The Travel Oracle

The Travel Oracle
  • Who is the Travel Oracle?
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  • Our World Famous Kidney Donor Athlete
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  • The Golden Pelican Awards of Excellence
  • Newsletter
  • Who is the Travel Oracle?
    • Contact us!
    • The places we’ve been
    • The Oracle Recommends…
    • Our City Guides
    • Travel Booking Services
  • Our World Famous Kidney Donor Athlete
    • Running Stories
  • Subscribe
  • The Golden Pelican Awards of Excellence
  • Newsletter
  • Passport,a pouch that is embossed with the word “FlyKitt”, vitamin pouches, blue light glasses

    FlyKitt – The Magic Bullet for Jet Lag

    Anyone who has followed us for a while knows that jet lag kicks my butt. When we traveled to Japan it took me about five days before I got a good night sleep. It didn’t keep me from enjoying myself but it definitely would have been better had I arrived in Tokyo well rested.  With big trips planned to Africa and Europe this spring, you’d think I’d be concerned about jet lag.  But I’m not, because I know a secret! With Flykitt – I found the magic bullet for jet lag. The Inside Scoop Before our recent trip to London for the London Marathon, a fellow Sky Miles Life friend mentioned…

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    Screen showing a map of Pennsylvania and New York with the flight path highlighted in blue. In the middle is a circle.

    Our Unexpected Trip to Harrisburg

    November 17, 2022
    Woman standing in the middle of the little stone monk statues. She is hunched down, smiling and holding an umbrella

    A Rainy Walk in the Kimono and Bamboo Forests

    April 1, 2023
    Three people at a bar on a ship

    To Drink or Not to Drink, That is the Question

    August 8, 2024
  • Large silver orbs, sitting on hills of green moss at TeamLab Planet in Tokyo.

    Museums that are Totally Worth Your Time

    In a new city and looking for something fun to do? Well, if you’re anything like us, we check out the museums. Think that’s weird? Well, let’s put it this way. At one, we got to rap and play drums. At another we got to partake moonshine tasting. We’ve spied dinosaurs, giant sloths, and blue whales. Want to get the inside scoop on where these were? Come with us this week for museums that are TOTALLY worth your time. TeamLab Planets – Tokyo, Japan Part art installation, part play ground – we had SO much fun experiencing TeamLab Planets in Tokyo. We knew it wasn’t going to be like anything…

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    Pacing with a Purpose: A Marathon Weekend in Gladstone

    June 19, 2025
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    How a Little Tempest Can Impact Your Day

    April 18, 2024
    Yellow two story building with a balconly

    Chasing Ghosts (among other things) in the Big Easy

    July 27, 2023
  • Golden Pelican award displayed with his arms spread wide on a black stand.

    The World’s Best Cocktail Bars

    In honor of our third birthday, we thought we’d share our picks for the best of the best. This week, we will take take a deep dive into the best bars around the world. These bars would earn the “Golden Pelican” for having the best cocktails mixed with the best atmosphere. So pull up a stool and let’s visit the World’s Best Cocktail Bars. The American Bar – London, England The American Bar has been at the top of several “Best Bar” lists over the years. Since we were in London, we felt it we should have “just one drink” there to see what the hype was about. (For those…

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    Woman standing in the middle of the little stone monk statues. She is hunched down, smiling and holding an umbrella

    A Rainy Walk in the Kimono and Bamboo Forests

    April 1, 2023
    Black and white image of the Victorian era gate at Cave Hill Cemetery

    The Colonel and The Greatest

    October 19, 2023
    Stone tomb of the Couch family in Lincoln Park, Chicago

    Some Dark History Built Over an Old Cemetery

    October 16, 2025
  • The front entrance of the Natural History Museum in London. It is has two towers with a large archway between them. The rest of the building has ornate arched windows.

    What if Hogwarts Also Had Dinosaurs?

    Some months ago we found out that our dear friend, Julie, would be running the London marathon to celebrate a milestone birthday. Since a quarter of a century is SUCH a big deal, we decided to join her in a little trip over the pond. And since Stephen enjoys running a race every now and then, he decided to join her in the run. So how about me? What did I decide to join in on? Well what if I told you there is a museum in London that looks like the school from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter? That’s right, while we were there, we got to answer…

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    Moments you remember the most - trying Amaro in Italy

    The moments you remember the most might surprise you

    March 27, 2025
    Crowded bar in room with a low ceiling that has old wooden beams.

