Mother’s Day was yesterday, and Father’s Day is in June and while I am neither to kids of my own, I have been an integral part of many kid’s lives over the past 35 years or so as an educator. First, as an ESL volunteer, para-professional and classroom teacher in New York City back in the mid to late 80’s, as a special education teacher here in Minnesota in the early to mid - 90’s and since 2006, working in childcare in one of the local school districts, where one of my first students is now my multi – media specialist and much more as we work through this pandemic. As an aside, I also helped raise my ex’s two kids and was there to support them from early childhood into adulthood. 
I am not looking for accolades or any honorable mention, but simply reflecting on the fact, especially during this Covid crisis, how important mothers and mother figures have been in helping to navigate and facilitate these volatile waters in the schools in which I work and continue to do so. I very much respect all who have been there throughout, mothers and mother figures who continue to nuture and help us all get through this crisis, including many of my colleagues. We will all have to deal with this for some time to come and knowing there are those out there willing to help, giving us hope that we will make it through, with their tireless effort, no amount of thanks is enough, so here’s a shout out to all those who have been there for us. Thank you. You are truly appreciated!!!
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. Your support of this small business is truly appreciated!!!

I have been reading articles in the last week or so, on the travel current state of affairs and frankly, it annoys me that, while under the guise of protecting the population, the US State Department makes most of the world, a travel alert of the highest caliber and realistically, they don’t give “real” reasons why and yes, there are exceptions. So why are a majority at a level 4 threat and others at level 3. They claim they have changed to reflect the CDC, but the CDC says that those who are fully vaccinated are safe to travel. So, if we travel overseas as a fully vaccinated traveler, to a country that is currently allowing Americans in, still, when returning home, must have a Covid test with a negative result. 
In my opinion, there are countries that need to be avoided due to the potential for terrorism and where Covid is out of control like India or Brazil. Even in The Netherlands, when I read the threat level was raised to 4, it noted the potential for violence due to demonstrations, but also Covid. In these cases, it makes sense to raise the threat level, but to raise the level to the highest level or second highest level for most of the world, having a broad brushstroke is irresponsible. All of this is very confusing to the traveling public and therefore more challenging to the professional travel advisor to sort through all the details, albeit worthwhile to assure, that the client makes the best decision for themselves, based on accurate and more importantly detailed information, not just a blanket statement. 
More and more countries are opening with certain restrictions, be it a negative Covid test, being fully vaccinated or having recovered from Covid. Even the European Union as a bloc is in the process of opening by summer with any luck and cooperation. Yet, our own government is telling us not to travel overseas to almost anywhere with their travel alerts. These actions will add more issue to an industry that has been devastated by the pandemic, through no fault of our own, with little government assistance over the past year plus. By the way, thank you to the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) of which I am a member for their commentary on these government actions and continuing to promote what the travel advisor does and the value by helping sift through this crisis and making sure that their valued clients are taken care of. 
I want to promote travel and I want to travel again and believe we can do it safely. We need to move forward and not stagnate. Travel is a major part of the US economy and the longer these rules are in place, the longer it is going to take to recover. Lives and livelihoods have been catastrophically affected. I want everyone to be safe, but I also want Americans to be able to make up their own minds and not be controlled by the action of the government, so please give complete and accurate information, not just a headline. 
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. Your support of this small business is truly appreciated!!!

One year today, I started on a very personal journey, inspired by a special lady in my life. It was the 25th of April, when Italy moved from essentially a total lockdown to phase 2 as their world started to open. She told me she was going out for a 30-minute walk, so being competitive, I said I would do 35 minutes. Well, I did not. I think I was lucky to do 20 minutes, but it was a start.  I was exhausted and out of breath, but it was a start of the journey. I shared my experience with her. She said if I do it for 21 days, I would own it, as I will internalize it. Well, I did and the rest, as they say, is history. 
I had an initial goal of losing 100 pounds, essentially 50 kilos and got there by Christmas day, 8 months to the day, ending up just under 225 pounds. Yes, I was that heavy when I started, maybe even more than that. Of course, I was proud of this accomplishment, but I was not done. As winter truly set in, I decided to try for another 25 pounds, essentially 10 kilos, which I knew would be a slower process, but I was determined to make this new goal, also inspired by that special lady, to get down to 90 kilos, or just under 200 pounds. 
I was never on a diet during this whole process, only ate healthier choices, cut out most junk food and soda and walked every day, on average 3 to 5 miles to start (6 to 10 kilometers) and cooked most of my own meals, being a former chef, so it turned me back on to experimenting with different food combinations from the fridge, cabinets and spending time finding fresh fruits and veggies and the local farmer’s market each weekend. I wanted to try to do this by a year to the date I met her, but that deadline passed, so I decided that one year to the day, would be the deadline when I started this journey. Well, I am happy to say that this morning I reached that goal, both by pounds and kilos. 
I share this story to let people know, and perhaps, inspiration, that if something is important enough and have the desire to make it happen, you can accomplish anything. This blog entry was totally of a personal nature and I give my sincere Grazie Mille to you Rosa!!! 
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. Your support of this small business is truly appreciated!!!

