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weathering the
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Why you ask, am I in Dallas, of all places, especially, with the crazy weather this region of the country has been happening, well, really, everywhere. I am here for the newly named Travel Advisor Conference held in a different destination each year, and as I will be leaving, as everyone knows by now, I had to have one last hurrah, at an event stateside, although a few days ago, just before the Memorial Day weekend, went to an Iceland Roadshow in Boston. While I only live 40 miles away from where that event took place, it took almost 2 hours to get there with traffic etc. The flight yesterday was delayed about 1 ½ hours due to the weather here, but I arrived safely and looking forward to my time here, between the rains. Apparently, power was lost here yesterday, but my hotel, about a 5-minute walk away said they did not lose power. Actually, it did, at least for a short time, as the clock in the room was flashing a wrong time, but everything is good.
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 Time is fleeting and 30 days from today, I depart the USA without a scheduled return. In between there is still much to do, but more of my decisions have been made. Also, there is never a straight line in my life, either business or personal, but after this past weekend visiting the family in Alabama, with a conference in Boston tomorrow and a longer conference in Dallas starting a week from now, there is never a dull moment in my life. Every day between now and the 21st of June, is extremely important to be prepared for my future in Europe with Rosa, one where I finally get to be with my wife and not have to worry about 90 days from arrival, having to leave again. The bureaucratic wheels are turning and while slow, are turning and that is a good thing. A major decision, and while expensive up front, was made last week. I am taking what’s left of my worldly possessions, including my vehicle and mostly sentimental items including artwork and other collectibles with me. I found a company that will ship not only my SUV, but all those items, able to fit into a 4 x 8 U-Haul trailer across the pond. The hitch is that since I just paid off my vehicle, US Customs and Border Control will not allow me to take it out of the country for 6 months from the paid in full date, which was the 15th of May. Why, you may ask, as I did. It turns out that there are vehicles that are paid off and then “stolen” and brought overseas for several reasons. In any case, what this means is that all the items, including the vehicle, as they will be shipped together, must sit in storage until that 6-month clock has gone by. It also means that I will be driving my vehicle and my items to the location where sometime later this year, everything will be shipped and delivered to my “home” door to door. It works out much better this way. No more thinking about the artwork and other collectibles including my stamp collection and what to do with them. What to keep and what to get rid of. I have done an awesome job downsizing and there is still a bit more, but in the end, I will be able to enjoy some of my things, finally, once the dust settles, which is the other reason why, getting my “stuff” later this year is fine. As you know, Rosa and I are renovating, or should I say, Rosa, her momma, her sisters are renovating a condo that has been in the family for decades, with its 1970’s décor and equipment to be replaced. This is a process as everything is in Italy and should be ready, fingers crossed in 4 to 5 months. In the meantime, we have an apartment in the same building as momma for the summer, so the fact that my worldly possessions will catch up with me later this year is fine. If I were to receive them sooner, they would simply sit.
My time in the Baltic States was wonderful, well, mostly because I did get a stomach virus or a 24-hour bug, but it happened the night before I was to participate in a morning hot air balloon ride, but better safe than sorry and now I am back to health. The meetings I had and the conference I believe will be fruitful and for being in a destination so close to the front line of one of today’s geo-political, the people in these countries do not reflect an outward fear of being next door to the big bad bear. The people go about their lives and seem to enjoy it. I saw this in all three of the Baltic States. These are countries that look forward to the future, have a modern infrastructure, but at the same time, appreciate their three distinct cultures and histories. I wish I had a chance to do the balloon ride, over Trakai, but having been there before, about 8 years ago, and recalled walking around the castle area. It would have been amazing to see it from a different perspective, from the air. I do recommend, regardless, that it be a place to visit as part of your time in Lithuania and it is only an hour out of Vilnius, if that. The old towns of the capital cities, in this case, Vilnius and Tallinn were impressive, more so, Tallinn, as I had to reflect some 25 years, since I was there last, post-Soviet era. As everyone, I wish I had had more time to explore, but we hit the highlights and while we did not spend time in Latvia’s capital, only flew out of the airport to get to Tallinn, I had been there before in the same trip, some 8 years ago, on the same trip to Lithuania.
I will be in this part of Europe for the week and will also be spending some time in Latvia, albeit short and a bit of time in Estonia, a place I last visited before the turn of the century I believe, but still post-Soviet era times, so I am extremely interested in seeing the great changes there, but that is for later this week. I also had been to Latvia before, and that was some 10 years ago, now, I believe. In any case, for those of my clients looking for a different experience, in very modern societies here in the Baltics, that also hold on to their traditions, in the foods, architecture, culture, there are wonderful opportunities. Also, these countries are on the Euro and part of the European Union. They have the infrastructure and means to provide an amazing experience and if you have two weeks, or even 10 days, all three can be experienced and not feel rushed.
 Hey good afternoon and welcome to May. Here in New England, spring has finally sprung, or maybe it has not. The weather changes remind me of Minnesota, the many years I lived there. It is only in June, when the weather seems to stabilize and by then, I will not be around here or at least not all of it, but that is for another post. Lots of things are happening this month and most of them, I also will not be here, traveling across the pond once and traveling to parts south twice, but ever working on my valued clients travel around the world. It is a good month, as well, as it is Travel Advisor Appreciation Month and more than anything, I appreciate what I can do for my clients and their travels to corners of the earth, planning their adventures and being able to do it from wherever I happen to be. With all the craziness that has occurred over the past 27 + years, I have been doing this, and I am still doing it, for the foreseeable future, is a testament to the passion I have for what I do. Thank you and Happy Travel Advisors Day to me and all of my colleagues in this amazing industry!!! |
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January 2025
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