Travels - why is she doing this?

It all begins with an idea. I have been asked many times if I have a travel Blog. The answer has always been no, but I seem to talk a LOT about my travels. I tell people about all these beautiful and wonderful places I’ve visited, share the pictures I’ve taken, and talk about all the wonderful people I have met. I’ve found that even though we’re led to believe that people who are from different parts of the world wouldn’t understand us, I’ve found we all want the same things. We want to be successful at the goals we set for ourselves, we want to be healthy, we want to enjoy our families (many definitions of family), and we want to be happy.

I was referred to a book ‘Stumbling on Happiness’ by Daniel Gilbert. Happiness is defined in many ways, as many ways as we have people on this earth. Over the last 60+ years of my life, I’ve found that traveling makes me happy. Whether it was riding in the rear window compartment of my family’s car from the Midwest to Florida, traveling for work, or traveling for pleasure, my favorite things are exploring new areas, meeting new people, and experiencing things from another’s perspective. I love to have conversations about how people ended up in their current position, how their families migrated to where they currently live, and how the feel about topics in general.

While attending a conference for Ferrazzi Greenlight, I was asked to interview an individual from the Middle East about his passions. Everyone else at the table, and several people from other tables around us, were listening intently as the gentleman had indicated that his passion was his religion. In my country this can be a very touchy subject. My questions were phrased in a manner that were curious, not asking him to justify why he believed as he did, but how did he become indoctrinated to those beliefs? Was this taught to him by his parents or elders? Was he sent to school to learn? Was he always this religion or did he adopt it sometime during his life? It was supposed to be a 10-minute interview but it turned into 30-45 minutes and a large group of people gathered around us as we chatted. Even though I met him 20+ years ago, we still keep in touch.

I found it doesn’t pay to be judgmental. People turn inward and quiet when you judge their answers. My curiosity is often challenged, but I try to explain that in order to understand them I need to know the basis for their comments. I have had conversations with people where I questioned in my head what they had told me and I’m a trust but verify type person. I verify the facts before I wholly believe in something. I wish more people did this. Now I understand that the truth is defined by the person who truly believes in what they are saying, and different perspectives create different truths. I’m a science person. If you can prove to me with science that my belief is wrong, ok, I can change that belief. I do know that science mutates. On the other hand, it takes a very long time for those mutations to occur.

Over the last 60 years, I have traveled to 46 states within the USA. I’ve traveled to most of of the Canadian provinces, and many places in Mexico. The Caribbean is an old friend, and I’ve added many other countries including Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain, France, Italy, Monaco, Iceland, Kenya, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Tanzania, Sweden, Montenegro, Greece, Argentina, Chile, and Jamaica. In the near future I plan on adding another trip to Iceland and Norway, Portugal, Greenland, and Antarctica.

When traveling, I try to have a camera in my hand, or at least in my bag at all times. I take a lot of shots that aren’t considered art, but a memory I want to keep. One of my greatest fears is someday losing my memory. I want to remember all these wonderful places I’ve visited, and I try to do a photo album after each trip. I’m happy to share with anyone who cares to look at them. I’m hoping my children can also share them with their children.

I plan on doing a blog entry after every trip, and I’ll cover a few of them that I’ve already completed. I hope you enjoy reading about my travels and have the opportunity to schedule trips of your own. I travel with a very knowledgeable group of individuals on my photography trips. They know the areas, culture, and use locals to assist. My trips have been fabulous. If you wish to experience similar trips, go to the artist hub to research what trips might be available and sign-up.