Are you an independent traveler who chooses museums over tourist traps, personalized experiences over generic tours, and local restaurants over anywhere with laminated menus in four languages?

Then you’re in the right place!

I’m Carol Cram: novelist, passionate lover of the arts, and an enthusiastic traveler who books concert tickets and special exhibitions before hotel rooms.

If you love arts and culture, concerts, great food, the occasional wildlife encounter, and hidden gems that make a trip genuinely memorable rather than just another checklist of sights, then come along with me for the ride!

Getting up at 4:30 AM at any time is a no no for me, but especially when I’m on vacation, unless I need to get an early flight.

But to catch a tour? Yeah, no. I’ll wait for a later one.

Except if I’d done that on my recent trip to Chiang Mai, I would have missed out on one of the most profound experiences of my entire Thailand trip.

This week I’m sharing the sunrise temple tour that took me to the top of a mountain and into a gold-domed temple, where I listened to monks chanting at dawn and for once stopped thinking about my to-do list.

Why I Got Up at 4:30 AM in Chiang Mai (And Why You Should Too)

And my new novel The Choir is out now! If you’re planning a trip and need something for the long flight or just want a good book as spring gets underway, this is it.