Traveling by airplane, train, car, or bus can be stressful, especially if plans must shift or change due to cancellations, delays, or illness. Our vacation travel tips will help you minimize the stress!
Michael & Therese
Award-winning travel writers and photographers, Michael Hodgson and Therese Iknoian, use words, art, video and photography to inspire you to embark on your own travel adventures. They are members of the North American Travel Journalists Association, the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Professional Photographers of America, and the Adventure Travel Trade Association.
Palm Springs outdoor art scene – Palm Springs public art and art walks
While Palm Springs may be famous for its celebrity lifestyle and Hollywood elite residences, it is becoming even more famous for its public outdoor art and murals. The Palm Springs outdoor art scene, with art walks and publicly supported art, is alive and vibrant.
Packing tips for sustainable travel – be an eco-conscious traveler
For the sustainable traveler, being eco-conscious is a lifestyle that drives all day-to-day choices. And packing for a vacation is no exception. Here are some suggestions for what to pack, and what not to pack, to ensure that you’re traveling with environmental and cultural sensitivity top of mind.
HI Travel Tales Guest Blogging Guidelines
How to submit a guest blogging pitch for HI Travel Tales. Be original. Be inspiring. Be authentic. Be professional. You must have your own website. Read this if you want to write for us. We’re very selective. Being up front, we don’t accept link exchanges or sponsored posts – period.
Best travel underwear – bras, briefs, boxers and socks
What makes the best travel underwear? Yeah, we’re talking skivvies, such as bras, briefs, panties, boxers and socks — the foundation for any comfy travel outfit. Don’t let your undies get in a bunch. Let us help you choose the best travel underwear for any adventure.
Best travel pants – What we wear when traveling and why
What makes the best travel pants for any type of traveler? Since a lot of travel also involves sitting and walking, what pants you slip on makes a big difference in your travel comfort. These are the brands we recommend as the best pants for traveling from decades of travel experience.
Hotel Winters a gem of a Yolo County hotel
Hotel Winters in Yolo County, California, opened in 2019. It offers a taste of casual luxury in the small, charming farm town of Winters and is a perfect base for exploring nearby wineries, restaurants, and outdoor recreation.
We love sunflowers! Best sunflower photos and sunflower facts
Everyone loves sunflowers. Sunflowers symbolize loyalty and adoration in the Western world. In China, they symbolize long life and good fortune. To Native Americans the sunflower represents harvest and bounty. Enjoy a gallery of our best sunflower photos and fun sunflower facts.
Sunflower photography tips – How to take great sunflower photos
Sunflowers offer incredible photo opportunities to a photographer with a bit of imagination and planning. Sunrise to sunset and every bit of light in between, knowing how to take great sunflower photos in the sunflower fields is the key to success. Our sunflower photography tips will help.
Glendeven Inn & Inn at Cobblers Walk: perfect Mendocino hotel escape
The Glendeven Inn & Lodge and the Inn at Cobbler’s Walk provide an ideal Mendocino coast escape. Located a short stroll from Van Damme State Park and Beach, and only a few minutes’ drive from historic Mendocino, the two Mendocino hotels are sister properties and impress in every way.
California road trip visit to Feather River Fish Hatchery & Oroville Dam
A fun Northern California road trip stop in Oroville, just off Highway 70, east of Highway 99, is the Feather River Fish Hatchery and Oroville Dam.
Want to drive fast cars? Head to the BMW Performance Driving School
At the BMW Performance Driving School in Thermal, California, anyone can get behind the wheel of a high-performance BMW and drive faster than ever imagined, all under the watchful eyes and guidance of a professional race car driver.
Getting and managing money when traveling
Getting and managing money when traveling is not all that complicated or difficult, but a few universal money and safety tips do make the task easier wherever you may travel in the world.
HI Travel Tales takes home four global photography awards
In the first photo competition by the International Food Wine & Travel Writers Association, Therese Iknoian and Michael Hodgson garnered four awards, including a Best of Show.
Modesto Almond Blossom Cruise a California road trip delight
Expanses of almond orchards blooming in Modesto make for the perfect California road trip in the Central Valley. Time it just right on a February-March almond blossom cruise for a sensory overload of white and pink almond blossoms, buzzing bees, and the most intoxicating scent you can imagine.
HI Travel Tales wins five awards in NATJA Travel Media Awards
For the third year in a row, HI Travel Tales has won multiple awards in the North American Travel Journalists Association national contest, the NATJA Travel Media Awards. For 2020, Therese Iknoian and Michael Hodgson took home five awards, all honoring outstanding travel photography.
