My name is Debbie and I live in the foothills of North Carolina. I have been a member of the TravelZine group for a little over a year now and have throughly enjoyed it.

I was raised in South Florida, but bought a poultry farm with my husband in NC 20 years ago. He doesn't enjoy traveling, so I take trips solo or with a friend. I've not taken a tour, as of yet anyway, as I enjoy independent traveling and the research and planning involved with an upcoming trip.

In the USA I've traveled to Colorado, New York, Chicago (at least once a year since my oldest daughter moved there), Baltimore, Washington DC, Reno, San Francisco, LA, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and throughout Florida (and of course NC).

I did take a 4-day cruise once with my husband, but thought he was going to jump ship at any moment and really didn't enjoy it much. Like I said, he doesn't like to travel.

My first European trip was in 1994 when my girlfriend and I winged a 10 day trip to Switzerland, Southern Germany and Northern Italy. I immediately got the travel bug and have taken at least one trip a year since to Europe to include: Ireland (southwest), France (primarily Paris), Italy again(Rome and Florence), the Netherlands and Scotland.

I'm planning my second trip to Ireland this spring and am so excited as I have two friends that will be going too and this will be their first visit.

I work and only get 3 weeks off each year, so my trips are limited from long weekends to 12 days maximum. Also, I've learned to be a budget traveler and find that the most memorable experiences have cost me next to nothing if anything at all. It's meeting people and those little parks that one can sit and people watch or those folks you meet at a train station that give you those great tips that make it all so rewarding.

I hope in the next few years that I will be in a position to travel more extensively, but until then, I will take whatever I can get.

If anyone has any tips on Ireland OR if you are interested in traveling in Southeast USA, I would especially like to hear from you.

Best wishes to all in the coming New Year and Happy Holidays.

Debbie in NC