Where do you want to travel, now and in the future? My list remains long, especially since last year the travels were short since travel, was, for the most part, halted in its tracks. It is now time to make up for the lost time. Really, though, we can’t make up for lost time as time continues to move on. We never get that time back, be it for travel, family, friends or whatever is most important to you. All we can do is make the best of the situation of which we had no control.  We still have to be vigilant, but also optimistic.  We will travel again, and that said, the Wandering Puffin will be doing just that in less than two months to a country, that with the proper protocol, including proof of the vaccine regimen completed, will allow Americans in. I am crossing the pond and truly excited to return to this continent, almost 15 months to the day I left. 
Where you ask? I am glad you did!!! I will tell you and share my experiences I have while there. Oh, almost forgot!!! I am returning to Croatia to attend the ASTA Destination Expo which will be held in Dubrovnik, an amazing walled city on the Adriatic Sea. While I have been there before, I will have a new perspective of this destination which will also include a mini island hopping cruise out of Split, time truffle hunting and other experiences in Istria and ending in the capital, Zagreb. Some places will be a return visit, but with a new appreciation in this time of Covid, some totally new, but the Wandering Puffin is spreading his wings again. 
Croatia, known for its amazing landscape, wonderful national parks, a beautiful coastline, colorful history and culture, not to mention the delicious foods, locally sourced, and wine for any palette and contrary and with apologies to my Italian colleagues and friends, the Crljenak grape from Croatia, is the original zinfandel varietal, not the Primitivo grape from Italy. I will be sharing my experiences with the GoPro and doing Facebook Live presentations at every opportunity sharing an amazing destination in a very different time. 
Where do you want to travel when you are ready? The Wandering Puffin wants to know and thanks you for following me and for your support of this small business. Your comments, questions and thoughts are always welcome, so please join the discourse. I look forward to hearing from you on this subject or from previous blogs.

Welcome to spring in full bloom and the celebration of Easter, Passover and Ramadan. This spring is hopefully a return to some sense of normalcy for everyone in many industries including mine, travel. I see the signs where there are peaks of light emerging. Clients and potential new clients are reaching out to me for scheduling and re-scheduling their travels, looking at the latest destinations to open and I am simply seeing the signs that maybe, just maybe, we have turned a corner, and yet, I know, we still have a ways to go. 
Safety is paramount in any case, even as the guidelines continually evolve. The CDC has now stated that those with the two-shot vaccine (Moderna and Pfizer) or the one shot vaccine (Johnson & Johnson), plus the two weeks post shot window, will be able to depart from domestic airports without having a negative Covid test result and as I understand it, even leaving for international destinations, as well. American announced that they will start flying to Milan and Rome as a test for quarantine free flights in May, which personally excites me. I know that other airlines had test flights to Italy, but only for those designated as essential. 

As I mentioned in my blog post on Monday, there are currently some beautiful volcanic eruptions happening in Iceland as we speak. Huge shoutout and photo credit to my friend and colleague Sven Strumann who has just sent me this amazing photography which shows up close the power and beauty of the volcanos.

Iceland just erupted and I am not just talking about the volcanic eruption that happened a few days ago. Don’t worry, no one is in danger unlike the last eruption that happened during the Eyjafjallajökull Volcano (Get a link for this volcanic eruption) which erupted a little over 10 years ago and caused lots of delays, cancellations and other discomfort across Europe and also parts of Iceland. This latest eruption is that of the Icelanders opening up their borders to Americans again, and if you have valid proof of having had the vaccines for Covid, then you are allowed to return. I know I spoke about a vaccine passport, so it is nice that certain countries are figuring out a way. 

Why the Wandering Puffin for those who have not read this on my website? The name goes back many years, 1987 to be exact, where my passion (perhaps obsession) started for those cute and very sociable little birds, of which there are three species, the Atlantic (or Common), the Tufted and the Horned with their colorful beaks and sometimes known as clown birds. They are commonly confused with penguins, but are definitely different and while both penguins and puffins are seabirds and both black and white with the added colorful features, that is where the similarities end. Puffins fly, penguins don’t. Penguins are found in the southern hemisphere, puffins in the northern hemisphere. They are not related but it does seem that they do wander the globe quite a bit and offered me the the perfect name when I started Wandering Puffin!

Looking at the destinations that are open or are opening up sooner than others, I think the key is the vaccine passport as the future, and as the yellow fever card is the standard for many destinations around the world, this vaccine passport will provide the same. Getting it standardized and followed by all, if not a majority of the countries of the world will be the difficult thing, although, it seems it should not be, given its huge benefit for our collective future. The vaccine card should not be politicized and I am not saying it is. It should be a world card accepted by all and have the pertinent and undeniable information on there to allow the world to open up again safely and in this 21st century, be electronic so that it is easily manageable.