Noyo Harbor Inn – Secluded historic escape in Fort Bragg
Tucked onto a bluff overlooking Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg, California, the Noyo Harbor Inn offers a secluded escape with a surprisingly accessible location along Highway 1.
Best Antarctica photos – Our favorite Antarctica Intagram photos
Venturing to the southernmost continent of Antarctica is a bucket-list adventure for many with its endless ice, beautiful blue waters, and wildlife like penguins and whales. In March of 2018, we joined a Polar Latitudes expedition to Antarctica and have assembled here a collection of some of our favorite Antarctica photos shared on Instagram.
Top 10 stories of 2020 – Readers keep dreaming of travel
It has been a very long 2020 but through it all we found our readers still wanted to dream of travel, to think about travel, and to plan for travel. This was made clear with our Top 10 Stories of 2020 as selected by our readers and what they viewed. Local and regional U.S. stories, stories that highlighted adventures closer to home and ideas for road trips, sprinkled with a few topics drawn from our archives allowed us and our readers to keep dreaming of travel in 2021.
Our top photos from Instagram: best of Instagram 2020
These are our best Instagram photos of 2020 – voted on by our followers with their likes and shares. We hope our travel photos will help inspire you to plan future travel, dream of destinations near and far, and start your travel bucket list for 2021 … and beyond.
Little River Inn – Where Mendocino history and the Pacific Ocean meet
Overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Mendocino County, California, the historic Little River Inn has 65 rooms, and features a spa, a health club and a restaurant on site. People stay here for the views and keep coming back because of the hospitality.
Therese Iknoian places 3rd in Washington Post Travel photo contest
From 1,200 photographs, Therese Iknoian’s photo taken in the Sahara in Morocco won third place in the 2020 Washington Post Travel photo contest.
Life during the COVID-19 pandemic – Photos capture a world on hold
We put out a call to friends and colleagues around the world for photos to document how some of us are experiencing life during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Photos from Stockholm, Berlin, Paris, Innsbruck, Boston, New Orleans, London, New York, and California. Each of the photos capture a world on hold during the coronavirus outbreak — sad, strange or with humor.
Seelow Heights museum memorializes Battle of Berlin 75th anniversary
In the last days of World War II, the Battle of the Seelow Heights to the east of Berlin was a bloody massacre. The small Seelow Heights museum and memorial features exhibits, artifacts, and graves documenting the Battle of Berlin and the tens of thousands of lives lost in just three days.
Climb the Berlin gasometer for the best sunset views of the city
Take a Berlin gasometer tour to experience what could arguably be one of the best views of the Berlin, sunrise to sunset. View a photo gallery and video of our gasometer tour to get a look at the adventure of a lifetime you could have. The 360-degree views of Berlin from the top of the gasometer are stunning, night or day.
HI Travel Tales wins gold and silver travel photography and writing awards for 2019
HI Travel Tales took home four national awards recognizing excellence in travel journalism from the North American Travel Journalists Association. Therese Iknoian and Michael Hodgson, who run the travel blog HITravelTales.com, won a gold medal, two silvers and an honorable mention for excellence in travel photography and writing.
Discover the best hotels in Morocco – our favorite hotels in Morocco
From exotic villas to ecolodges to family-owned boutique hotels, make sure your stay in Morocco will be nothing short of amazing with our pick of the best hotels in Morocco. If it makes our list of a top Morocco hotel, it is because we have stayed there and personally recommend it.
Best Morocco photos – Our favorite Morocco Instagram photos
Morocco is a country that fills your senses to overflowing. Morocco is a country that will get inside your soul. It is both exotic and gritty and that, in part, is the attraction. The best of our Morocco Instagram photos will help inspire your next visit, or fondly remember your last.
Best Berlin Photos – Our favorite Berlin Instagram photos
Berlin is endlessly fascinating and remains one of our favorite cities in the world to photograph and explore. We’ve included a few of our top Berlin photos in this Best Berlin Photos – Our favorite Berlin Instagram photos post. Scroll through to discover what to see on your Berlin visit.
Teddy & Friends: traveling stuffed animals
Traveling stuffed animals are perfect travel partners and friends. They never complain and are always ready for the next adventure, the next photo opportunity, or a really good restaurant. They listen intently to your every word. They are a constant reminder that imagination and a sense of humor inspire smiles and connections with strangers around the world. They travel free and often serve as a trip mascot, no matter what trip you are on. And they are always ready to offer a hug.