Variety is the Spice of Life
I always had a strong interest in airplanes but when aviation became my business it really opened my eyes to other things rather than just the actual planes. For example, there are many exotic airports and tricky runways around the world that are only accessible to the very best pilots. Landing in St. Maarten or in St. Barths can be as exhilarating watching from the ground as being behind the controls. Aspen, Colorado is another great airport that really becomes part of the travel experience. There’s nothing more humbling than flying through the snowcapped mountains of Colorado with the sun shining after takeoff. The illusion of the snow paved with thousands of diamonds is absolutely amazing.
I guess you could call me an aviation enthusiast. I’m passionate about travel but as both a busy executive and a family man unfortunately I sometimes need to be grounded too. Travel really becomes my essential guilty pleasure that provides the escape from the everyday hustle of running a business. Although it’s become simply impossible to completely remove myself from company operations regardless of where I am it’s still very satisfying to hold conference calls and strategy meetings in a pair of swim shorts and sandals from the patio overlooking a tropical paradise. And nothing like a nice cold Caribbean beer to keep you cool while doing so! On the other side of the coin, I equally enjoy handling those same calls from a cabin in the mountains, with my work station next to a nice wood burning fire and a scotch in my hand.
Traveling with my family though, is how I truly unwind. Roaming foreign cities, stumbling upon hole-in-the-wall eateries and having absolutely no itinerary is how we do it. With my family we like to be as adventurous as possible and discover whatever happens to cross our paths. Of course we always make certain to hit the obvious attractions wherever we are but the unknown and off the beaten path always prove to be more interesting to us. We’ve met some really great people around the world by wandering around, asking questions of the locals and directions to “the best local place to eat” or things to see.
Traveling can be done in various ways, for different reasons and in different company, but for me it’s always whatever you make of the experience. I enjoy everything from blazing hot days on the beach to cool nights in the wine country or freezing my butt off in the Rockies!
A quote comes to mind that best describes my personal travel experiences and how I’ve enjoyed them … “The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.”