** This is a special post by Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO. Happy Halloween and be sure to check out today’s blog written by our guest blogger, Regina Kelton, found underneath this post! **

October 31 will always be a special day for me. It has always been great fun growing up and trick or treating and I continue this with my children. But, four years ago today, I took a gigantic leap away from the corporate world and gave notice at a magazine that I had developed and where I had spent 17 years of my life. October 31, 2003 is when I handed in my letter of resignation and told my previous employer exactly what I was going to do - start a magazine for the business and luxury traveler. To say they were unhappy would be just the tip of the iceberg.

Now, they say entrepreneurs are born and not made, but, frankly, I think they are forced into it. Granted, I always had a vision of creating something unique, different and simply better than what I was doing or what I was forced to do, but, without change, I was never going to do it. So, when my company of 17 years was sold and they began to treat my employees in ways that did not sit well with me and when I no longer was proud to see my name on the masthead, I just had to go or die. Shakespeare said “A hero dies but one death, and a coward dies a million times” (or something like that) - well, I was dying over and over again each day.

Now, many wonder how much thought went into leaving and how much planning. The answer is simple. Lots of thought and lots of planning, but both took place with never a thought of failure. I/we saw the world with rose colored glasses on and without them, I wonder if we would have made it. Of course the company and I made mistakes - several big ones - but they say you learn from your mistakes and I truly think we did. All the staff put their lives and careers on the line and no one could ever question their dedication to the project, to the dream. And unless you have put your family, your finances and your future at stake, you will never understand the pressure this creates.

We launched Global Traveler with a “do or do” principle - we had burned the ships in the harbor and there was no turning back. We had to and would succeed and it meant many sleepless nights for all the staff and making sure we outdid the competition. I can remember emailing my staff at 3 and 4 am when we started. They awoke with their inboxes full of emails - they understood.

I am pleased to say that Global Traveler has remained independent, with a unique voice, who cares about readers and employers alike. We have a wonderful dedicated executive staff, unparalleled writers and a true care for the audience. The integrity of the readership transcends into the way we do business.

This has resulted in a very successful product, more profitable than another magazine in this niche, a secure future and a dedication to our goals as a corporate entity which are Relationships, Friendship and Trust (the mantra of FXExpress Publications, Inc).

We have been good to this niche, we have stimulated others in the same category and shown them what one independent publication can do. We have forced the issue of auditing circulation independently, using third party research on audience studies - and we know how to have a good time while doing it all right. It has been fun.

Thanks for supporting me and the team behind Global Traveler - a magazine that is dedicated to the readers.

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

Although television documentaries try to capture what it is like near the North Pole, there is nothing like getting near it for yourself.

Following a seven day “heaven on earth” journey from Vancouver, British Columbia to Seward, Alaska (port for Anchorage), we flew from Anchorage to Barrow, Alaska with views of literally thousands of lakes, Mt. McKinley and much more after a stopover in Fairbanks.

The majestic sites along the Inside Passage aboard Celebrity Cruise Line’s Summit serve to prepare you for Barrow. Ketchikan provided a great kayaking experience in the fjords watching a mother and baby whale, awesome starfish, seals and more. The Skagway Railway was a trip back in time to the gold rush days - quite a history lesson to help one appreciate the lives lost to bring civilization to the great northwest. Juneau (the capitol) is accessible only by boat and plane and has numerous glaciers (Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau Ice Field among them). Valdez was made famous by the oil spill a number of years ago, but now you would never know it by looking because of the successful cleanup and restoration. There are plenty of bear encounter possibilities if you want them - just remember to make lots of noise and they will likely not bother you. It is when you sneak up on them or threaten them that you invite trouble.

Barrow’s airport is one of my favorite airports in the world. It is naturally air-conditioned by the blowing 20 degrees in August - their warm summertime. The land of the midnight sun was true to its name. Our hotel, the King Eider Inn (named for the abundant bird native to Barrow) was immaculate and had double window treatments to keep out the sunlight when you were trying to sleep.

Alaskan Arctic Adventures (same guide who had shown Arnold and Maria Schwarzenegger around when they visited Barrow) took us from our hotel to experience standing in the northernmost point of America (Point Barrow), stepping into the Arctic Ocean, watching for polar bears, Arctic fox, more whales, seals, walruses and countless species of birds including the King Eider, Ivory gulls, Puffins and more.

Then, I spotted the ice cap ten miles out to sea which would be closing in to land within the next few weeks (allowing the polar bears to roam freely onto the land and steal the whales which the Inuit - native Alaskans - bring in from the Arctic Sea). The Inuit use every part of the whale (by special permit from the government) for food (they actually eat whale meat raw) and clothing.

The saddest part of the trip was leaving the Top of the World - a place I highly recommend to any adventure traveler.

-Regina Kelton, Southeast, Southwest and Carribbean sales manager