I am really looking forward to the quality time with my dad. I have been very fortunate to have a close relationship with him, and this trip is something we have always wanted to do. I can’t believe the time is already here! Planning, etc. for the trip feels like just yesterday, and I can’t believe that a week from today we will be in Budapest!

Over the course of two weeks, we will be roadtripping. Landing in Budapest on September 12 via Malev Hungarian Airlines, we will spend a day there, then fly to Berlin on the 13th. After 2 days in Berlin, we are picking up a rental car and heading to Warsaw. From Warsaw to Krakow, where we will reconnect with my dad’s aunt who lives just outside the city. While in Poland, we will also visit Czestochowa and Auschwitz. Then it is off to Austria with stops in Vienna and Salzburg. Back to Germany, this time to Munich, for Oktoberfest (I hope I can keep up!). There will, of course, be stops all along the way as driving will afford us the luxury to control our own timetable. After Munich, it is a quick trip to Zurich and then back to Berlin for the return journey home. Whew, I’m getting excited, but a little tired, just thinking about it!

As a teenager, my dad and his brothers spent a few months touring Europe with his mother, and he has always wanted to take me around to the places he saw. I spent 3 months studying in London, and when I mistakenly booked a trip to Edinburgh for a month after all my friends, it was my dad to the rescue again, flying out to join me. That was a much shorter trip, but we had an awesome time, so I am definitely looking forward to this trip! At the end of my studies, my mom, dad and grandmother joined me for trips around England and Italy. After traveling solo or with strangers (who become friends over the course of the trip) so much recently, it will be great to have a trusted traveling companion. Look out for lots of stories and reviews in upcoming blogs and GT issues.

-Kimberly Krol, circulation and PR executive

Although arriving in Palau at night kept us from seeing the beautiful islands when we landed and the scenery while driving to our resort, I was happy to have nothing on my itinerary but SLEEP when I got to my hotel room. In the morning, I was greeted by the warm, humid tropical air and the sun rising just behind the palm trees. I could wake up like this every morning. The Palau Resort is beautiful and very accommodating, just as I had expected. I was very pleased with the amenities, as everything was provided so that one wouldn’t even need to bring toiletries, except deodorant. On top of that, there was two of everything! Toothpaste, toothbrush, razor, shaving cream, dental floss, toothpicks, lotion, shampoo, conditioner and hair comb.

While traveling, I will be reviewing everything from hotels, flights, restaurants, scuba diving, snorkeling and various tours. Our itineraries are jam-packed. Today is our dolphin tour! I am very happy to be here and review everything you global travelers will need to know about Palau! Who needs fall, winter or spring? Let summer prevail!!

-Courtney Centeno, account executive

Laurie was attending a convention for her job and I joined her for some days of relaxation. Her work days were over by mid-afternoon, which gave us plenty of time to check out the city. In the mornings, I usually roamed around on my own, basically walking a different direction every day.

We stayed about a mile away from the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. This is a spectacular facility (hosting about 95 conventions a year) spanning 10.5 city blocks along the waterfront. It is not simply spacious. It is beautiful and well run.

During the mornings, I checked out the French Quarter, the SuperDome, the lakefront art area and Harrah’s Casino. It was odd to see the French Quarter early in the day, when the wild crowds were not everywhere partying.

Together, we took a couple tours; one was a tour of hauntings. I am not a real believer in the supernatural, but this was an outstanding tour. I learned the origins of “graveyard shift” and “dead ringer”. Of course, some say it is simply folklore, good for naive tourists. Either way, it sounded plausible and was interesting,

The tour also pointed out the home of New Orleans royalty, Archie and Olivia Manning. Archie was a star quarterback for the New Orleans Saints in the early years in the 70s. Despite the team being horrible, Archie was excellent and the fans still love him (and his sons Peyton and Eli, current NFL star quarterbacks).

One of the best parts of our trip was after one of the tours. We decided to walk back to the hotel. We underestimated the distance, but we got to see so many great sites. We were very tired, but it was worth it.

Laurie was determined to eat some authentic New Orleans food, eschewing our cabbie’s suggestion of Harrah’s buffet. She eventually did find some good down-home cooking. Inspired by her, I even had a bowl of turtle soup (tastes like chicken).

We had our fortune told by some hipster in the Riverwalk Marketplace. I gave him no hints and I am not a believer, but I have to say he nailed some really oddball things in my life (past and future). Again, believe or not, but it was interesting.

