Have you ever dreamed of bringing a personal chef on vacation with you? Someone who could prepare elegant, flavorful meals for you to enjoy without ever leaving your beach house? I had that experience while vacationing with a family friend who is a retired personal chef. Not only did I enjoy an array of delicacies and pick up a lot of cooking tips. I also learned a great deal about slow travel and the importance of being willing to try new things.

Wondering who is the Godfather of horror stories? Edgar Allan Poe leads the pack. Poe revolutionized the genre in the 1840s with his first-person narrative stories like “The Black Cat,” “The Pit and the Pendulum,” and “The Tell Tale Heart." He was one of the first to use psychological horror. Visiting the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia provides a good understanding of who Poe was and how he wrote such masterpieces.

India cradles an ancient and spiritual culture that draws visitors from around the globe. Spiritual experiences in the country range from temple visits and yoga retreats to 10-day silent Vipassana meditations. While India is best known by tourists for wonders like the Taj Mahal, our six-month sojourn brought us to many lesser-known religious sights including the source of the sacred Ganges River in Uttarakhand.