Introduction
The fun of travel is being independent enough to get around in a world that
does not always operate in a familiar manner. As you read through this book, you
will learn how to do some of the things that help a traveler have a better time
when traveling to faraway places. I trust that when you read of some of my many
adventures, both good and not so good, your dreams of far away places will
awaken. There is no reason to be afraid of travel if you know what to do. As a
matter of fact, when you know how to do just a few things, you can almost watch
the rest unfold right in front of you.
Another reason I decided to write this book was because I could never find
anything written that made travel exciting. Everything I was reading made the
actual task look difficult and that is not the case at all. Most countries want
tourists and will bend over backwards to treat you well. They may not do
everything as you would do it back home, but they do it their way very well.
Travel is the beginning of all adventures. Most travel books give too many facts
and figures and do not talk about some of the 
feelings and emotions that occur
when you take on new experiences. These are the experiences that you call upon
throughout your life on those chilly winter nights by the glow of your fire. I
love to sit by the fire and watch it flicker. These are the experiences that
make you dream of days to come and a future walk along a country road somewhere
across the sea. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again; it would be
impossible to count the nights I have picked up a book of photos and re-visited
a place that touched my heart many years ago. Your memories are important and
travel can enhance them. I have met people who tell me that their travels and
vacations are the only bright memories they have. I believe them.
Today, I was looking at a photo taken many years ago. I was standing on the
rock where the great Saint Paul preached in 51AD. Sometimes, having been where
great events took place almost becomes an out of body experience twenty years
later. You can almost feel yourself in a particular place just as if it happened
yesterday. In our lifetimes, we have very few opportunities to travel with work,
family, and all the other hectic parts of daily living tugging at our time. Once
you have taken the first step of booking an adventure, your mind and your photos
can carry you back there for decades.
I have tried to make each chapter exciting, and at the same time, give you a
travel tip or two that will help you along the way. I also will tell you exactly
how things really worked for me and not flower them up when it comes to services
a traveler needs. I did not obtain the information from a collective of
different people. I have been everywhere I described and I can tell you first
hand what I saw in some very
faraway places. I have related some good times in
the United States too. I also tried to include some very different experiences
so you can read a well-rounded account of my travels. Your actual list of
experiences will always be different than mine have been. I focused on the
Southeast United States, the Canadian Rocky Mountains, Germany, Switzerland, and
the Caribbean Islands. All of these places are very different, but they all can
provide you with a great opportunity to do a little armchair exploring and
adventuring on your own. I hope you enjoy the stories and the photographs I have
included. I also cheerfully wish that you have the best of the good times when
you travel. Successful travel can be one of life’s most invigorating
experiences. It has helped the child in me that wants to see new things remain
excited about living. Travel has given me the opportunity to see what is good
about other places. Travel has filled my senses and caused me to look over the
next rise because it is there to be explored. Come, travel with me!
