Let's Get Blown Away by Travel! 
By Dianne Newcomer

     Last year, when hurricane Ivan was forcing mandatory evacuation of the gulf coast, Rob and I figured even our extra bedrooms might seem pretty decent to someone facing a night on a foam mattress with about 600 other people at the civic center shelter, so we left word with those wonderful Red Cross volunteers that we had 2 empty bedrooms open if they saw the need.

     When the call came at 8pm saying they had a family who needed help, we began to get a little anxious.
 
     “Think of it like a blind date,” I reminded my husband, who was slowly beginning to lose the generosity of spirit that had overtaken us several hours earlier when we had brought cookies and toys to the shelter and made the offer. “After all, that’s how we met.”

     “Well, the Red Cross worker did say these people had been driving 12 hours in bumper to bumper traffic at about 30 mph. They‘re probably too tired to kill us,” joked Rob, as we walked into the civic center, now overflowing with evacuees, and met our houseguests for the next couple of nights.
A couple of weeks ago, when we saw hurricane Dennis blowing toward the Gulf Coast of Florida, we called and invited this same family to stay with us again. Luckily, they cancelled their rooms in Huntsville and accepted our offer. In spite of our hurricane vigil, it was a great weekend: we ate out, talked, and laughed a lot. This family’s joke is they are proud to be Alabama rednecks. When you initially meet them, you wonder why they call it a joke. Without hurricane Ivan, I must admit it is doubtful our paths would ever have crossed.

     Our worlds are very different, yet they are our new friends. We know their entire family, even Peebo, the son who has chosen to stay at home each time and ride out the storms. In the short, intense span of time of a weekend, our closed little world was changed, and made richer, by these strangers from Alabama.

     Once again, other than some tree damage, hurricane Dennis had changed very little in their world, but for Rob and me, our hurricane watch with friends who sat helplessly by while 125mph blew across the land, made us think. Why is it we wait for life to blow something good our way, or blow something up in our face?

     I recently read statistics that said Americans are going to leave 421 million vacation days on the books this year. The survey concluded that about half of all adults will not even use their time off. Some even gave the inconvenience of scheduling in advance and being too busy to break away from work as logical reasons to keep working!

     We’re letting time pass us by and I hate to tell you this, my friends, but it probably won‘t be a hurricane that will blow us away!

     While there is time, we should get out there and go! May I remind you that travel opens your eyes to things that are all around you that sometimes you take for granted. Going some place different, whether it is to New Orleans or New York, adds dimension to your world. If nothing else, there is an element of excitement, a feeling of anticipation, in getting out of your element. Something new is seldom boring!

     It is a curious and wonderful world we live in. Why not take a risk and just venture out? Leave everything you can behind, the worries and daily demands, and see what’s out there that you don’t know about, haven’t seen before, or haven’t experienced.

    There are lots of different reasons to travel. For example, from my travels I have learned that more than 70% of the world’s population has never heard a dial tone. That every cow in the European Union is subsidized by $2.50 a day--that’s more than what 75% of the population of Africa has to live on in a day! That Brazil has more Avon ladies than military and that the average citizen in London is caught on camera up to 300 times a day.

    Some may deem this useless knowledge, but for me, such trivia represents a journey, an experience that was mine alone. Filled with people I have met and places I have seen, my memories bring me great joy. They also serve as a reminder that there are just so many things yet to be discovered outside of my own backyard.

    If we had never taken a chance and opened our door to strangers during a storm over a year ago, we would have missed out on having such delightfully different new friends. When you travel, you open the door to new ideas, beautiful sites, and different people, and fun! At MONROE TRAVEL SERVICE, we represent every major tour and cruise company in the world. It is our job to not only save you time and money but to show you the way to fun.

    What are you waiting for? Don’t blow off time any longer, go travel!

"Learn about the unique history of this area while you sink knee-deep in its culture and cuisine. Get to know local artists and shop owners, state parks and forests, lakes and rivers. Then come on over and play a while. We guarantee you’ll have a great time!"