Got to thinking … if I could choose only one place to go (no issues with money, time, etc.) …
where in the world would I go?
I decided it was an interesting question to pose to my team.
Deborah Spangler-Welch is my feisty, fun-loving, wildly creative and invaluable assistant. Her pick: Egypt and Petra.
“Ever since the first time I saw mummies in a London museum, I have been fascinated. I could tell you all about mummification and tombs before I was 10.
I had my ticket, visa and an amazing two-week journey planned for May of 2011. World events – the Arab Spring uprising – upended my dream trip to visit the land of my childhood fantasies.
My revised plan will spend 4 weeks touring the lesser-known sites and cruising the Nile (imagining I am Cleopatra!). I’ll spend days in the Cairo Museum with my private Egyptologist. Hot air ballooning over temples at dawn will permit me to really see the scale. I will stay in a hotel from the days of British rule, like the Mena House. I’ll sleep in a Bedouin tent and visit Petra in Jordan. Naturally, I’ll shop for treasures, haggling to get the best deal.
While we are talking fantasy, Alexander Skarsgrd could be a nice traveling companion!”
Deb and her dreamy traveling companion!
Stephanie Sawyer, my social media guru and marketing support staffer, chose India. (I knew I liked her!)
“Top of my list is a tour of India with my boyfriend, Thomas. I’d go for a month, get out of the main cities and spend time in the countryside. Thomas and I both studied yoga at one point, so I’d like to spend a week at an ashram where we can practice yoga and meditate, take a few courses or workshops. I also know this incredible couple that has opened 60 orphanages throughout India so I couldn’t go there without visiting a few of them and seeing what they have been doing.
My expectation would be to try new things, have a spiritual experience, connect with people from different backgrounds than mine, learn about India’s traditions, eat simply then leave with a renewed excitement for prayer and having learned lessons about myself along the way.”
“I’ve always wanted to meet Amma (“Hugging Mother”) at her ashram.”
Howard Wise, my Senior Program Manager, has been in the business for umpteen years and has never been to Paris! Unbelievable!
“Surprisingly, for someone who has been in the travel business for as long as I have, I’ve never been to Paris. I connected through De Gaulle Airport once but never visited the city. Paris is one of the few places I would want to play tourist and experience the iconic sites – Notre Dame, Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, take a ride on the Metro, etc.”
I can also envision Howard – who is an exceptional baker … taking a cooking class at Cordon Bleu. And sampling pastries at every patisserie he passed by (and never gaining an ounce, damn him!)!
Gabriel Haigazian, my trusty VP of Operations, is probably close to tied with me for numbers of countries visited.
(We need to compare lists and see who is winning!)
“Oh – this is so hard! I’ve always wanted to go to Tibet. I’m intrigued with its “forbidden-ness.’ I love the religion and would like to learn more about it.”
Gabriel and Dan practice their poses at the Potala Palace.
Not surprisingly, my venturesome business partner, Michael Day, chose a place in Africa: Namibia.
(I like it just because of the way it sounds!)
“I want to see and explore another fascinating African destination that is somewhat off-the-track and not mainstream (as yet). Some of the places on my ‘must-visit’ list in Namibia are Caprivi Strip, Fish River Canyon, Sossusvlei, the Skeleton Coast Park, Sesriem, Etosha Pan and the coastal towns of Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. And I want to return with some stunning photographs of this of this very different place on our planet.”
Michael’s passion for exploring was first revealed when, as an Illinois teenager, he took a 22 day solo paddle down the Mississippi River.
My up-and-coming Program Manager, Whitney Merritt, will go on a Downton Abbey experience to Britain.
“I’ll travel with my fiancé, James, who will dress up in Edwardian attire and not complain about it (this is a fantasy, after all!). We’ll be driven by our chauffeur, Thomas, in a vintage Rolls through the undulating Yorkshire countryside. There would be much champagne and tea-tasting involved. And we would not shoot anything.”
The handsome couple on the right are Whitney and James. Don’t their names even sound Downton Abbey-ish?
Stephanie Hoefener, my Accounting Manager, surprised me with her choice.
“I’d take a Grand Tour through Italy and Greece to see the art museums and monuments. I studied art in school, and have always wanted to see the Colosseum, Acropolis and all those fabulous paintings and statues I learned about in books. Seeing them in real life would be incredible!”
Any “grand tour” of Europe’s greatest monuments and museums MUST include frequent gelato tastings!
My hubby, Scott Gibb, would take the high-speed train from Beijing to Lhasa, Tibet.
(So – two of the most important men in my life want to go to Tibet! How very interesting!)
“I read a lot about Buddhism and metaphysics when I was young and have always been fascinated with the Dalai Lama. I’d love to see the Potala Palace and experience the Tibetan culture before the Chinese completely obliterate it (a fantasy, for sure, since the Chinese have ). We’d probably stay in a yurt and eat yak burgers.”
True story: On the night we were introduced, after telling him what I do for a living, Scott asked me a question about traveling to Tibet – a place he’d always dreamed of traveling. A little voice in my head said – with great emphasis – “He’s not going to Tibet with YOU!”
And me? Oh, this is SUCH a tough one!
My place doesn’t yet have a name. It’s very remote, and really hard to get to – probably somewhere in central Africa. Every moment here is an adventure.
It must include a strenuous hike to see giant gorillas, preferably in the mist. I’d take a gazillion photos and videos and have them all organized and edited before my flight arrives back at LAX. (A true fantasy trip, for sure!)
I’d spend time (including a couple nights in a mud hut) in local villages to meet women who are doing extraordinary things for their families and their communities with a micro loan received from Dining for Women. These powerful women will be challenging the status quo and finding peaceful solutions to decades-old tribal tensions. Their villages are prospering with the adaptation of simple, effective, eco-friendly technologies for clean water, cooking and agriculture. Their daughters are attending school and delaying marriage until after they’ve completed their education.
I’d spend time at an animal orphanage where they rescue elephants or other endangered creatures. I’d watch the sun rise over an unnamed body of water as thousands of colorful migratory birds take flight at dawn. I’d dance with the local people and eat strange food but never get sick. And there would be no bugs or snakes or creepy-crawly things!
Marilyn is always game for experiential travel – preferably without creepy-crawlie things!
Happy New Year!
Hope your calendar will be filled with wondrous adventures to your dream destination! Remember – all things are possible!! (Except perhaps me organizing my photo library . . .)
So – where in the world would YOU go? Remember – no restrictions of money or time . . . .
2 Comments
Teresa Whitney January 2, 2015 at 4:14pm
When your fantasy adventure in Africa gets a name….I would love to join you. Of coarse Les would want to tag along.
“I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list” Susan Sontag
Julie Franz January 2, 2015 at 6:07pm
I would love to join you and Teresa! Sounds perfect!