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Hi! We’re Claire and Jamie! We created Travel These Stones to guide travelers of all ages to navigate a world full of stories. This world is filled with all its comforts, culture and cuisine and we have chronicled these “stones” over time so that you can travel with confidence. We invite you to follow our footsteps. On this site you will find countless resources for the luxurious traveler and the spendthrift backpacker. For exclusive book recommendations, travel guides, giveaways and more be sure to subscribe to our reading list. Cheers! Jamie & Claire
Do you have a desire to travel but don’t know where to begin? Let us help you. We’ll share great sites to visit, every-day life experiences and ways to relax so you’re not stressed out. Follow our stepping stones and pursue your passion to travel!
What draws you to visit a destination? When I was a teenager, my parents planned a trip to Hawaii with the family and a friend of ours gave me the book Hawaii by James A. Michener. It’s an epic novel but it so enamored me that I couldn’t wait to see the islands. Jamie is more of a movie guy so, we pick a book and a movie that takes place in your desired location to get you ready to travel the stones with your own eyes.
So, now that you know where you want to go, how do you choose where to stay? Wherever we stay, Jamie always wants a pool. It’s really been a benefit to us many times after a long day of sightseeing. It’s so refreshing to jump into a pool and relax and it doesn’t hurt if the pool has a bar next to it…
This is how our website is unique. We help you:
Jamie, your resident historian, worked in the motion picture industry and Claire is an avid reader so we try to help you prepare for every trip with an introduction to movie sets and movie locations across the globe. Claire reviews the novels set upon your destination, the local music, local literature and art that will help you live in unique places before you ever arrive.
Not everyone has 30 years of travel experience as travel guides and let’s face it, the young traveler is often shy on resources to travel everywhere and yet they have an abundance of time. So, we want you to experience travel at its best- the finest living in great resorts and destinations experienced over time. While our stays may not be what you’re looking for, we try to offer options for the young family traveling with kids, the solo traveler, the vagabond student in addition to travelers like us with the time and resources to experience the best in travel.
Claire and Jamie grew up as “trans-Atlantic” kids, with feet firmly planted in more than one language and culture. It’s little wonder that they love to eat and dine, try new food, experiment with spices and flavors when they return home. Perhaps it is saffron of the Middle East or the piri-piri sauce of Portugal. Claire and Jamie are looking for you to remember your travels upon returning home. Claire loves to cook -we hope that the intimacy and friendship of eating adds to the quality of your life and Jamie as a winery owner will fill your experiences with the best of the best wherever you travel. Sometimes that means beers and cocktails too!
Every destination for us features some kind of stone! A rock formation, a gem, a kind of stone “hinge” to etch your experience with those who have traveled these stones before us. We do not claim to exhaust the destinations you visit but we promise the experiences will be unique. The best unknown fact here, the best place to take a selfie there, the unique savings tip here and the most romantic moment there. Serpentine with us and soon you will appreciate how to travel well and uniquely. Everyone might reach Venice but only a few will reach the rooftop view of Hotel Daniel. Everyone might get to Murano but you will find the best photo location on the island, or meet the glass blower or visit the neighborhood that once boasted Batman, 007 or the stones of the avengers. Not exhaustive things to do but manageable, repeatable itineraries for those who travel these stones with us.
It is said we remain the people we were yesterday except for the people we meet and the books we read. It would be a shame if we did not make friendships or connect with the people of the Bahamas before the great hurricanes, for example. So, there is something spiritual about our travels. Jamie and Claire add that dimension to your travel plans. If you are visiting St. George’s parish on Bermuda and see the historic altar grounded just days after the Reformation in the 1500s, or read a book like Thorn Birds before you reach Australia or New Zealand, Jamie and Claire want your travel to make a personal difference. We are stewards of these “stones” and each of us are the super-heroes of our age, responsible to ourselves and the people we meet. We pray you grow with us on this journey through time!
Disclosure: “Travel These Stones is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertizing program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.”
