Another is our ocassional series of interviews with our past guests. Barbara began her Thomson travels on a Thomson Safari in 2000, and has been on 3 Thomson Family Adventures with her grandchildren since; and we hope there will be many more!
How / when did you find TFA? My first trip with TFA was in 2002 with my granddaughter Kayla. She had selected Africa as her chosen destination for her Bat Mitzvah gift. Internet research indicated to me that TFA had the best family trip to Tanzania so off we went. It was an amazing experience and convinced me that TFA was the best organization for traveling with my grandkids. Since then TFA has taken me and one of my grandkids to Panama, China, and Turkey, and each trip has provided a gift of learning and adventure. These trips have encouraged my grandchildren to experience fascination, not fear, when confronting difference, and I am grateful.
Why do you like to travel? Travel is one of my passions and sharing it with my grandchildren makes it extra special. Travel provides a kind of learning that far surpasses what we gain from books or media. We not only learn firsthand about other cultures, but we come home with a different vision of ourselves. When I am standing on the Great Wall of China or staring at Turkey’s Hagia Sophia at sunset, I experience a sense of joy and wonder that cannot be replicated any other way. Travel is an amazing tonic for the spirit. The whole idea after the journey is to return home, not just with souvenirs, but as a changed and more conscious human being.
What was your first trip outside the USA? In 1975 I visited several European countries. Back then Europe was not so westernized so it was my first taste of the newness and strangeness of a foreign culture. The enchantment hooked me and I’ve been traveling ever since.
What is your favorite travel moment? My favorite travel moment always involves interaction with the people of the country I’m visiting. I am mostly interested in the human landscape, learning about the myriad ways we humans meet the challenges of living on this earth. One of the things I love about TFA is that they encourage this aspect of travel. There have been many moments of serendipity when I’ve interacted with people of the country we’re visiting and I’ve never felt rushed to move on to the next activity. I travel to open myself to the endless diversity found on our planet……to experience it, relish it, celebrate it.
What is your favorite hobby/ activity / passion and why? My passion is people – my family, my friends, the children I serve in my work as a special educator, and the people I connect with in the world through travel and charitable giving.
Anything else you want us to know about you? Just one of my favorite quotes: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body. But rather to skid in sideways, chardonnay in one hand, strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up – totally worn out, and screaming “WOO HOO! What a Ride!”
