West End independent travel agent Nancy Dorrans takes readers around the world in search of adventure.

Out of Our Comfort Zone…
By Nancy Dorrans As a travel counselor, I strive to navigate my clients on authentic experiences, safely out o...

Worldly Biological Phenomenon…
Worldly Biological Phenomenon… By Nancy Dorrans – Originally published April, 2020 in The West End News...

Going on Seven Years…
Celebrating and sharing successes and blessings… By Nancy Dorrans – Originally Published in The We...

Mountain and Forest Bathing…
By Nancy Dorrans (originally published March 2020 in The West End News) “The clearest way into the Universe is...

Why Not Poland?
By Nancy Dorrans (originally published January 2020 in The West End News) If someone asked me a few months ago...

The Birds and the Bees (and Native Plants) of Maine and Beyond – Part 1
By Nancy Dorrans It should be obvious by now that flowers bring me joy. I’m hooked on gardening and my insatia...

Vietnam & Cambodia Adventure Part 2
By Nancy Dorrans I had never been to Vietnam nor Cambodia, when a handful of friends asked if I would consider...

Adventure Marketplace heads to Vietnam and Cambodia
By Nancy Dorrans I had never been to Vietnam nor Cambodia, yet a handful of friends asked if I would consider...

Neighbors and Relations to the North
By Nancy Dorrans I could have been Canadian. My father’s parents came to Canada from Scotland and eventu...

Pedaling Portugal’s Pathways
By Nancy Dorrans Cycling and educational adventure to Portugal… Invited on a travel industry cycling and...

Tulip Mania
A flower journey though Amsterdam … and beyond. By Nancy Dorrans In 1994 as a non-traditional college undergra...

The Wonders of Gardening
By Lynn Larochelle, Facilities Director The sensory appeal of having a garden is unquestioned: smelling the co...

Why not ask an independent travel agent?
A Day in the Life of an Independent Travel Agent by Nancy Dorrans First, A Look Ahead at Upcoming Trips Shakin...

Finding Warmth (and Learning to Spell) in Iceland
Off the Beaten Path Finding Warmth (and Learning to Spell) in Iceland By Nancy Dorrans Once or twice a year Ad...

Maine Women March Forth
by Nancy Dorrans Resistance… Resistance is by definition, “the refusal to accept or comply with somethin...

Accidental Gardener
The Art and Craft of the Accidental Gardener by Nancy Dorrans If you have a garden and a library, you have eve...

Back to Biking Basics
Ideas for Biking from Locals and From Away… by Nancy Dorrans There’s a sense of freedom and control that wraps...

Bucket Lists and Tips for Senior Travelers
Bucket Lists and Travel Tips What is on your bucket list? Or maybe I should start with, “What is a Bucket List...

Spring Camping at Kentucky’s Natural Bridge State Resort
by Nancy Dorrans Last month I traveled south just before Easter. While it was still cool, damp and gray/brown...

Bermuda Adventure – Beyond the Beach
by Nancy Dorrans Earlier this winter I was invited by the Bermuda Tourism Authority to learn more about the is...

Sunny Side Positive Posts
Travel with Nancy Dorrans Sunny Side Positive Posts One of my Facebook friends posted this plea in late Januar...

Maine to DC: Nancy Goes to the Women’s March
From Maine to DC We got they-ah from he-ah! Nancy charters a bus to the Women’s March by Nancy Dorrans While i...

Nancy organizes trip to Women’s March in DC
Happy New Year and Peace on Earth by Nancy Dorrans “Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now, with...

Embrace warmth over the Holidays. Visit Iceland or Quebec!
How to embrace warmth with a little insight from those who know the cold. by Nancy Dorrans Last December, Port...

Nancy’s love of travel started with Grandma Dorrans
Grandma Dorrans and the Isle of Lewis by Nancy Dorrans I founded Adventure Marketplace in 2014, but my love fo...

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt on Values and Service
Where Can I Be of Service: Lessons from Anna Eleanor Roosevelt by Nancy Dorrans Last month I joined the Maine...

Mexico Mango and Travelling Fruits
Mexico Mango and Traveling Fruits by Nancy Dorrans This week I ate the most delicious Mango… It was perfectly...

Why Travel Adviser
When and why you should know and use a travel adviser by Nancy Dorrans A good travel adviser will un-clutter t...

Adventurous Traveler Safety Tips
Adventurous traveler Nancy Dorrans shares safety tips. by Nancy Dorrans As an adventurous traveler and travel...

MOAC Moxiestock and Blackfly Ball
MOAC Moxiestock and Blackfly Ball by Nancy Dorrans Maine Outdoor Adventure Club (MOAC) can take you and your f...

Maine Festival Chorus Goes to Carnegie Hall
Take a trip with Maine Festival Chorus to NYC! by Nancy Dorrans How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Ask Richard N...

Authentic Travel
The Travel Channel’s Samantha Brown Visits the Maine Governor’s Conference on Tourism by Nancy Dorrans “A Fres...

Clinton on Travel Agents
Hillary Clinton says Travel Changes Minds by Nancy Dorrans If travel can change your life can it also change y...

Romantic Travel Plans
Romantic Plans… It “is” the thought that counts! by Nancy Dorrans Many years ago I was a ski instructor at Bos...

Can Travel and Skiing Change Your Life?
by Nancy Dorrans Travel and skiing, have transformed and enriched my life in many ways. Both release me from m...

Ski Season Dead Ahead
by Nancy Dorrans It was by chance that I met Governor Paul LePage. Boston hosted the Boston.com Ski & Snow...

Enchanted by the Emerald Isle
by Nancy Dorrans I realize it is November but my thoughts are on October. October is a long month… and, as you...

My Sense of Adventure Takes Me to Africa
by Nancy Dorrans We travel, some of us forever to seek other states, other lives, other souls – Anais Ni...

Fermentation Adventure Destinations!
by Nancy Dorrans Where are the latest fermentation destinations? Answer is almost anywhere! Although fermentat...

Mystique of the Travel Agent
by Nancy Dorrans “World travelers,” they say. “Always on the go.” “Must be nice to get all those free tr...

Airfare Facts and Lore
by Nancy Dorrans As a travel agent since 1982, give or take a few years, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the ind...

‘From Away’ Comes to Visit: Day Trip Advice
by Nancy Dorrans When I’m away traveling and I tell people I live in Portland, Maine, the reaction is dreamy....










































by Nancy Dorrans As a travel agent since 1982, give or take a few years, I’ve seen a lot of changes in the industry. I wish I had a dollar, or even a dime, for every time someone said to me,... Read more
by Nancy Dorrans When I’m away traveling and I tell people I live in Portland, Maine, the reaction is dreamy. “Ah, Maine…I love Maine,” or “Wow, you live there? I’ve always wanted to visit M... Read more