It is easy to spot people who live to travel. They never stop talking about some place other than where they are, especially when home. Their friends tend to be other travelers or travel agents. Everyone else gets tired of the one-topic conversations. Their homes and offices are littered with travel magazines, including at least 20 years of National Geographic.
Sometimes even a good, solid career like mine, a DNA research scientist, is sacrificed to the travel obsession. I knew a career change was imminent when my southern blots started looking like bar codes on airline boarding passes, and library research included both the New York Times travel section and the Journal of Pathology.
Eventually I learned enough and earned enough credentials to start telling others where to go. Over the years I have found that people, especially slightly older women like me, also want to know how to go. It is not that easy, when the knees don’t bend like they used to and the eyes are not as sharp as they once were, to navigate a Turkish rest stop, or find the best off-road log in Ethiopia. I make sure my clients will not make the mistake of the American travelers who returned from driving around England believing the English are very religious because their road maps show wayside chapels everywhere.
In between travel to over 100 countries (the exact number is difficult when borders and names keep changing), my company, DreamMaker Destinations, plans customized trips for groups and individuals. My other company, World Travel Management, is a host agency for travel agents. That means we oversee the operations for over 30 independent contractors. Industry affiliations and accreditation for the companies include ARC, IATA, ASTA, CLIA, NACTA, PATH and Vacation.Com. Personal credentials include CTA (Certified Travel Agent) and ACC (Accredited Cruise Counselor). Memberships in organizations promoting travel include APTA and SATA.