Hi! I’m Aukse! I’m a 40-something litigation attorney based in Chicago, married with four step kids, currently ranging in age from 13-21.  I’ve loved to travel my entire adult life, and I’ve traveled alone, with friends, with my husband, and with all four kids in tow. One of my main goals as a step mom is to instill a love of travel and curiosity about the world to my kids, and while sometimes traveling with 4 kids is challenging, the memories are so rewarding and will last a lifetime.  

My goal with this blog is to not only document my travels (and to make this a really cool journal for myself), but to also provide some helpful tips, strategies, and recommendations for anyone who may come along to read my stories.  I also have a special section devoted just to Chicago, my home base, where I hope to add lots of restaurant reviews and recommendations for travelers coming here.  I think Chicago is the best city in the world, and I feel super lucky to live here!

I also have a strong passion for wine, so you’ll also find a section on wine travel and wineries.  I have always found that getting out of the big city and into wine country gives you a deeper appreciation for where you are visiting; and, don’t forget, wine doesn’t grow in ugly places! My husband has a strong passion for the artist Caravaggio, which I now share, and it has led us to some interesting places. Our goal is to see every single Caravaggio painting in the world available for viewing to the public (there are about 90, 10 or so are in private collections), so you will also see bits and pieces of Caravaggio finds in my posts as well.

Finally, since I prefer boutique hotels to big, massive, megaresorts, I hope to highlight some of my favorite small hotels, as they often get overlooked with many of the major publications’ and other travel bloggers’ “best of” types of lists.

I’m starting this blog in 2022, and I’ve already been traveling for over 20 years, so you’ll also find some stories about past travels (my “nostalgia” posts) throughout this space.  While some of the tips and recommendations may not be fully current, and I will update the space if a hotel or restaurant or experience is no longer available, I hope you’ll get a feel for the places I’ve been from my nostalgia posts. Enjoy!

Aukse

PS You can also find me on Instagram and Twitter! Or, if you would like to reach out to me directly, please click here !!