We are Michael Hodgson and Therese Iknoian, the husband-and-wife team behind the HI Travel Tales curtain – and, yes, despite travel’s occasional travails, we remain happily married and always look forward to the next trip together. We are veteran journalists, photographers and award-winning writers. We have taken our lifetimes of globetrotting, leveraged our journalists’ chops and innate people skills, and added a dash of humor and playfulness.
We offer our readers insider looks at uncommon places, plus insights into the more well-traveled. We find adventures to share everywhere, from mountain trails and remote islands to urban neighborhoods or small villages. Our personal stories paired with concrete advice, outstanding photography and compelling videos blend to create a travel blog that brings readers back again and again.
We love sharing stories from other travelers, too, and have a growing slate of wonderful contributors. We are also surrogate parents to a rather large and still growing family of stuffed animals who all have names and invariably fight over who gets to go on the next trip (Michael sometimes insists two go, hiding one in Therese’s carry-on.)
We are travelers. Always have been. We engage. We explore. We immerse ourselves everywhere we go. We are both uber-curious and enthusiastic about sharing our experiences. Here are a few of our latest travel adventures.
The Stasi Museum Berlin brings alive the terror lived by GDR’s residents for 41 years before the Berlin Wall fell. Inside the musuem walls a visitor is reminded why the Stasi secret police force of former East Germany was one of the most feared agencies in Europe.
Teufelsberg Berlin is at once bizarre, haunting, edgy, eerie, beautiful, inspiring, and unnerving. And frankly wandering among the rubble and ruins of the former National Security Agency listening post is too perhaps a little dangerous. And all of this makes it a perfect haven for street and urban artists.
Believe it or not, there are amazing Florida adventures to be had that do not involve theme parks. You just have to know where to look, and it’s in the water. Guest writers Ed and Jennifer Coleman of Coleman Concierge provide insider tips on kayaking, airboats, scuba diving, swimming with manatees and more.
Dutch Flat 4th of July celebration is a parade with water hijinks and loads of fun! Historic Dutch Flat in California boasts a population today of about 200 (“if everybody’s home,” a local adds) but the numbers swell on July 4 for good reason — the town is FUN!!!
Northern California foothills are dotted with tiny California history museums, many telling the story of Gold Country settlers. What a beautiful surprise it was to stumble upon the Placer County Heritage Trail and free museums to visit all summer long from Roseville to Tahoe!
Over the years, we have enjoyed outstanding adventures along the first section of the Kalalau Trail on Kauai’s Napali Coast. Sadly, the trail and the adjoining Ke’e State Beach in Ha’ena State Park remain shut down after Spring 2018 floods.
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