BenThere Travel is our home for the places, stories, aircraft, food, history, and local finds that stay with us after the trip is over.
I’m Ben — a private pilot, retired Air Force JAG (22 years), attorney, travel obsessive, aviation-history nerd, and the voice behind many of the travel and military aviation stories on the site. My wife Nicole is my copilot in travel, food, photos, local finds, and the small details that make a place memorable.
We live near St. Augustine, Florida, so many of our local guides come from places we actually visit, photograph, eat at, walk through, and recommend to visiting friends and family. We also write about trips we’ve taken across the U.S. and abroad, including Iceland, Italy, Scotland, Pittsburgh, and more.
BenThere Travel also connects to our Etsy shop, SunSpun Creations, where we create original travel, aviation, military-history, Pittsburgh, and St. Augustine-inspired shirts, posters, prints, stickers, ornaments, and gifts.
The People Behind the Blog
Ben — Pilot, Writer, Aviation History Enthusiast
I’m a private pilot with an Air Force background (22 years as a JAG officer), which is why aviation history shows up here right alongside the travel writing. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside some extraordinary aviators, and the stories of the aircraft — the F-16, the SR-71, the P-51, the B-17 and the men who flew them — have always stayed with me.
When we travel, I tend to find the airfields, the aircraft museums, the military history, and the viewpoints that require a map. When we eat, I’m the one ordering something I’ve never heard of. When something goes wrong on a trip — which it always does — I’m usually the one who saw it coming and didn’t say anything.
Nicole — Copilot, Pittsburgh Native, Local Expert
Nicole grew up in Pittsburgh and brings the real Yinzer perspective to everything we write about the Steel City — the food, the neighborhoods, the family traditions, and the gifts that actually feel like Pittsburgh. She’s my favorite travel partner, the photographer who finds the shots I walk past, and the reason our local guides are actually local.
What You’ll Find Here
This site is part travel journal, part local guide, part aviation history hangar, and part creative studio. Aviation and military history written from a pilot’s perspective. Iceland travel guides from our Ring Road trip. St. Augustine local guides from people who actually live here. Pittsburgh stories from Nicole’s hometown. Food and drink reviews from wherever we end up.
Recent from the Blog
We publish new posts regularly across travel, aviation history, local guides, and food. Here’s what we’ve been working on lately:
- Operation Rolling Thunder: The F-105 Thunderchief, the 100-Mission Math, and Robin Olds’ Greatest Ambush — The story of the Thud, the brutal odds of flying 100 missions into North Vietnam, and how Robin Olds used deception to destroy seven MiGs in fifteen minutes.
- What to Pack for Iceland in the Fall: Layers, Waterproof Gear, and What We Wish We’d Known — A practical packing guide from people who actually did the Ring Road in September, including what’s essential and what you’ll never use.
- Icelandic Wool: Why It’s Worth the Price, How to Care for It, and What We Brought Home — The lopapeysa, the lopi, and the blanket Nicole still uses every winter. What makes Icelandic wool different, and where to buy it without getting burned.
- The F-4 Phantom II: Vietnam, Robin Olds, Operation Bolo, and the Fighter That Went to Top Gun — Why the Phantom defined a generation of fighter aviation and what Robin Olds’ mustache has to do with all of it.
- Browse all aviation history posts →
- Browse all Iceland travel guides →
SunSpun Creations
SunSpun Creations is our small Etsy shop where we design and sell original shirts, prints, posters, stickers, ornaments, and gifts. The designs come directly from the stories on this blog — WWII aviation art, Pittsburgh and Yinzer pride, St. Augustine landmarks, travel-inspired tees, and more. We’re a 5-star Etsy Star Seller with free shipping on every order. Browse the full shop here.
Thanks for being here.
— Ben and Nicole