The Wonders of Travel

"Traveling - It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller" - Ibn Battuta

Okay, first of all you're asking, “who the heck is Ibn Battuta, did I spell his name wrong (Ibn?), what does he have to do with traveling, and why do I care?” Ibn Battuta, was a medieval Muslim/Berber traveler and scholar, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest travelers of all time.” He traveled more extensively and for longer than Marco Polo, a contemporary. Considering the challenges of the time, he certainly got around. He was one of the earliest travelers with a documented case of a travel bug bite.

Some things don't change over time. It's the same for us traveling in the 21st century as it was for Battuta back in the 14th century, except we have a GPS and a Lonely Planet. We are many times left speechless by what we see and experience. The view of the morning mist clearing to reveal Machu Picchu below us while we perched above at Huayna Picchu is forever etched in our memories.

Standing on the edge of the active Mount Yasur Volcano in Tanna, Vanuatu, feeling the ground tremble beneath our feet and the fiery heat on our faces as it erupted, smelling the strong sulphur fumes, watching boulders being spewed into the sky … that took our breaths away.

We're just as likely, however, to be speechless when we see a pod of dolphins or a gorgeous sunrise or sunset at sea or the leaves changing color in my native New England. No matter how many times we see everyday occurrences, we're enthralled all over again.

And then comes the storytelling … to anyone who will listen. How can you experience such wondrous, astonishing, incredible things in the world and not want to talk about them and share them? On his deathbed, Marco Polo reputedly said “I did not write half of what I saw, for I knew I would not be believed”. Our storytelling is done through our website and daily blog. We've also done lots of seminars and presentations … from yacht clubs to schools to assisted living facilities. If folks are interested, we'll talk their ears off. We travel, we experience, we share and relive each experience all over again.

I wrote once, “Part of the pleasure I derive from living on a boat and traveling around the world comes from documenting and sharing the adventure. Granted, I’m just as apt to write about bugs, Vegemite and vinegar as I am to extol the splendors of Tahiti or Machu Picchu, but still, irrespective of the subject, I seem to be driven to get it down on “paper” and share it.”

Thanks for traveling with us and listening to our stories.