Weathering the Storm with the WP#225

I was contemplating what to write for my last blog post, not permanent last blog post, but one that will be noted as a jumping off point for the fall, when I will hopefully be re-focusing my posts more on the destinations, the whys, the special locations, the out of the way places. It has been my privilege to write these posts since the beginning of the pandemic as a way to share with clients, colleagues, and others, including myself, that we would get through that terrible time. As I reflect back, it was to say, I am still here and so the business will be, as well, and yes, it still is and stronger than ever. And it turned out that way, through hard work, dedication, and a faith that anything is possible and tried to stay true to myself and continue to remain positive. I have been in this business since 1997 and the company, since 2007, so while I know it is due to hard work, and dedication to this amazing profession, nothing is ever easy, but the result has made it all worthwhile. ​

I also thought this is the time to reflect on all that has happened and as it turns out, in two days’ time, I will have been living here in Italy for one year. Yes, I left the US in June of 2024, but spent the better part of two weeks in the United Kingdom at conferences about Latin America and Africa, destinations of which I am familiar and have traveled as well and flew from London on the 4th of July, so yes, I guess calling it my independence from America, as I flew that day, to Rome to start my new life in the old world. It is something that I had thought about, years ago, but to possibly places of my ancestry, but a beautiful lady changed all that and as you know, Rome is home and as of last December, I became a permanent resident. ​

My attendance at these meetings, and any of the international travel trade shows I have attended, including those two weeks, allowed me to vet new and connect with existing partners in these regions of the world, as trusted as my European partners with whom I work, so you can think of the Wandering Puffin beyond Europe, as I handle South America, Africa, Central America and Asia and with my trusted partnerships around the world, I hope you will consider me as your trusted travel professional to handle all of your travel planning, and of course, Europe, but also beyond. If you have an idea, let me know and let me see I can put it together. If not, and there is someone better suited, I will connect you with my partners. I am full service and want to handle all of your travel needs and look forward to doing so. ​

Of course, I am also an educator and have been even before I became a part of the travel industry, when I first started teaching elementary school in the 80’s, and to now, teaching English as a foreign language here in Rome. I have worked in special education, before and after school and summer programs and my first teaching job was actually as a volunteer in the New York City Public Schools as a tutor to children from Brazil who had to learn English, so I guess I have come full circle in those 40 years, but most importantly, as a Verified and Trusted Travel Advisor, I am here to educate and support my clients on each and every trip to the best of my ability. I arm them with as much information as they need, and sometimes more, so that their trips go as smoothly as possible. I expect to be there for them when there are bumps in the road and that is how I have been since the beginning. ​

The new blog posts, in their new format, will start middle to end of September, if all goes well, and who knows, maybe a new name. There will always be storms we need to navigate and that will never change, but if the focus of the blogpost changes, maybe the name as well. I, along with my trusted social media guru and webmaster, will be working through this during the summer, where here the temperatures, even though it has just turned to July hover in the high 90’s (33 to 35 degrees c) with a humidity to boot. I have some travels coming up as the school will close for a few weeks in August, but coming up in the near future, actually, tomorrow, Rosa and I will be off to see the “Boss” in Milano, so coming back to Rome on the 4th of July, the official one year from the time I moved here. I am also headed to France for a long weekend, with a focus on WWI and Brie cheese. Okay, more than that and it will be tasty, and later on in the summer, to cooler climes, to Finland and Sweden, so the summer will be busy, and Rosa will be joining me for part of it. ​

So, I want to sign off here with a thank you for allowing me the opportunity to write these posts for over 5 years now and I hope that they have inspired, entertained, amused and any other emotion they may have emitted. I truly enjoyed sharing the stories and the life changing moments I have had from meeting Rosa to now with all of life’s little peccadillos. I love that word and so appreciate it being used in a line by Robin Williams in “Good Will Hunting”. Humans are resilient and will find ways to get through life’s challenges and it has helped me to write these posts over the past 5 years, both on a professional level and seeing the challenges, but also the personal, but it is time to put this blog to rest and look forward to a different way of doing things. ​

Your ideas, suggestions, and comments as to what you may want to see in the new blog come the fall are always appreciated, in fact welcomed, as I would like this to become more interactive. Will there be personal things, I am sure, but I want to focus more on the professional side. We will see what happens, but for now, I am taking a hiatus from writing for a few months to focus on other important parts of my life and truly enjoy my time with Rosa here in Rome and other places, so please share your thoughts. 
Lastly, and as always, thank you, we so appreciate your support of our crazy little world, would love to welcome you to this side of the pond for a visit, if and when you wish to be here, and, of course, remain healthy, safe, and happy, most importantly, in this craziness in which we find ourselves. There will always be bumps in the road and it is how you handle them. Focus on the things you can control and let go of the things that you can’t. Life is too short to stress and while we all can’t be happy, all the time, find something that truly does make you happy and make that a focus. Your outlook will change as you stay on that path.