The final weekend in May is the traditional start to the summer vacation season, an appropriate time to reflect on how travel has become one of the great joys of this stage in life. After stepping aside from a full-time career in 2019, I was honored to be asked to serve as an educational expert for National Trust Tours where I’ve had the opportunity to both lead and learn on visits to some of the world’s most picturesque and historic cities, towns, and landscapes. That work continues and over the next eighteen months I’ll serve as the educational expert on six exceptional tours.

I’ve also discovered through the years that travel—such as offered by National Trust Tours—has allowed me to build deep and lasting friendships with many interesting, knowledgeable, and infinitely curious individuals. I’m highlighting the upcoming tours today in the hope that you will consider joining us on one or more of these fascinating explorations of places that matter. Bashing into joy along the way is just an added bonus!

WHAT’S ON THE CALENDAR FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2024:

• In mid-July we’ll be exploring Scandinavia & the Baltic Sea in what promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Guest speaker Lech Walesa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and former President of Poland, will join us for what will certainly be a lecture to resonate for our times.

• October will find me lecturing on the Island Life—Greek Isles & Ephesus tour. What can I say: the beautiful Aegean Sea, multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and sailing to Greek Islands! A harbor mind is an apt metaphor for thinking more expansively about the world, so what could be better?!

AND 2025 PROMISES TO BE ANOTHER YEAR OF ADVENTURE:

• Celebrate the beauty of Holland and Flanders in blissful springtime—the ideal season for visiting, when the tulip fields are in full bloom—on NTT’s April trip to Holland & Belgium Along the Dutch Waterways. This river cruise is aboard the deluxe Viva Enjoy.

• If you cannot make Holland at tulip time, perhaps consider a late May and early June Great European Journey—By River and Rail. This seven-night cruise “reveals the timeless beauty of the Rhine and Moselle rivers,” as we explore unforgettable cities and take a “panoramic train ride and cable car journey that afford gorgeous views” of the Alps.

• September will be a perfect time to take an Emerald Isle Cruise: Ireland & Northern Ireland. My first NTT tour representing the Trust was to Northern Ireland in 1998, and I am delighted to be returning there and to the Republic of Ireland on this special journey around the Emerald Isle.

• Finally, the Christkindlmärkte along the Danube River has long been on our bucket list. If that’s true for you, consider joining us in early December to experience “Yuletide magic on an enchanting Danube River sojourn to visit some of Europe’s oldest and most iconic” Christmas markets from Vienna to Nuremberg.

Candice and I have been fortunate to travel with friends on several National Trust Tours—individuals we’ve known for a long-time, others we’ve met on previous NTT expeditions, and some who land in both categories. We’re looking forward to seeing these friends and former travelers again—and meeting new friends as well—as we explore the world over the next 18 months. To whet your appetite further, take a look at these posts which highlight National Trust tours I’ve enjoyed through the years.

• Panama Canal and Costa Rica (2024)
• Alaska (2023)
• Vietnam and Cambodia (2022)

• Scottish Highlands and the fjords of Norway (2022)
• Architecture, art, and craft in Asheville (2021)
• Japan by sea (2019)

• European coastal civilizations (2013)
• The beauty of the Dutch Antilles (2010)
• Thoughts on a 2006 visit to Ukraine (2022)

If you know of others who may enjoy these opportunities, please forward this newsletter to them. Finally, feel free to reach out to me with any questions. I’d love to chat about these extraordinary tours.

Wherever you are traveling this summer, Bon voyage!

More to come . . .

DJB

Photo of sunrise over Angkor Wat in Cambodia and all other photos from NTT tours by DJB except where noted.