a road trip, and I take you with me--showing you where to eat, stay, what to drink and see and how to experience the best of the best! Starting in the posh Geneva where I visited markets, ate amazing Michelin cuisine, took a steamship cruise and river ferry and saw the UN. Next we cruised along the coast of Lake Geneva, stopping at adorable villages like Saint Saphorin, sampling wines of Lavaux, staying over in fun cities of Vevey and Lausanne and heading into the hills on a vintage train to make cheese and roam the alps in Chateaux D'Oex.

food guide lake geneva region

Food Guide of the Lake Geneva Region

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Cheese. Lake fish. Chasselas grapes. Chevreuil. Mushrooms. There's so much good food in the Lake Geneva region, you need to come with an appetite! I toured through Vevey's Farmer's Market, the farms of the Pays D'enhaut, tasting the cheeses of Château-d'Oex, Michelin restaurants L'Auberge de L'Onde & La Brasserie at the Royal Savoy Hotel and sipped wines in Lavaux. Don't miss the lake fish, the family run wineries and vineyards in Lavaux, like Domaine du Croix Duplex, and the amazing cheeses!

Papua New Guinea Profile

Papua New Guinea: A Country Profile

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Explore this remote part of the world with me as I go from Papua New Guinea's mountainous Highlands to the Karawari River and Sepik in the Lowlands. With few roads, we took a charter plane between locations on the most remote experience of my life! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=legFoOaWbIU&t   Sponsors:…

Tohoku Japan Ginzan Onsen

The Five Places You Need to See in Tohoku

Before coming to Japan I hadn’t heard of the Tohoku Region and now I’ve been completely charmed by this pastoral, natural part of northern Japan. This is the antithesis of the bright lights and hustle and bustle of Tokyo, and that’s what makes…

Modern China Millennials

Millennials Talk about Modern China today

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Just as China is so ancient, it is very futuristic and advanced. In Shanghai, Xi'an & Beijing, the three cities that I visited on my experience with Wendy Wu Tours, I met up with many young locals and learned a lot about what it was like to live…

ancient china

Exploring the Ancient Side of China

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I recently explored China and I was blown away by how China's rich history is still very much alive and in full focus today. Beijing & Xi'an both had neighborhoods where I felt like I was stepping back in time. Take a trip through history with me…

local brazil

Kelley Goes Local in Brazil

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I get local all over this country, from Salvador to Lencois to Rio de Janeiro. Whether I am spelunking caves, snorkeling in grottos, learning capoeira, drinking caipirinhas or climbing Corcovado, I experience only what the locals love in their country. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6oiORvxgEU Shows:…

brazil rio de janeiro

Exploring Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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Rio de Janeiro is as beautiful as it is cultural, and on our tour, we explored its peaks, beaches, historic neighborhoods, favelas and everything in between.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMh8zXMHFVs Show: Live Like a Local in Brazil…

Country Life in Saxony

Live like a Local: Saxony, Germany USTOA's Travel Together Series hosted by Kelley Ferro The cities were really picturesque but it wasn't till I explored outside of the towns that I was truly blown away by Saxony's beauty. Impossibly green, rolling hills,…

karawari lowlands sepik papua new guinea

Papua New Guinea: The Lowlands & The Sepik

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We visited the Lowlands, an area of PNG located along the Karawari River. This region is known as the Sepik and we were exposed to local life along the river. Custom tour itinerary provided by Swain Destinations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ_xtlOT09g&t Sponsors:…

Papua New Guinea Highlands Tari

Papua New Guinea: The Highlands

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Let's travel to Papua New Guinea! Explore the tribes of Tari, the famous Birds of Paradise and all the adventure of the Highlands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NF2NKVbvCw

Expedia: Find Your Magic in Morocco

Find your magic in Morocco! Expedia believes that travel can transform people in unexpected ways. So we teamed up with the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) and travel blogger Kelley Ferro to find her magic in one of the most movie-like…

Saint Lucia's Best Eats

Get Lost in Saint Lucia with Kelley Ferro What to Eat on Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is known for it's fresh fruits and local seafood, and Kelley discovers there's much more! From street food cooked right in front of you, to gourmet dining using homegrown…

Art & Architecture of CUBA

Live like a Local: Cuba USTOA's Travel Together Series hosted by Kelley Ferro It felt like Havana was a city of artists and around every cobbled street corner was an artistic delight. From modern sculpture, to historic refurbished cars to an up &…

Traveling in Style in Peru

Live like a Local: Peru USTOA's Travel Together Series hosted by Kelley Ferro If you want to travel in style, Travcoa, the luxury tour operator is for you. Every detail is planned out so you can just focus on enjoying the best food, sumptuous hotels,…

Peru's Andes & Machu Picchu!

