What Travel Was and Will Be

August 14, 2021.Reading time 6 minutes.

Travel used to be an adventure, but we’re all a little bit rusty now, still in the “relearning to travel” stage. Except that this is going to be harder than just getting back on the bike and peddling again.

BOUNCING BACK or Making a Swivel?

June 19, 2021.Reading time 4 minutes.

You can call it your bounce back or the end of your own personal pandemic hell, but it does finally seem like the right time to return to the dance. But will your cha-cha be the same?

Do You Have a Post-Pandemic Travel Wish List?

April 20, 2021.Reading time 5 minutes.

Are you ready to come out of your COVID cloud and travel somewhere? It’s time to lift off and go places again (safely, of course). Where are your post pandemic travel dreams taking you these days? I’m sharing a few of mine here.

Dear Sweet February. . .

February 8, 2021.Reading time 5 minutes.

Well I think we can all agree that January was a bust, but here to save us at last is February. It’s short; it’s sweet. And so is this post.

STAY CALM – THE END IS NEAR!

December 28, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

It’s been a hellofayear for us all, right? Time to take a peaceful pause and get ready for what lies ahead.

AH November – Thank You Covid

November 7, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

Even in a weird way there are still things to be grateful for in November 2020. Here is my short list.

“TRAVITUDE”

September 16, 2020.Reading time 10 minutes.

Are you grumpy because you miss travel? Then you’re in my new group where we all suffer with travitude. Read on for what that means and how sharing our travel memories can help us cope!

Meeting Business as Usual – with caveats

July 28, 2020.Reading time 12 minutes.

If you’re curious about what it’s like to get on an airplane again as well as check in to a hotel during pandemic pandemonium read on for details from my recent experience on a business trip to Nashville.

Meet My Friends, Stranded by C-19 in a Van in Mexico

June 19, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

Once upon a time (pre-pandemic) people actually had a choice in turning their lives upside down! This is that story. Meet my friends Curt and Snow, Van Life Travelers stranded by C-19 in Mexico.

Remember Travel?

April 21, 2020.Reading time 8 minutes.

Tired of sitting at home staring out the window and thinking about your next escape? Take a journey with me as we visually revisit some of my personal travel ‘postcards’, and who knows? Maybe you will be inspired to pull out some of your own memories! Yet one more activity you can do from the comfort of your couch!

Wag This Way

February 13, 2020.Reading time 5 minutes.

May you never bark at your own reflection.

Christmas on a Cruise?

December 18, 2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

Yes, we finally did it exactly one year ago this month. And while I had a tiny bit of pre-trip anxiety about what it would be like (well, actually more like a feeling of “nothing can beat Christmas in my jammies at home with my “special eggnog” and sister’s delicious homemade cookies, but go ahead […]

Anchors Aweigh – Thoughts from a Military Funeral

November 11, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

Seems weird writing a blog post about a funeral but then again this wasn’t just your average family funeral. This one had a bugler, a bagpiper, a full military band, horse drawn caisson, and the seven member honor guard with rifles at hand, all in place to provide the final salute to this decorated […]

Meeting Notes From the Kingdom

October 11, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

Worked a meeting at ‘the happiest place on earth’ last week, aka Walt Disney World here in Orlando, and yes, I couldn’t resist snapping a few photos of the not-so-hidden Mickey’s you see everywhere. And by everywhere I do mean, well, see for yourself.

Being the First – One Small Step

July 18, 2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

I was the last child born into a family of four, so growing up I didn’t have a lot of experience with being the first. But here are some people that do:

* Barack Obama, USA’s first African American President
* Sandra Day O’Connor, first female US Supreme Court Justice
* Charles Lindbergh, first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean

Then there was this guy, Neil Armstrong. First man to step foot on the moon.

Nashville Notes

June 14, 2019.Reading time 4 minutes.

Had a great week working a new client program in Nashville at the world famous Gaylord Opryland Hotel which, if you’ve never been there, is a bit, well, large. Actually it’s huge.

Think I’m exaggerating? Here’s my daily mileage assessment as per my actual step counts:

In Living Coral

May 23, 2019.Reading time 2 minutes.

Living Coral - Pantone Color of the Year 2019

Do you have a favorite color? I do. Seeing anything in a shade of peachy-coral, pale or even bright orange can put me in my happy place, so you can imagine how big my smile was when I first read the news that Pantone had named coral the color of the year for 2019.

Things I’ll Miss About Christmas This Year

December 14, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

You know how sometimes we all get caught up in a snow-globe blurry whirlwind of shopping/baking/decorating/entertaining in addition to eating and drinking too much this time of year? Well guess what? I’ve found a cure for all that. It’s called take a trip.

That’s right. Leave the country, and don’t look back on your way out of town. And now that we’re approaching departure, I’m here to tell you that this is my year to do just that! Most likely by the time you read this, I’ll be at least one champagne toast and thousands of miles away enjoying a never ending flight [in United’s Polaris Club Business Class, no less!] to the land ‘down unda’ , aka Australia. Yep. A trip we’ve talked about for several years finally aligned with the sun and stars and a full moon and voilá! Tickets were purchased, plans confirmed, schedules rearranged, bags were packed [and repacked. . .] and off we go. It’s an epic adventure, for sure, and you can expect some good stories to follow in this blog about all those escapades and detours as we explore and discover not only Australia but also New Zealand and Tasmania.

Life is a Trip – But Where Are You Going?

December 7, 2018.Reading time 4 minutes.

I’ve heard the silence recently and it sounded like this: “TML, we haven’t seen you post anything in a while. We miss your writing because shucks, sometimes it’s pretty darn amusing! Where the heck are you?”

[Pausing while I raise my hand]: “Right here in Las Vegas, working another meeting. Can you see me now?”

“No wait, now I’m in San Francisco!”

“Um, don’t blink because I just arrived in Indianapolis. . .and Chicago, now Ft. Lauderdale, San Antonio, Erie/PA, Orlando, Dallas, Detroit, Branson/MO, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Kansas City, and now back in Orlando again. Did I mention NYC? Well, I was there again, too…”

Farewell to the Hive!

April 25, 2018.Reading time 2 minutes.

This is both hello and goodbye to all my Hospitality Hive readers! Sorry to report that the Orlando Sentinel made a recent decision to end the run of all our Hype Orlando blog columns effective April 30, so this is it.

The Hospitality Hive was created in 2014, and since then I’ve shared close to 100 blog posts covering topics that ranged from tacky tourists to really cool hotel events to the invasion of Chinese travelers in Florida. I shared my fun and educational experience as a pie judge for the American Pie Council annual competition and my enjoyment at attending a beer tasting dinner, which by the way was also educational but heck I’m not going to lie, mostly about fun. I told you about ice carving competitions held poolside at The Rosen Centre Hotel and shared with you details about my chosen profession which is as a meeting planner.