Book Rooms Now For Next Summer’s Fête des Vignerons in Vevey, Switzerland
I had the pleasure of having lunch last week with PR Maven, Gayle Conran, and Cindy Maghenzani, head of communications for Switzerland’s Lake Geneva Region. They reminded me that next summer, from July 26 to August 11, 2019, the Fête des Vignerons or Winegrower’s Festival returns to the glorious lakeside town of Vevey, located between Lausanne and Montreux. Why is this significant? Because the event only occurs once every 20 years! Join singers, dancers, wine experts, and loads of other performers for the extravaganza. It would be wise to book rooms now to ensure you have a place to stay. Grand Hotel du Lac, the property Lisa and I stayed on our last visit is a great choice, especially since it’s celebrating its 150th birthday, as Everett Potter reports in his latest column for Forbes. While in Vevey, visit the relatively new Chaplin’s World, where Charlie Chaplin spent his last years, and the majestic Chillon Castle, always a must-see sight when I’m in the area.
With the cost of luggage on airlines forever on the upswing, it’s a good time to reconsider whether you want to bring those cherished clubs on your next family vacation unless you know for sure you’ll get some time on the links. American Airlines and United now charge up to $200 per golf bag if the weight scale happens to tip over 70 pounds. Skis, surfboards, and bikes are priced less, averaging $50 per leg per item. But is it worth the hassle and the price? To see my recommendations, check out my 
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To celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday, 15 members of the Leavitt family headed to the outskirts of Portsmouth, New Hampshire and spent this past weekend at the historic 
From Quito’s new international airport, it’s over an hour drive to the heart of the city (a $28 taxi fee). The Andean metropolis stands at an elevation over 9300 feet, ringed by volcanic ridges. It’s a sprawling city that fills up the valley, but once you reach its core, you’ll find impressive colonial squares and Spanish churches dating from the 1500s. We stayed on the oldest street in the city, La Ronda, that dates from Incan times in the late 1400s. It’s a narrow winding street lined with restaurants, cafes, and music clubs that once attracted the city’s noteworthy writers, poets, and musicians. Today, locals fill up the street on weekends to dine and listen to music. We stayed at a wonderful property smack dab in the middle of the street called