travels

I was fortunate to have worked part-time at a local travel agency when I was in high school.  Through that job I got to learn about the travel industry and take part in several trips that opened my eyes to the world so to speak - which got me fascinated with various cultures, new people, and other ways of life.

Later in my professional life I traveled domestically quite a bit for business as well.  Both of these experiences have given me the opportunity to see many parts of the world and I am thankful for that.  There are many places left for me to visit and I hope I get to cross more off my bucket list as time goes on. 

The aqua states shown on the map to the right indicate places I have visited over the years, mostly on business trips but nevertheless these are states I have been too.  When you really sit down and think about it, the USA has some really diverse geographical regions from one coast to the other.

As I said previously, I am a Southern California native and love the diversity of not only the people, but the geography that this state has.  Having said that, some of my favorite other states that I would perhaps consider living in would include Arizona, Texas, Florida, North Carolina and of course my favorite - Hawaii. 

Over the years I have made several trips to Hawaii, visiting each island in the chain. I have spent so much time in these islands, I often think of them as my second home.  My first trip to Hawaii was back in 1982 where I spent over a month visiting all of the islands.  Since that first trip I have been back over 10 times as I recall, each time I go I fall more and more in love with the climate, terrain and people there.

Each of the Hawaiian Islands have their own distinct and natural beauty.  Oahu is known for Diamond Head, the North Shore and of course the history of WWII with Pearl Harbor and the Arizona.  Kauai is famous for the lush greenery and rainforest type terrain.   Maui is known for it's famous red, white and back sand beaches along with some spectacular waterfalls.  Kona is special because it still has very active volcanoes that you can visit and see lava flows many times per year.

With all my travels to Hawaii, I am partial to the Lahaina and Kaanapali areas of the Island of Maui.  If I had to choose where to live in Hawaii, I think my favorite, hands down would be the Big Island of Hawaii on the Kona side.  This place is so relaxed and chill - I could really call this my home. 

I have traveled quite a bit in this region.  In Baja Mexico I have been to La Bufadora, Ensenada, Rosarito, La Paz, Los Cabos and Cabo San Lucas.  In Mexico proper, I have been to Acapulco, Mazatlán, Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, Cancun and the Island of Cozumel.

In Central America, I have traveled to Belize and the Island of Roatan off the coast of Honduras.  For South American I have been to the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

This region of the world has a lot of great culture and a lot of great history.  I have seen the sands of time in Cabo, explored Mayan caves in Belize and experienced the Dutch influence in architecture in the ABC islands.

With all my travels in this part of town, by far my favorite is the Island of Roatan.  I have been there several times and have many friends that live and work on that island in the dive industry.

I have traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean and have many fond memories of this region of the world.  I have been to the Florida Keys including Key Largo, Marathon and of course Key West.  I have spent months in the Caymans including Grand Cayman, Little Cayman and Cayman Brac.  I have also visited Puerto Rico.

I have stayed multiple times in both Freeport and Nassau, Bahamas.   I have been to the U.S. Virgin Islands and visited St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix.  I have also been to the British Virgin Islands and seen Tortola, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke. I have visited Jamaica, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Antigua as well.

My favorite destination by far in the Caribbean has to be the Cayman Islands.  Back when I was a travel agent I spent 6 weeks in the islands when I was 19 years old.  I got to stay on all 3 of the islands but believe it or not my favorite was Cayman Brac.

There are several islands in this region I still want to visit.  I would like to go to Turks & Caicos, Bermuda, and perhaps Cuba if that is even possible.