About

“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or find it not.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hi, I’m Penny! Welcome to Adventures of a Carry-on 

I’m a freelance writer specializing in travel and tourism, food, hospitality, wine, lifestyle, and wellness.  A wine communicator certified through the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), my passion is travel. I have a soft spot for Europe aka the old world. Though I mainly travel solo, I’m rarely alone.

Travel has been transformative for me—a vehicle for self-discovery.  What I remember the most after any trip are the moments—the kindness of a stranger, an exchange in a foreign language, exploring a cobblestone alley.  Most often it is the interaction with strangers I remember most.  For many this sounds incredibly scary—for me, it adds to the tapestry of my life.

While many people want to travel the world racking up countries like trophies, I prefer to return to the same places and develop my relationships. 

Adventures of a Carry-on is a metaphor for the experiences we bring home with us, and the parts of ourselves we take with us.  

P.S. Did you watch season 2 of Emily In Paris? Check out the episode with the luggage design. They used that very description of metaphors. Really!

 

 

Makeup Artist Turned Travel Writer

I support my travels by freelance writing and my career as a professional makeup artist. Occasionally the travel and makeup thing come together like when I taught a class in Naples, Italy, or when I worked with Phil Keoghan of The Amazing Race.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to put makeup on famous faces like Brooke Shields, check out my freelance makeup artist site and blog here. 

Blame It On Italy

“If adventures not befall a young lady in her own village, she must seek them abroad.” Jane Austen

In 2008 I visited Rome for the first time and fell madly in love.  Four trips later, I decided it was time to expand my horizons and explore more of the country that had captured my heart.

In 2012 I went to  Panzano, a tiny town in Chianti famous for the butcher Dario Cecchini;  the ancient walled city of Lucca, Tuscany, and Rome (because no trip to Italy is complete without a stop in Rome).

 

In 2013 I went on my first official blogger trip to Italy. I spent five crazy days in  Emilia Romagna starting in Bologna (not my first time there),  Forli, and Cesena (don’t miss the Maletesta Library). We visited vineyards, and apple orchards, learned to make pasta, visited a violin maker, and attended a very fancy dinner with a rock-star chef.

A second trip to the old country, also in 2013, found me in Voghera (Napolean lived there for a while), Pavia, and Milan, in the Lombardia region. The day before departing I visited romantic Lago di Orta, only an hour from Milan. I never dreamed I’d go to any of these places but once I decided to explore Italy, opportunities magically appeared.

Today I travel mainly in the USA and Europe and I include the UK in the EU because really, Brexit should have never happened.

What you’ll find on Adventures of a Carry-on

I will share first-hand accounts of my travels including intimate details of tours, wineries, restaurants, hotels, and more. My promise to you, everything on the site is written by a human, usually me, though I do take the rare guest post. I will never allow AI-generated articles on this site.

Whether cruising the Danube River or flying over Napa Valley wineries in a hot air balloon, my goal is for you to feel as if you’re there with me. Maybe you’ll even be inspired to go yourself.  What I love the most is wandering through the streets and alleyways of a destination looking for the unseen, overlooked, hiding in plain sight, stories and connections, that make life exciting. Won’t you come along?

I’d love to hear from you. Contact me here. Also, if you see a photograph you love and would like a copy, just let me know.

 BRAGGING RIGHTS

 

 

 

For the second year in a row, one of my articles made the shortlist in the Italy Magazine Blogger Awards. This year the article Bernini: Sculpting in Clay, was nominated in the category Best Post Art and Culture.

Last year the article,
How To Make An Italian Neighborhood Your Own, was nominated in the category, of Best Single Post Living in Italy. Great article if you’re traveling to Rome and need some tips on restaurants, cafes, and more in Trastevere.

 

INTERVIEWS

Travel Style on Johnny Jet 

 

Travel Tips From Solo Travelers – Travel and Escape

#WorkAbroad Because It’s An Invaluable Life Experience – Wandering Educators

Travel Expert on Travel Awaits

EXPERIENCE

I have written for various beauty and spa industry publications such as Modern Salon, American Salon, Salon Today, Today’s Diet, and Nutrition.
I have also appeared on numerous broadcasts as a brand ambassador speaking on topics from skin cancer to packing for an international trip. 

 

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