Welcome to Sand In My Suitcase, our luxury travel blog with a twist of adventure!
We’re Janice and George Mucalov, lawyers by profession, now travel writers – much more fun, don’t you think?
Our travel articles and photos are published in leading U.S. and Canadian magazines and newspapers like TravelAge West, Islands.com, Cruise & Travel Lifestyles, NUVO, Taste of Life, Interval World, Travel Professional and Canadian World Traveller. And we’re tickled that we’ve won many travel writing awards.
But the reason you’ve come here is our blog, Sand In My Suitcase, right?
Here, you’ll find destination guides with travel tips, cruise reviews, soft adventure travel articles, reviews of the best hotels and lots of plain old (but practical!) travel information.
Start here to go straight to our posts.
“BEST TRAVEL BLOG”
We began our luxury travel blog in 2012.
It won 1st Place for “Best Travel Blog” in the 2017 Society of American Travel Writers (Can. chapter) annual awards.
Check out all our travel writing and blogging awards here.
Luxury travel blog with a twist of adventure
We write about luxury adventure travel – and we have a crush on cruising (especially small ship and river cruises).
Yes, that includes luscious five-star hotels and deluxe cruises with suites and butlers. But also expedition ships and more affordable boutique inns oozing charm and character. Venturing off-the-beaten-path. (Mozambique and Komodo Island, say hello!) Even getting a little, er... sandy sometimes, knowing there’s always a soft return.
When we travel, you’ll find us hiking, kayaking, bicycling, scuba diving and strolling city streets from end to end (poking our heads into this and that).
Janice never says “no” to a spa treatment.
Ethnic cuisine, good wine and losing ourselves in long conversations with local guides and people? Also a big part of the enjoyment of our travels – which we like to share with you, our readers.
And if there’s an English book store or coffee shop around, George will find it.
We're scuba diving in Komodo National Park, Indonesia! It's good no Komodo dragons live underwater.
Giving back
We’re not totally hedonistic though :-).
If we can, we prefer to write about hotels, cruises and tours that help in some way to make this world a better place. We donate 10% of what we make each year from our travel writing and blogging to Doctors Without Borders.
Travel writing memberships
We’re both members of:
Travel Media Association of Canada (TMAC)
Janice is also a member of:
Society of American Travel Writers (SATW)
North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA)
We write what we honestly think
All thoughts, views and words expressed in our travel stories and posts are our own. And we dish on the good and tell you about the not-so-good.
We adhere to the codes of ethics for professional travel writers set by SATW, TMAC and NATJA.
Affiliate links
Some posts contain affiliate links.
If you click the link or make a purchase (like booking a hotel), we may get a small commission to help keep this blog running (at no extra cost to you). See details in our Disclosure policy.
Dive into our luxury travel blog
Okay, that’s enough about us. Go now and take a peek at some of our travel tales...
7 Authentic things to do in Morelia, Mexico
Authentic things to do in Morelia (a UNESCO-listed Mexican city)? See the beautiful cathedral. Visit a wild butterfly haven. And more!
Is Porto worth visiting? (And how to avoid the crowds)
Yes, visit Porto! But plan wisely. Here’s how to enjoy the best things to do in Porto (hello bookshops!) – without the crowds.
