I have been very lucky to have people around me, especially in the past several months who are understanding of my situation, of which I hold responsibility, but also of which, in certain cases, have no control. I also have tried to be very understanding of their situations that have impacted their lives and indirectly mine. All will be addressed in due course. The dealings with the bureaucracy, which we all must address at one time, or another continues to rear its ugly head and while perhaps, when I was in my 30’s and 40’s, would have become angry and quite frustrated, handle it better now as I creep up on 60. Time is too precious to expend angry energy on things you can’t control. ​

It has been an amazing week here in the Land of Fire and Ice and returning here after 2 years has brought my passion for this destination back into focus. I have met new people, both in business and personal encounters and re-connected in person with colleagues who I had not seen in these past few years, a direct result of the pandemic. Going through the immigration process along with the Covid protocol enlightened me and it seemed to work rather well, so if you are prepared for the process, having all your documentation, you should be fine. 
My time here a week ago, started with a re-connection with a very good friend, Sven, who resides here in Iceland, now for many years, but is originally from Germany, so it was nice to hang out and experience some of the island and just catching up for the day at which time, I was dropped off at the airport and met up with my group and off we were to the Snaefellsness Peninsula, a destination here in Iceland I had not been to in over 15 years, so in effect, it was a new experience, both in the places we explored, but the time of year, and for the record, the Snaefellsness, is where I saw my first puffins here in Iceland, in the wild, those many years ago. Other experiences, I had included hiking into a lava tube cave, which was certainly an experience and one I do recommend, but the landscape, and no I did not see the glacier, always covered by cloud cover, and the weather, did not deter from having a wonderful time. One of the other highlights was going out on the boat and having the Viking sushi experience. 

Wow, I can’t believe it has been 14 years since I started my business in this crazy industry called travel and tourism and I have no regrets. It has been an amazing ride and which continues as I start my 15th year in business tomorrow and my 25th year in this industry. I have weathered 9/11, the Great Recession and now the pandemic. I feel each time there has been a crisis, be it major or minor, I have become stronger, wiser, and more knowledgeable. Yet, every day is a new experience and a refresher course in what this industry is all about and the tasks I have in it. I take every one of these tasks seriously as my valued clients have placed their trust in me to arrange their travels and adventures to fit their needs, wants and desires. They are spending their hard-earned money and using their most valuable commodity, time, to have experiences and create memories that will last a lifetime. That is a big responsibility I have taken on and one I will continue to do. Being in this industry is not a job, but my passion. Yes, it is work and the best things in life require work to make them last, be it a profession or a relationship. Their trust in me is something I cherish, take very seriously, and do not want to lose. 

Lately, I have been writing about heavy hitter subjects like remembering 9/11 and the pandemic and of course, the impact on my business and my personal life. These are very important topics and certainly deserve the attention and as the pandemic is still going on and life is still not back to normal like it was BC, Before Covid, it will continue to be a part of my discourse throughout my blogs and hopefully, sooner, rather than later, we won’ be talking about it anymore, but like anything else, it is something of which, we will need to always to be reminded, as human beings have short memories. When things are good and right now, they still are not, we tend to forget and that is when things happen, but they seem to be getting better. One of my favorite teachers, no, my favorite teachers, used to say, “everything is a mixed blessing” and I truly believe it as this tragedy of Covid has had many negatives, but also many positives, about which I have spoken over the past 9 months or so. 

I have spent the better part of the past 4 weeks writing about my travels and justifiably so. I am in the travel industry and will be starting my 15th year as the Wandering Puffin later this month.  I want to share my experiences to help excite people to travel again and many are or plan to do so shortly or hopefully in the future, sooner or later. I see my clients with their desire to move forward and being there for them is exciting, especially during this pandemic. Travel opens up the world. It educates people and it helps to shrink the differences about people. In my travels around the world and around the country, I have met many people from all different backgrounds, cultures, and even with differences, and having traveled around the world for most of my life, I find that people simply want to live their lives, be happy, and do the right thing. 
I am frustrated with many things going on revolving around the travel industry, but mostly the politics and misinformation that is out there from sources outside of the industry, that impact me, my business and my industry. I don’t like headlines that tend to scare people, simply to sell more advertising, but I am happy to work through the concerns and questions my clients have, so they can make educated decisions. The problem with headlines is that they are just that. No detail and intended to shock and scare. 
When the EU recommended that their member nations change their rules to allow or disallow citizens from America and other nations, my clients, those planning on going to Europe in the future, as soon as this month and into next year, started to freak out. I was there to explain the details and provide guidance and explain that for the most part, if they were vaccinated, they would be fine. Yes, some of the countries have re-instituted the need for a negative Covid test as well, which I am fine with and others nothing. Some, however, have opted to not even accept the CDC Covid Vaccine Card and so, like this country with 50 states and 50 different processes, the European Union’s 27 member nations each have their own way. Yes, they have that right and each is a sovereign nation. 
I am also an educator and believe in the science and did get my Covid vaccines as soon as I was able and when the booster is available, I will be in line. The science has been around for years, not less than 2 years. This is not the first SARS virus. When I go to Iceland, a negative Covid test is required and I will be ready to test and I hope the results will be good. I hope to get to London and back to Rome and again, I need to test and I will.  I don’t want to be political about this, but my life and my profession have been directly impacted by other’s decisions to not follow the science. I know I will get flack for saying that, but I have never shied away from speaking my mind. I understand those that perhaps, medically are told not to vaccinate, but those that are healthy should and it is playing out with those that have not. Not only is my industry being impacted, but those who fall ill to Covid cost me money in hospitalization. I would like to have sympathy and perhaps in the beginning I did when we first were hit with the virus when there were options, but now there are. Think beyond yourself and not only about yourself. Remember that every action or inaction has an impact beyond yourself and that is what has happened. I even got my flu shot recently.
As always, I am interested in your thoughts, comments, questions and adding to the discourse is always appreciated be in on the site itself or on Facebook, Twitter or wherever you read this. Thank you for your support of this small business and it is truly appreciated!!!

Awesome, and so it was planned, and then the move to New England. Well, being here, and while I could have flown back to Minnesota, other plans came into play including Iceland on that same day, so I knew, I would not get to see them. The tickets are in the hands of Matt, with whom you are familiar, as he is my admin, social media guru and many other accolades, most importantly friend. ​

The whirlwind tour of America and the Hard Rocks within that I could experience is done for now. I have met some amazing people and experienced many things along the way, arriving in New Hampshire 4 nights ago. I have also tried to have some good family time. I also starting my shopping, yes shopping for my adventure in Iceland in October, and beyond, and since there are outlets across the border in Maine, I ventured into the Columbia shop and bought some stuff, so I am prepared. I did not, due to my change in lifestyle and weight loss, have any winter type clothes as I donated most, if not all to the Goodwill before I left Minnesota some three weeks ago. 

As always, I am interested in your thoughts, comments, questions and adding to the discourse is always appreciated be in on the site itself or on Facebook, Twitter or wherever you read this. Thank you for your support of this small business and it is truly appreciated!!!