Hi. My name is Karen, and I am a traveloholic. Give me a long weekend, and I can’t resist hitting the road to somewhere. Sometimes I don’t know where I’m headed until I am there.

Sometimes I go to the train station, look at the departures board, and choose a destination on the spot. To feed my travel-lust, I have based myself in Europe since 1990. Moscow, Copenhagen, Rome and now the Frankfurt area have all been called home in the past decade. Traveling with one or two people is probably what I like most -- but lacking a travel buddy is no deterrent. My husband is a great travel partner, but his erratic work schedule means I often have weekends on my own. We don’t have kids, but we like a lot of things that would appeal to them -- festivals, amusement parks and castles are all good in our book. I feel package deals should never be overlooked -- sometimes they offer itineraries you could never piece together for twice the price.

If I’m on my own, savings is the name of the game. But if I’m traveling with my husband or a friend who rarely gets to Europe, I’m not averse to splashing out. I’m open to all options. So I’m asking you to join me in launching our travel blog! The goal is for all of us to share our wealth of expertise, and to provide encouragement to one another to get out and go.

While the focus will be travel in Europe, occasionally our virtual travels might take us farther afield. After all, there’s a big wide world out there waiting. Or rather, not waiting. So much is happening, with or without us. Why not be part of it all?

I’d like to suggest that visitors to this site take the time to share a little bit about themselves and their travel style. Please find below some questions to get you started -- but feel free to embellish or skip over any of them at will. Providing us with your travel profile will help us know who’s with us and what your interests are, so we can tailor the site accordingly.

How often do you travel as a form of recreation? What motivates you to choose a certain destination? Do you prefer to travel in a large group, with a good friend, as a couple, or by yourself? Do you usually have kids in tow? Do you like to stick to a tight budget, or do you prefer to splurge? Do you look for package deals with the arrangements made for you, or do you like piecing together your own itinerary? Where’s your next trip?