The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 has caused lock-downs worldwide, making it impossible to travel for holidays. Here’s how you can travel from home with Reid Champagne.

Photo Credit: Carol Madigan    We loaded up on wine in the Reykjavik duty free shop, less out of a sense of economy than the angst of trying to find a state liquor store in the Icelandic hinterland in the shadow of happy hour. This added considerably to the schlepping after the airport bus left […]

Photo Credit: Carol Madigan    We copped the last two standby seats on what turned out to be Delta’s first Minneapolis to Reykjavik run in more than a year and a half, and we were boarded immediately as the gangway door closed shut behind us. I had my phone perched on the “reserve” button for […]

Photo Credit: Carol Madigan Minneapolis-Reykjavik 30 seats    When Carol informed me I was in charge of photocopying our travel documents, I knew it meant I wasn’t being allowed anywhere near the suitcases or packing. Trying to fit every clothing contingency for a trip to Iceland into two carry-ons requires the engineering skills of astronauts […]

   Annie Kisska chose to study German as a middle schooler, because it was very different from the Spanish she had been speaking, growing up at home with her mother and nanny.    “My mother had worked in South America for a number of years, and our nanny mostly spoke Spanish. I was looking for […]

Standby status: Santa Ana – Minneapolis 19 open seats Minneapolis- Reykjavik 32 open seats    Always Bring Coats. That’s what the title of today’s blog stands for. By design, Carol and I choose to travel in what the tourist industry calls the “shoulder” season – not off-peak, but as close as possible without getting ridiculous […]

May 17, 2021 Dear diary,    Reid said he was interested in learning more about Icelandic history. One of the contributors to an Iceland travel tips fb page suggested a book, Island on Fire, about Iceland’s volcanic past. I know the risk I’m taking. His children have told me something about his “phases,” when he […]

Photo credit: Lovisa Photo  Planned departure: 5/27/2021 Available seats: (LAX-JFK: 110)  (JFK-Reykjavik: 38)    To be successful, this standby trip can’t be approached with the usual lack of study and planning that I normally apply to my travels. In past trips to Europe, we’ve been able to adjust on the fly depending on seating availability […]

Photo Credit: Carol Madigan    Thermal underwear. Check. Wool socks. Check. Winter gloves. Check. Boots, heavy coats, sweaters, scarves and wool hats. Check, check, check, check and check. Getting ready for our first summer travel vacation in over a year. And no, we’re not so out of step with traveling again that we have our […]

Photo credit: Lovisa Photo    The latest installment in Carol’s best-selling How To Train Your Reid (2021, Lowbrow and Sons, and located in the Nature and Wildlife section of your local bookstore) concerns the dinner table, specifically the pushing in of chairs when dinner is done. I didn’t even know it was a thing.    […]