Hello! Is this the first time you’ve visited our luxury travel blog?
We’re Janice and George Mucalov, a Canadian couple with a passion for travel journalism. Between us, we’ve traveled to all seven continents. (See more about us and Sand In My Suitcase.)
You’ll find endless resources on our blog – everything from dreamy trip itineraries to packing guides. Below, we make it easy for you to get started.
Navigating our site
Destinations
You can search the Destinations tab at the top of our site.
Along with cruises, we specialize in covering luxury travel to:
- Mexico – particularly Los Cabos
- Some European destinations – Croatia, Greece, Italy, Mallorca and Portugal
- British Columbia, Canada – where we live
- Hawaii
- St. Martin and St. Maarten, Caribbean
Experiences
As for Experiences, you can look for:
And don’t forget to check our Travel Planning and Resources guide! You’ll find useful hotel and airline booking tips, great travel booking sites and more.
Mexico on your mind?
If you’re planning a Mexico vacay, hop on over to our Mexico travel guide for essential information and tips. You’ll find more than 70 travel articles here!
We’ve explored the country extensively – from magical colonial cities (like San Miguel de Allende) to blissful beach towns in the fabled Riviera Maya.
Los Cabos travel
Within Mexico, we’ve traveled to Los Cabos (aka Cabo) dozens of times over the past 20+ years. We have a timeshare in Cabo San Lucas, so we visit at least once a year – and when we go, we typically stay for 3 to 6 weeks.
As a result, we’ve written a complete Los Cabos travel guide just on this destination!
Three must-read articles on Cabo
- 27 Epic Things to Enjoy in Cabo San Lucas
- 17+ Best Luxury Hotels in Cabo (5-Star and All-Inclusive)
- 10 Fun Day Trips From Cabo San Lucas
For more information on Cabo
See our Cabo Visitor travel blog – it’s all about this desert-meets-the-sea destination! (Can you tell we love Cabo?)
Visit British Columbia (our home)
British Columbia (BC for short) is Canada’s westernmost province. It’s our home – and you’ll love visiting it.
Find our BC travel articles, all neatly organized in our handy British Columbia travel guide.
Three must-read articles on BC
Europe travel
We’ve written a comprehensive Europe travel guide plus 75+ other travel articles and itineraries covering Europe.
Croatia
Beautiful beach towns surrounded by medieval walls. (Don’t miss Split, built around Diocletian’s Palace.) Delicious wine. Adriatic waters bluer than the blues of your dreams. That’s Croatia!
For the ultimate trip, see our 14-day Croatia itinerary covering the Dalmatian Coast.
Mallorca
There are so many delightful things you can do in Mallorca – from swimming in idyllic coves and hiking ancient donkey trails to touring manor houses oozing history.
And there are just as many lovely places to stay on the island.
Greece
Hey, did you know it’s illegal to wear high heels at the Acropolis? And one in three Greeks on the island of Ikaria live into their 90’s! These 100+ facts about Greece are loads of fun.
If you’re planning a vacation to Greece, you might want to check out some hidden gems and unique Greek places to visit – like Kefalonia, Monemvasia and Kythira.
Portugal
We don’t envy you if you’re trying to decide between Porto and Lisbon.
Lisbon is the colorful capital – it’s a no-brainer to visit. So is Porto worth visiting too? We think so! See our unique 3-day Porto itinerary.
Italy
When planning your trip to Italy (especially if it’s your first trip), you’ll probably want to visit a mix of two or three grand Italian cities, as well as some beautiful smaller towns or regions in Italy.
Hawaii vacation planning
Ahhh, the seductive Hawaiian islands…
There are so many amazing things to do in Hawaii! Just one example: Hike up Diamond Head for jaw-dropping 360-degree views on Oahu.
Be sure to read our post on how to plan a trip to Hawaii.
And if you’ve never been to Hawaii, we’ve also written a complete guide to visiting Hawaii for the first time.
Some other popular articles on Hawaii
More USA travel escapes
When you need a break from the kids, book an escape to one of these USA hotels with private in-room pools. Several are quite affordable too!
If you’re thinking of visiting California, what about a road trip? Discover 15 quaint and charming Northern California coastal towns on this road trip between Morro Bay and Trinidad.
On the other side of the country in NYC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has more than 2 million pieces of art in its collection. If short on time, you’ll need to focus on exhibits you really must see at the Met.
Cruising
It’s hard for us to believe, but it’s true! We’ve enjoyed more than 60 different cruises now – on everything from bigger ships like Holland America’s Rotterdam to Windstar Cruises’ smaller luxury yachts.
Check out our guide on cruise travel. You’ll find cruise reviews and related information (e.g., cruise ship drinks packages) here.
Heavenly hotels
See our hotel guide for curated collections and reviews of many of the hundreds of hotels and resorts that we’ve stayed at around the world.
Some popular hotel articles
Enjoy our blog!
We hope you like reading our blog. You can share your thoughts in the Comments section underneath each post.
Our top travel tips and resources
Hotels: Booking.com is great for scoring a “wow” hotel – or at least a decent one – at lower rates than the hotel’s own website. We especially like Booking’s flexible cancellation policy!
Vacation homes, condos and rentals: We prefer and use Vrbo (Vacation Rentals by Owner).
Flights: To book the cheapest flights, search on Google Flights or Expedia. (Just be aware Expedia tickets may be non-refundable.)
Airport lounge access: We love (and have) Priority Pass for comfy lounge seats, free snacks and drinks, complimentary WiFi and sometimes even showers and spa services!
Tours: For the best local food, walking and other guided tours, plus skip-the-line tickets to attractions, check out Viator (a TripAdvisor company) and GetYourGuide.
Car rental: Renting a car is often one of the best ways to explore off the beaten path. Discover Cars searches car rental companies so you get the best rates.
Travel insurance: SafetyWing is designed for frequent travelers, long-term adventurers and digital nomads. It covers medical expenses, lost checked luggage, trip interruption and more. We also have and recommend Medjet for global air medical transportation.
Travel gear: See our travel shop to find the best luggage, accessories and other travel gear. (We suggest these comfy travel sandals for city walking, the beach and kicking about.)
Need more help planning your trip? Check out our travel tips and resources guide for airline booking tips, ways to save money, how to find great hotels and other crazy useful trip planning info.
If you make a booking or purchase through our site, we may earn a small commission (at no cost to you). Thanks!
About the authors
Luxury travel journalists and SATW, NATJA and TMAC “Best Travel Blog” award winners, Janice and George Mucalov are the publishers of Sand In My Suitcase. Between them, they’ve traveled to all 7 continents. See About.
Find destination guides, global food-and-wine stories, luxury hotel reviews, articles on cultural explorations and soft adventure trips, cruise reviews, insanely useful travel tips and more!