We jammed quite a lot into those several days, and yet it was so relaxing (the Big Easy?). We really felt we experienced New Orleans. As the events of the last few years have unfolded, I feel horrible for the citizens of New Orleans, who have gone through so much. I also look back fondly at the wonderful times I had there.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist

Mine wasn’t exactly enjoyable, but fairly productive. Most of it entailed moving into a new apartment, which, I’m happy to say, I absolutely love. While traveling up and down on the elevator countless times (I moved within my apartment building), I had a chance to think about the summer and some of the people I’ve met (not to mention, how quickly the summer went)!

I’m fortunate in my line of work to meet fascinating people from around the globe, but this summer it was the people that I’ve met through a network of personal friends that really opened my eyes. They helped to remind me that it’s the little things in life that can help make the biggest impact on you and those around you.

A friend whom I met recently has been going through, to put it mildly, an extreme rough patch the past few years. I hate to say it, but sometimes it takes another person’s tale of woe to remind me that when I’ve hit a slump, it could easily be much worse. That’s not to say what I may be going through at the time deserves any less attention, but having the chance to talk with these friends, and hearing how they survived difficult endeavors, reminded me to remember the little things - the things that make me smile when I’m having a rough time, rather than become overwhelmed with the larger picture, which I often don’t have any control over.

Now, I know this blog may be vague when it comes to the details, but I’m sure you can all think of some situation where you just didn’t know how you were going to get through it. Take the advice from my friends - if you ever have to face a difficult time, just take each day step by step and look at the little things in life that make you smile. Maybe it’s a memory or the sun shining, or perhaps a stranger held the door open for you with a smile. Today, for me, it makes me smile to think of the wonderful people I’ve been fortunate to spend time with this summer.

-Alex Young, associate publisher and vice president

Maureen O’Crowley, formerly of the Korea National Tourism Organization, left her position in the Los Angeles office about six months ago. She has a wealth of tourism information with a concentration on Korea, as she spent many years living in Seoul. Maureen will be returning to Seoul in an exciting position with Seoul Tourism Marketing.

Marcy Schackne was a marketing executive at Travelpro for many years and left her position there about the same time. Marcy has just been appointed as the marketing director of Heys Luggage, an upscale luggage brand targeted toward movers and shakers who travel frequently.

So, I don’t know who will be the third, but it is great to see these travel professionals landing the kind of positions that they were searching for!

-Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO

 Spokesmen for the schools explained the move, stating that, among other things, it would allow for improved security (in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy) by allowing for a quick and accurate way to reach students with vital information. The technology was also being touted for its ability to help students maintain contact with professors regarding assignments and grades, do research and respond to surveys. It has also been suggested by some that participating schools may simply be trying to elevate their images as “cool”, cutting-edge institutions.

In searching for details on the story, I learned that while the hardware may be given to the students, they must pay for the monthly service fees. Also, the University of Maryland at least is emphasizing that theirs is a pilot program designed to answer specific questions about how both professors and students can integrate the new technology into the classroom, as well as enhancing safety and time management.

Nevertheless, there are concerns for misuse of the phones and the distractions they will cause. It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were hearing about colleges handing out PCs to incoming freshmen, and what a novel and even extreme move that seemed to be. I would imagine that, given a few years, we will wonder what all of the fuss over this latest issue was all about. Professors will still need to be engaging and informative in the lecture hall (if not, students have ALWAYS found ways to be distracted). Students who allow themselves to play games or text their friends instead of attending to their studies are the same ones who, 10 or 20 or 50 years ago, would have found some other way to goof off. And, finally, the “outside” world and its latest technologies and demands will be there waiting when the student leaves school and has to work in and survive that environment, whether they’ve been held at bay outside the ivy-covered walls or not. Better that those tools be invited in, studied and put to creative, positive uses than treated as a threat to the educational process.

Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader

 One of my favorite memories is seeing Chicago in concert on the lawn at the Chateau Ste.-Michelle winery in Woodinville, Washington, a number of years ago. It had been cloudy and threatening rain earlier in the day, but as concert time approached, the sky cleared and we had a perfect view of Mt. Rainier glowing in the evening sun to the south, while hot air balloons drifted overhead and a full moon rose over the wooded foothills to the east. We brought our own home-cooked gourmet feast, purchased a bottle or two of the winery’s best, and laid back and basked in the ambience and the great music. I have to admit it was a little difficult to pull our blissed-out selves up to give the band its well-deserved ovation at the end of the night.

Another great spot in a breathtaking location is the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington, only about 45 minutes from my home in the north central part of the state. With a total capacity of around 20,000, it has the usual reserved seating in front of the stage, backed by an immense grassy bowl for general admission lawn seating. The stage backs up to the upper edge of immense basalt cliffs looming high over the Columbia River, so those seated have a magnificent view looking north upriver and west to the cliffs opposite and the sunset beyond. Last year my daughter and I took in a John Mayer concert there, and his comments about the immensity and timelessness of the landscape echoed our sentiments–and WE had the better view!

