Places I've been

As a child, and through my young adult years, I was lucky enough to travel to different parts of the US and world with my parents and brothers. When we were very young, my mother would load us up in the station wagon and travel the Southeast, stopping at every single tourist trap there was. It was a lot of fun! Lots of “are we there yet?” arguing in the backseat! As I got older, I spent a month in South America with my parents, visiting Columbia, Brazil, Peru, and Chile, with a brief stop in Argentina. (There was a coup happening, and they wouldn’t let us off the plane!) I spent many years as a professional photographer, so my travels gave me an opportunity to add to my portfolios. I also spent a month in Europe with a business partner/friend, traveling through Bavaria, (Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria) driving the back roads and visiting small towns and the large cities. I’ve been to England a number of times, France, Greece, Turkey, Israel and East Africa. Some of this was business, some pleasure. My most pleasurable trips have always been to the mountains. I just hate heat, don’t ever really get cold, and I love to breath the fresh air of the mountains. I loved the Alps and the Rockies, and I do love to ski, although I have not been in way too long. I love wearing warm clothes and sitting by a fire, and the cold is so energizing to me. Then of course, there is Belize. I love Belize because of the diversity of the country. The mountains, rivers, archeology, the birds and animals really speak to me of a great history. Though not much of a beach person, the island of Ambergris Caye has such character and characters that I thoroughly enjoy every stay there. I do not snorkel, dive or even get in the water (very much) but the beauty of the island and the graciousness of the local people make it a fun, relaxing destination. Since being in the travel business, I have learned to appreciate cruising, and do short cruises quite often. Unfortunately, lately, I am so busy I don’t really get a chance to travel to distant destinations very often, although I do get invited to many places. Maybe next year I’ll have some extra time!