    Checking Out The Hidden Bars of London

    June 22, 2023
    Woman standing in a red telephone booth

    One Perfect Day in London

    September 13, 2023
  • Moments you remember the most - trying Amaro in Italy

    The moments you remember the most might surprise you

    We took our youngest daughter and her best friend on a trip to celebrate their graduating high school with honors. The ladies decided they wanted to experience London, Paris and Rome. As we built our itinerary, we made sure to hit all of the famous tourist spots. When we look back on our trip now, the things we saw aren’t really the things we reminisce about. This taught us a valuable lesson – when it comes to travel, the moments you remember the most might surprise you! Join us as we share the highlights of our European World tour and the lessons this trip taught us. London – 2 days…

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    The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

    June 29, 2023
    Woman kissing a runner at the Boston Marathon

    On the Road from Boston to London

    April 20, 2023
    Woman standing in a red telephone booth

    London – the Rest of the Story

    July 13, 2023
  • Woman standing in a red telephone booth

    One Perfect Day in London

    Whether you’re heading over to run the marathon, or you’re just really in need of some good fish and chips, you may find yourself outside Buckingham Palace wondering what to do next. Have no fear because we got you covered. Here’s how to spend one perfect day in London. Where to Stay The Mad Hatter in Southwark The Mad Hatter in Southwark went above and beyond our expectations for a hotel room in London. The rooms were reasonably spacious, with a comfy queen bed, a space to work, and a bathroom two people could be in at the same time. Besides all this, the hotel is reasonably priced with a…

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    Walking in the Footsteps of the Rich and Famous

    March 14, 2024
    Game at an amusement park featuring and animatronic fortune teller named "Zoltar" and a glowing crystal ball.

    You Won’t Need a Crystal Ball

    September 28, 2023
    Statue of Paul Revere riding a horse with the old North Church in the back ground. There are a line of trees on either side between the two

    The Very Best of Beantown

    August 23, 2023
  • Man running in a road race. Lifting his arms in victory

    The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

    It’s been over nine weeks since I completed the London Marathon, becoming the first kidney donor to earn the coveted Six Star Finisher medal for completing all of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. We finally had a little down time for me to get around to writing a recap of the historic race. Before we get into all that, I’ll provide a little background info on what happened leading up to the race. So grab a cold one, kick back, and relax. Here is the recap of the London Marathon – the last of the World Majors! The Pre-Race Injury As many of you already know I injured my back four…

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    Woman standing in a red telephone booth

    London – the Rest of the Story

    July 13, 2023
    Crowded bar in room with a low ceiling that has old wooden beams.

    Checking Out The Hidden Bars of London

    June 22, 2023
    The front entrance of the Natural History Museum in London. It is has two towers with a large archway between them. The rest of the building has ornate arched windows.

    What if Hogwarts Also Had Dinosaurs?

    May 15, 2025
  • Crowded bar in room with a low ceiling that has old wooden beams.

    Checking Out The Hidden Bars of London

    The Boston Marathon was behind us and we hopped the pond to jolly old England. Though the main purpose of our trip was to have Stephen run the London Marathon and earn the Abbot Six Star Medal, we had one other important mission in our minds – checking out the hidden bars of London! The Inspiration Since we’d been to London before, we wanted to find some new things to experience. We looked into some museums and shopping areas. And since we were near Whitechapel, I even looked into some “Ripper-themed” excursions. But then I found it, an article on The 15 Best Speakeasy Bars in London*. With this itinerary…

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    The front entrance of the Natural History Museum in London. It is has two towers with a large archway between them. The rest of the building has ornate arched windows.

    What if Hogwarts Also Had Dinosaurs?

    May 15, 2025
    Man running in a road race. Lifting his arms in victory

    The London Marathon – The Last of the World Majors

    June 29, 2023
    Woman kissing a runner at the Boston Marathon

    On the Road from Boston to London

    April 20, 2023
  • Woman kissing a runner at the Boston Marathon

    On the Road from Boston to London

    Hey all! Super quick update for you. This week we are on the road from Boston to London! We don’t really have the quiet time we need to share a more in-depth article so here are just a few highlights. The Boston Marathon Experience with Destination Marathons We had the amazing opportunity to spend time with the team from Destination Marathons while we were in Boston. Here are some pics of the bus tour we took with Tom Derderian winning coach for the Greater Boston Track Club, President of the USA Track and Field New England Association, author and producer of Boston: The Documentary. We also enjoyed doing a Coffee…

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    How to Celebrate and Still Prep for a Marathon

    April 4, 2022
    Quincy Market Rotunda

    Boston – The Search for Craft Beer, Lobster and Gelato

    April 1, 2022
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    History Nerds and Taphophiles will LOVE This One

    July 18, 2024
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