Who would have thought?
How quickly our world can change in so many ways. No need to rehash the pandemic with Circumnavigators who, we are sure, are fully up on the news. We know it will cause serious disruptions for our Club of travelers. Just to recap some recent Club news, our Annual Meeting for May 15 in New York City has been postponed. We are shooting to reschedule sometime in September or early October, Inshallah. Below are two pieces from Circumnavigators related to the pandemic. Stay safe!
Lessons Learned From 10 Days’ Detention
By Susan Gary, Palm Beach Chapter
My husband Brad and I spent ten days confined to our cabin aboard the Silver Shadow in Recife, Brazil. We were among more than 300 passengers from 18 countries. A passenger was taken to a hospital on March 12. As a result, the ship was not allowed to depart that evening as planned. Passengers were immediately confined to their cabins. Armed police patrolled the dock 24 hours a day. When repatriation plans were announced a week later, we were stunned to learn that the U.S. passengers could not depart with the other passengers.
We were caught in the coronavirus pandemonium. What happened after our initial detention was the surprising and most disturbing part of the story. As a result, we developed new lessons learned and recommendations for future travel. These are in addition to the usual list that include, for example, taking an extra set of passport photos.
Here is what we suggest going forward:
Identify a private company (Kroll or Securitas, are examples) that specialize in challenges that may arise as a result of international travel. Fortune 500 companies in the U.S. typically have consultants with the experience, resources and relationships at the highest levels of the U.S. government and foreign countries to solve such problems.
On our ship, we received very little communication from the ship regarding our circumstances; communication was generic when it did occur. We would have engaged a private company to better understand the situation and develop options.
Secondly, we would recommend carrying more cash. Like most travelers today, we rely on the convenience of ATM’s in foreign countries, credit/debit cards, PayPal and other ways to avoid carrying cash. Cash has disadvantages; it can be easily stolen or lost. I was reminded of the advantages of cash however during a trip to Africa years ago. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, we were released by drugged military personnel only after offering him $100 cash.
Another recommendation: secure a second passport. When you embark on a cruise you typically surrender your passport and it is not returned until you disembark. If we had that second passport, this would not be a concern. While a second passport is allowed by the U.S. Department of State, there is an additional cost and process. In retrospect, it would be worth the cost and effort.
Lastly, establish relationships with your federally elected officials. This is a critical piece. It was our congressional delegation from Florida that did the most for us. They provided crucial support, constant contact and worked tirelessly on our behalf. Representative Lois Frankel from the West Palm Beach and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio were the heroes.
We have travelled to 140-150 countries; met with Fidel Castro, visited the ruins of Persepolis while President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in office and visited South Sudan after their tumultuous separation from Sudan. We have seen a lot of this world and have been greeted with smiles from the capital of Yemen to the marketplaces of Somalia.
The cruise to South America reminds us of the new hurdles international travelers face in today’s world. We are all learning new ways to make our future travels safer.
Making The Most of Staying Home
By Howard Matson , International President 1994-1998
The pandemic has caused most, if not all, Circumnavigators to make ourselves comfortable in our homes for the duration. We are the group that needs little motivation to go to the corners of the world. There is no such thing as boredom in our travels. I often think that the genetic code of becoming a member of our historic organization includes a chromosome that’s activated by a new vista or adventure.
As my daughter, wife and I enter our 17th day of self-quarantine, I was particularly touched by an essay recently published by the Swiss philosopher, Alain de Botton. He is the author of several bestsellers, including The Art of Travel. Some may recall that he was the individual selected in 2009 to be the “writer-in residence” at Heathrow Airport where he spent a week sitting in the middle of terminal. A Week at the Airport published in London is the result of that week.
De Botton writes, “…. Another thing we can do is to return to travels already taken. This is not a fashionable idea. The idea of making a big deal of revisiting a memory sounds a little strange…or sad. We are careless curators of our own past. We push the important scenes that have happened to us to the back of our minds. However, I argue that regular immersion in our travel memories could be a critical part of what could sustain and console us. In our neglect of our memories we are like spoiled children who toss these memories aside to seek fresh thrills.”
This concept really hit a nerve. I’ve been revisiting my travel shelf where I keep more than a dozen old travel journals. There is more than a little self-reflection of “I did this?!?” as I reread the journal of my first solo summer in Europe at seventeen. Were three months of unlimited travel via Eurailpass only $199? Did I really leave Copenhagen after three nights because $12 nightly was too expensive? My journal recounts that I was thrilled to arrive in Madrid and find the pensione on Avenida Jose Antonio for $2.90. And, rereading the two volumes of my 1983 six-month trip around the world impressed again upon me the importance of this trip shaping my life and outlook.
If just armchair thinking is not enough, then Circumnavigators give yourself a project. Collect those old photos and put together a book. Share this book with your children and grandchildren which may give them the “bug” to travel. I have another shelf of my grandmother’s diaries from trips in the 1950s to Europe and one recording my grandparents’ 1962 circumnavigation of the globe. Reading them is to enter another world: the Queen Mary, the Orient Express, the Tehran Hilton, the Peninsula and I reminisce how these diaries motivated me when I read them at the age of 10 or 11.
Scuttlebutt
Dog Lovers Alert
Circumnavigator Paulette Cooper Noble, president of the Palm Beach Chapter, is an author of many books. Her latest is Dog Secrets: Fun and Fascinating Things Your Dog Wants You to Know. Unfortunately for Paulette, she purchased 200 copies of her own book for a book event that was cancelled because of the pandemic. She now has all these copies on hand and would be very grateful if some fellow Circumnavigators would like to buy one. This cost is $28. It is a wonderful book for dog lovers and can also make a great gift. She will autograph it to you, and if you wish, your dog. To place your order, send an email to club@circumnavigators.org.
On a Happy Note
Circumnavigator Henry Restarick reports: Since it was our 40th, Janet and I decided to celebrate our anniversary in Las Vegas. It had been 14 years since our last visit to the Lost Wages. Our plan was to see all the new sights and revisit some of our old favorite spots. I planned a surprise 40th renewal wedding for Janet by taking her blindfolded from a casino to down the aisle of an old one-room redwood church built in 1941. The church is the oldest building on the Las Vegas Strip and is listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Notable weddings in the church include Betty Grable, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Dinah Washington, Judy Garland, Cindy Crawford, Angelina Jolie, Mickey Rooney, Robert Goulet and many others. Also, a movie wedding of Elvis Presley and Ann-Margaret were filmed there. I can’t believe Janet actually said “yes” again!”
The Last Shot
Do you have a good photo for The Last Shot? Please send to club@circumnavigators.org.
Luck to you!
David A. Mink
International President
davidamink@me.com
