Life and Travel: A Journey Through Time, Passion, and Reflection

Life is travel. I recall a piece I wrote back in the mid 90’s as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, working on my master’s in education. Since then, I have continued my career as an educator in some capacity to this day. Along the way, I added another career—one in travel—when I wanted to explore beyond the restrictive bureaucracy of the education system in which I worked.

✈️ Travel Career and Life Journey
The funny thing is that now I part-time teach English a few nights weekly within a travel agency, merging my two professional passions—something I’ve written about before. While this isn’t new to the blog, its new format mostly focuses on the travel industry. It never really got a proper new name—though that was the intent when I restarted it last fall, October to be exact, or at least I think so. Still, it holds the essence of its predecessor, “Weathering the Storm with the WP.” Anyone who has been in travel and education as long as I have knows: something is always just around the corner to keep us on our toes, be it a weather-related issue—literally—or a geopolitical situation—neither of which we are responsible for.

🌍 Navigating Travel Industry Challenges
But, we have to be there for our clients no matter what, or for our students, no matter what. I mentioned in the beginning: life itself is travel, or a series of events that we can call travel. As I recall, the piece I wrote those many years ago was actually called “Traveling through Life,” or something like that. The reason I brought it up in the first place was, one, this last week has been “normal” in its routine, and I was not on the road but simply doing my thing. Still, another trip around the sun did happen for me. Yes, a birthday—this past Monday, the 9th of March happened—and I reached another number, about which the Beatles wrote.

The Beatles song where "64" is significant is "When I'm Sixty-Four." Released on the 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, this Paul McCartney-penned track features a vaudeville-style tune exploring themes of aging, long-term love, and retirement.

A funny thing—no, not a funny thing, but a very tragic thing—happened, yes, on my 64th birthday, which is also connected to March 9; that is the passing of the lead singer of BOSTON, Tommy De Carlo. Before becoming the lead singer of BOSTON back in 2007, he was a huge fan of the band and the original lead singer, Brad Delp, who also had a tribute band called Beatlejuice in the mid 1990’s—about the time I wrote my piece called “Traveling Through Life.” Brad died 19 years earlier, on March 9, 2007. Neither Brad nor Tommy made it to 64—and here I am. So, I have been very reflective of many things.

🔥 Passion for Travel at Every Age
I am not retired, not even close; I am aging, yes, and hopefully not gracefully, as I still have fire in my belly for what I do—both as an educator and a professional travel advisor. On the 9th of March, my 64th birthday, hearing of Tommy’s passing and, of course, Brad’s passing in 2007, was a double gut punch on a week that had all the geo-political drama that anyone in the travel industry can handle. The impact on my business was light, but for my colleagues here in Italy—and I can imagine elsewhere—it was extremely impactful. I am very lucky in that regard. Life and Travel are forever intertwined, and that is not something we are able to separate. I knew that then, before joining the travel industry, and it is more powerful now.

Is there a master plan for the future? Not really. Well, yes, there is a succession plan being worked on, but don’t worry—you are not getting rid of me that quickly. Real life events, even distant ones, have an impact, and while the looming “age of retirement” is on the horizon, that is an old-fashioned mentality. If I am healthy and happy and still passionate about what I am doing, age is just a number, a word, and a state of mind. Yes, these things are in the back of my mind—how can they not be?—but my maternal grandfather, about whom I have written before, had his dental practice for over 50 years before he was forced to retire well into his 80’s.

Will I go that long? Probably not. But completing 25 years, in the year 2032, as the Wandering Puffin would be nice—and that will be when I am 70—but we will see. There is no legal reason I need to retire, and I love what I do. It keeps me busy, happy, and out of trouble. Besides, retirement is for “old” people—and what do they do when they retire? Travel, of course. Well, I am traveling now and have been since I was 6 years of age. Will I slow down a bit? Maybe, but who knows. Some things I can control and others not. For me, life and business are fully intertwined—and yes, Rosa is a part of that. There will be a time and a place, and I hope I am able to make that decision and it is not made for me, unlike my nono. But, as with the passing of Tommy and Brad and anyone for that matter, we never know.

💡 Life Lessons from a Travel-Filled Journey
Steven Wright, in one of his comedic skits, says he knew when he was going to die because his birth certificate had an expiration date. It goes something like this: "I told her I knew when I was going to die because my birth certificate has an expiration date." My birth certificate does not have one, so I will continue in this game of life and the business of travel—planning, arranging, educating—and retaining a passion for this crazy thing called life, in which I am traveling each and every day I wake up and take a new breath.

RIP Brad and RIP Tommy. You both have had a profound impact on my life the past 50 years, and for my clients, colleagues, friends, and readers of this blogpost, thank you always for your support, and until next time, Rock On!!!

✨ Let’s Reflect Together
Life and travel are such intertwined journeys—each day bringing new experiences, challenges, and adventures. I’d love to hear from you: How has travel shaped your own life or perspective? Do you see travel as more than just a movement from place to place? What passions keep you going no matter your age or career stage? Feel free to share your stories, thoughts, or even questions below—I’m here to keep the conversation going and support your own adventure in travel and life. Until next time, keep exploring and living fully!