Live like a Local: Peru USTOA's Travel Together Series hosted by Kelley Ferro Home to ancient history, local indigenous communities and so much art & culture, the Andes are a must on your visit to Peru.

A Guide to of Peru

Live like a Local: Peru USTOA's Travel Together Series hosted by Kelley Ferro You have the vibrant city of Lima, the bright green, snow capped Andes, the desert plains of the Nazca Lines, the Amazon and of course, Machu Picchu. Peru has so many different…

Our Local Guides with Travcoa

USTOA Live Like a Local Series To me, the people that you meet on a trip can make a good experience, great. On a group tour it is even more important to have great guides and on our tour with Tauck, we had some of the kindest, most knowledgeable, funny…

Meet the Locals of Churchill

You'd think the weather of Churchill would dampen your spirits, but the locals that I met there were so warm, friendly and full of life, they made the snow covered city so welcoming. I met Myrtle, a Dené storyteller who spoke of how her people came &…

Meeting the Locals in Croatia

Croatia is fertile--it's countryside is ripe with fruits, vegetables, grapes and olives, it's forest filled with wild game and truffles and its seas teeming with the freshest fish. The islands boast stone used to build the palaces of the royals. Enjoy…

Exploring Croatia By Bike, Boat & Foot

By bike, by foot, by boat or by car, there's so much to explore in Croatia. Join me in our Croatia adventure

Ritual & Ceremony in Taiwan

The Taiwanese culture is based on ritual and ceremony on my tour, I was able to dive right in to the local customs—from meeting a local calligrapher to praying at Longshan Temple to participating in a tea ceremony.

Night Markets of Taiwan

USTOA's Live Like a Local Series My first Night Market in Taipei was overwhelming, sensational and addictive. I was enthralled by stall after stall of the exotic foods, wild clothing and the buzzing energy of the streets. Shillin & Ning Xia are MUST-STOPS…

The Food of the Northern Territory

A rough landscape requires hearty food--and that's just what we got in the stunning Northern Territory. From campfire "damper" to hunks of meat over an open flame, to some more refined local specialities including Kangaroo, we chowed down throughout the…

Australia's Northern Territory Overview

The Northern Territory is the "Red Heart" of Australia, located in the center, this landscape is ruggedly beautiful and pre-historic feeling. I take you to UNESCO World Heritage sites, like Uluru, and I camp in Kings Canyon, the most remote place I've…

Local Life in Australia's Outback

The Aborigines are the oldest still living culture in the world and it was an honor to get to meet many of the locals residing in the Northern Territory. I was able to learn about "Bush Tucker" or food in the wild, dot painting and more about how their…

Learning from the Locals in South Africa

Having experiences with the local make your trip that much more meaningful and that is why it's amazing when a tour will allow you to see places, meet people and have experiences you couldn't have otherwise. Visiting a township, meeting local craftswomen…

Egyptologists: The Best Guides

It made all the difference that we had extremely bright Egyptologists with us at every site. They made sure to explain all the important parts in a way that was easy to understand and they never tired of all our questions. I learned so much more on this…

Hanging Out with Egypt's Locals

For me the best part of travel is getting to learn about a new place through it's people. I was amazed at how USTOA member Abercrombie & Kent agreed with that sentiment and made sure that we had many opportunities to meet & interact with true…

Kelley's Egypt with Abercrombie & Kent

One of the most storied histories in the world, Egypt has long been a popular destination for it's history, it's culture and of course, it's amazing pyramids & temples. Egypt needs to be on every person's bucket list--see why this country changed…

Garmisch Partenkirchen

Garmisch Partenkirchen--the postcard perfect Bavarian region with sky high mountains, deep gorges and wildflower fields.

Top Things to Do in Zurich

There's so much to do in Zurich, but if you are short on time, here's what you must do. Take it from me, the Swiss Miss!