In 1998 I participated in the Gay Games which were hosted in Amsterdam. This was a wonderful experience competing with 12,500 other athletes from around the world.

In 2009 the company I worked for took all of us plus guests on a 2 week Mediterranean cruise which included Barcelona, Rome, Sicily, Athens, Santorini, Izmir, Istanbul, and Malta. It was a fantastic trip where friends were made, adventures discovered and way too much food.

In 2018 after not traveling for a number of years, I decided to plan my own trip. I’d never been to Europe, so I hired a travel agent to plan it all and decided to splurge. I traveled to Venice, Pompeii, Amalfi, and Positano. It was my “Trip of a Life Time”.

In 2007 I had an opportunity to go to Paris, even through it was with an ex and his family, I jumped, or slowly walked to “yes”. It was a lovely trip, though would never recommend seeing Paris in the winter; it was my opportunity and truly loved it.

I had it in my head that I was going to move and Reno was on the list. It was close to Tahoe and still only a 3.5-hour drive from San Francisco, so it would be an easy move. This trip was to see if I would like the area and to look at a few apartments. On the list besides Reno was Palm Springs and back home to New Hampshire.

The first time I saw Hearst Castle was back in the 90s. In 2012 I had just started dating someone and was trying to think of a weekend getaway and thought of Hearst Castle. It’s a couple of hour drive south of San Francisco and though there isn’t a lot to do there; meaning no nightlife, it’s beautifully located, and seeing the Castle is a magical experience.

In 2002 I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. A friend’s parents backed out on the cruise he had planned for them and so instead of canceling the whole trip, he invited me. It was my first cruise And one that inspired me to want to be a travel photographer, though this dream didn’t pan out, it was a great trip.

There’s nothing like seeing Italy for the first time! I went with four other people, including one of my best friends at the time. We visited Rome, and Florence and a day trip to Siena. Wherever you go in Italy, you won’t be disappointed.