I know there must be scores of great outdoor concert venues all over the world (I’ve visited Red Rocks outside of Denver, for instance, but not gotten to attend a concert there), and I’d be willing to bet that most of you have your own great memories of summer evenings at some of them. I’d love to hear about them and start my list of not-to-be-missed venues in the summers to come.

 Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader 

When I was on my back-to-back trips to Los Angeles and the British Virgin Islands, I flew in and out of Philadelphia International Airport eight different times in like nine days. Four of the flights were on Delta in first class and four of them were on American Airlines in economy. I think all 8 flights were delayed in some way, either boarding or waiting on the runway. I do not think the following situations are unique to these airlines in any way, and they are more general practices that I began to question.

When boarding was late, I noticed announcements being made that they were going to be eliminating certain services, mostly for first-class passengers, in order to board quickly and take off as close to our scheduled time as possible. They were not going to do the welcome beverage service for first-class passengers or other welcome perks that first-class passengers are technically paying for in the price of their ticket. And I am not complaining because I was in first class; to be honest, I don’t remember which carrier this was on, which leg of the trip it was or where I was sitting (it all kind of blended together!). It just seems to me that by delaying boarding and take off, you have inconvenienced passengers. I completely agree that this is out of the airline’s control, but beverage service is within the airline’s control. Eliminating services, in my mind, would only serve to inconvenience and anger the passenger even more, right? And, let’s face it, those tickets aren’t cheap! There must be a way to incorporate the service and still board the plane in a timely manner.

On another one of those flights, the airline wanted to reduce weight and was having problems with the water system, so they eliminated all hot water, including coffee and tea, and the water couldn’t be used in the bathrooms. This was an early-morning flight. Understandable that they were experiencing problems, but that is a bit disappointing to learn when you are already loaded and on the runway. Plus, can’t bottled water be boiled for coffee and tea? Or supplied in the bathrooms so passengers can wash their hands? With so many changes occurring in the airline industry and so many more charges being incurred by passengers, sometimes you wonder why the airlines don’t go the extra mile to accommodate passengers when things go wrong. I understand they are hurting, but making passengers happy when problems occur will build loyalty and keep people flying certain airlines when times are tough.

And, on a completely unrelated note, celebrities have now apparently jumped on the oil bandwagon. This week, Diddy, formerly Puff Daddy, P. Diddy and Sean Combs, music mogul, fashion designer, etc., complained to oil companies that prices were too high and were forcing him to fly commercially rather than on his private jet. I am sure everyone reading this blog feels very bad for him. I bet when Diddy is on board, the carriers don’t eliminate his beverage service or hot water!

-Kimberly Krol, circulation and PR executive

-Courtney Centeno, account executive

As I wrote in the May 2008 issue of Global Traveler magazine (back issues are still available), the 2016 Olympics would really showcase the ascension of Chicago to world-class status. During the reign of Mayor Richard M. Daley, Chicago has evolved from a gritty city where things got done to a beautiful, smoothly functioning city where things are always happening. Chicago would be the perfect place for the event in 2016.

Of course, as a publication distributor, the Olympics would present a logistical nightmare beyond imagination for me. Several regular city events, like Jazz Fest, Venetian Night, etc. already wreak havoc with distribution. The Taste of Chicago is a 10-day traffic jam, which requires our distribution crews to reroute and reschedule their usual deliveries. Still, these events are part of the fabric of Chicago, and my inconvenience is a small price to pay.

The Olympics would make all of these other events look minor in comparison. Of course, my logistical headaches would be astronomical, but I am willing to make that sacrifice for the good of the city.

I do think it would only be fitting to bring softball back to the Olympics for 2016. As it stands now, softball (and baseball) will not be part of the 2012 event, but could be voted back for 2016. Chicago would be the perfect place to see softball reinstated.

If I may take a step further, I would like to see 16-inch slow-pitch softball be at least a demonstration sport. This is Chicago’s very own. It is a game of skill and strategy. Some may scoff at this version of softball (Fran), but I maintain that it is the most enjoyable and competitive version of the game. There is true beauty in this game.

I guarantee that if Chicago gets the Olympics, there will be plenty of television features on our pizza, beer, sausage, etc. They will highlight the Sears Tower, Water Tower Place, Navy Pier and Millennium Park. Oprah, Richard Roeper and Jim Belushi will scramble for the spotlight. However, if they really want to showcase the heart and soul of Chicago, softball must take its rightful place with the other sports.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist