Traveling Pen-Pals – Are You Still In Touch With Them?

I remember when I was a child, I first traveled on a plane with Royal Airlines which is no longer in service back in mid 90′s, I remember traveling to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico when I met new friends on the plane and I got their phone numbers and address, and I kept in touch with them for 3-4 years and then we drifted apart, and then I remember going to Florida, in Daytona Beach, and I had gone there for 2 weeks for Christmas and New Years, and I met great people from England, United Kingdom and we had seen each other and hung out with each other quite a bit and then we ended up getting each others address, and phone numbers, but we only sent each other mail and became pen-pals and sent pictures to each other. We still keep in touch since 1997. As the years went by, and my travels increased, I ended up meeting so many different people in the world and I still keep in touch with people I met from Russia, England, Armenia, Vancouver, in other parts of Ontario, Canada where I met them on my trips, and it was so awesome. We have each other on Facebook and we have each others e-mails and its such a great thing.

When you travel around the world, you meet so many different people with different views and lifestyles on life, and the way people see things and different opinions, and its so good. Travel and People experience has been part of my life since day one. I love being social and interactive with so many people. When I travel, I tend to bring up subjects and meet random people when I am at resorts, cruise ships, planes and airports. This last trip I did go on however, it was quite different, we all spoke and kept bumping into each other and met some really cool folks, but I ended up not getting any  phone numbers, e-mails, addresses. I don’t know what happened to me this time, but I had written a review on trip advisor online and one of them spotted me and my pictures, and she wrote to me and said Hi remember me from the hotel? I said Oh yes I do, She said I am sorry we didn’t get each others contacts, but thank goodness you wrote something on our hotel we stood at or else I would have never found you. You had told me your name, but I wouldn’t have known how to spell it to begin with, so she said I am glad I checked. So at least I am keeping in touch with one of the people I met now.

I had always carried around a small notebook and pen with me in my little purse around the hotel in case I met someone interesting, nice and great, but I never got to asking them. I was just so excited to be away and enjoy the hotel and everything else. There are so many people you meet, some you see again, some you don’t get to see again. I miss my friends in United Kingdom, Russia, and other places. I want to see them again and soon. Hopefully. Have you had a pen-pal? Do you still keep in touch with people whom you have traveled with or have met while you have been abroad? Have you kept your bonds strong with your travel pals?

Would love to hear from you.

All the best!

Rebuilding The Titanic II – Good Idea or Not?

In recent news we may have or not have heard about an Australian billionaire Clive Palmer unveiled that he will be rebuilding the ocean liner ship Titanic that struck an iceberg in the evening hours of April 14 and sunk the early hours of April 15, 1912 over 100 years ago. Clive Palmer is going to rename the ship to Titanic II. He plans to have it completed by 2016 where there will be voyages from England to New York on the ocean liner. Now, we all know by now about the fate of the Titanic and how high and mighty they spoke about the ship and said “even God cannot sink this ship”. Now, the ultimate question is, do you think it is a great idea to rebuild a doomed ship of the past? Or do you think it is not a great idea to rebuild a ship where people would feel eery in going on the vessel?

In my opinion, rebuilding the Titanic II is not such a great idea. I feel that April 14-15, 1912 happened over 100 years ago and The Titanic has been the most popular ship in history and the memory of the souls lost on the ship would be disturbed and I just feel that its enough. God rest the souls of the Titanic who never survived and all those who have died up until recently from the Titanic and who ever sailed her. I think it is time to let this ship rest and keep its memory that way. I don’t feel very comfortable knowing that a replica of the Titanic will soon be sailing on our oceans. I know there are historians and those who are passionate about the Titanic. I was once a huge titanic buff, but not so much anymore in the last several years. I think it is enough and we should honour those souls and what happened that fateful evening with other ways such as prayer, thoughts, and remembering the lives lost even when we didn’t know them. I know Clive Palmer said that it will be a tribute to the men and women of the Titanic, but then again I don’t think it is a wise choice to do that. It is part of our history now and part of the world and resting at the bottom of the ocean floor of the Atlantic. I think by now ocean liners and cruise lines have come a long way with technology and the way ships are built these days.

What are your ideas, opinions and thoughts on this? I’d like to hear from you.

The Carnival Triumph – It Could Have Been Much Worse

As you may or may not know, The Carnival Triumph of Carnival Cruise lines engine on the ship caught fire which led to a power outage on the ship and passengers were left stranded for 5 days with deplorable conditions on board the ship and the Triumph made it safely to Mobile, Alabama where all passengers and crew were disembarked off the ship safely. Ladies and gentlemen, I think were missing the big picture here with people going so crazy over this mishap and people filing lawsuits against the cruise line, but it would have been much worse and the officers and crew of the ship played a heroic part in saving the passengers on board and helped with the conditions as much as they could.

People around the world in impoverished, third world countries that have little or no power and who live in unsanitary conditions and there are people who have it a lot worse than what happened on this cruise ship of just 5 days where people live a lifetime of these conditions all the time. It is very important to think about what we do and say with our actions. Some people haven’t seen the way people live in the world, and I have seen the way people live, I’ve traveled to places and seen the way their lives are. What happened on this cruise ship shouldn’t even be justified as a HUGE ISSUE, because what should matter most is people are alive, well, and off the ship reunited with families. Accidents happen unfortunately and people should really think about their actions. I know what happened was horrifying and scary in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico and I sympathize with what everyone went through, but then again it could have been a whole lot worse like the whole ship catching on fire or part of the ship. Thank goodness it was just the Engine area, and it didn’t poke a hole to the ships bottom or else, there would have been more problems, but rescue teams, and boats tugged and towed the ship to the port and everyone did their part to make sure The Triumph gets to land safe and sound.

I mean that is what should matter at the end right? Lawsuits should not happen, and I am sure people will make up stories and try their best to get thousands and thousands of dollars. Instead of saying thank goodness nothing serious happened, people should thank their lucky stars. People are way too dramatic and there will always be people who will not appreciate, they will criticize, and do what they can to get justice, but its something that I wouldn’t want to happen to myself either, and its something that I wouldn’t want to go through, but you know what? Worse things can and could have happened on board the ship. The ship is now being cleaned and repaired right away after the Triumph was docked at the port. I thank and congratulate Carnival Cruise lines for a job well done to make sure passengers, crew members and officers are all safe and sound and that the rescue team efforts did a marvelous and great job to ensure everyone’s safety. That is all that should matter is that there were no fatalities, everyone’s safe and gone back home.

That is all there is to it.

Cruise Ship Travel – Yes Or No?

In Life there are so many ways you can travel and experience new places, take memories home with you for a life time and so many things. Various forms of travel teaches us a thing or two about life and exploring the world, however due to the recent events that happened on board the Carnival Triumph Cruise ship of Carnival Cruise lines that an engine caught fire leading to power outage on the cruise ship with toilets not functioning and more than 4200 passengers and crew aboard the Triumph were completely deserted until rescue came along. They arrived last night safely to the port and it took them hours to tow the ship to the port to get the passengers and crew off the ship safely. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of them and hope they found their way back to their loved ones and are okay. Now the ultimate question on Cruise Ship travel, would you go? Or wouldn’t you go?

To me, Cruise Ship travel is something so incredible and you get to sail to many countries and places all in one vacation. I know some of the incidences that happened with Costa Concordia, Carnival Triumph may deter and prevent people from going on a cruise, but to me, I would still go on a cruise. I love cruise ships a lot and I had studied them a lot and I would pin point which cruise ships would dock at the ports and among everything else. I am very happy I got to travel on 5 cruise ships of all sizes. I want to go on the Oasis of The Seas from Royal Caribbean Cruise line and I want to travel on the bigger cruise ships. I know that it might sound crazy with everything that has happened with the cruises in the past year and a bit, but It will not prevent me from sailing on another ship again. It depends on the cruise line and cruise company you go with too. Do your research, Is the cruise line reputable? It also depends on individuality too and what you want out of a cruise ship trip vacation. Now in your opinion, would you sail on a cruise ship? Have you been on a cruise ship before? What are your feelings and thoughts about them? What Cruise line would you sail with? What do you know about cruise ships instead of the obvious?

To me, I would go on a cruise ship no problem. All the best to everyone!

TheTraveler360 To Be Launched January 31st, 2013

Hello everyone, as you may or may not know, aside from my primary blog which is this one, I am going to be launching thetraveler360 on WordPress at the end of January 2013, and it will be your #1 stop for all your travel needs, and I will cater to everyone’s travel adventure, and those new to travel, those who need tips, tricks and efficient travel with how to pack, Cruises, Cruising, Road Trips, Airports, Airplanes, Airlines, Maps, Adventure travel, All Inclusive, Resorts, Hotels, Motels, Deals, Discounts, Sales, and among newly updated news from the travel world, sharing my experiences, expertise, my life in travel, the way my life has changed because of traveling, among other advisories, what to pack in your carry on, great links to look at, Airline, Hotel, Resort, All inclusive and so much more. I am very excited to launch this Travel website. In all the travel experience I have had since I was 7 years old and now I am going on 28 years old. I have traveled every year and so thankful for all my experiences and so glad to have the gift of traveling, seeing the world, being educated about this all.

It is my passion to help others who are looking to travel, who are thinking about making a travel purchase, organizing their travel plans, getting advice and everything. It is one of my greatest strengths and skills to be able to help people, to be able to give my insight on travel, to be able to give my two cents into it. A lot of people have come to me and said you do an even better job out there then a lot of the travel agents do in the industry. I feel great to hear that from them, because Its a passion, its something that I love doing. I know some people told me I should really be in the travel and tourism industry, but I feel like I can do a better job like this and I don’t care about being paid, my payment is to see people being happy, and traveling safely, and getting great reviews, and I look at this as an interest to me. I am very happy and excited for my launch soon. All the best to you all and for any future travel plans, let me know and I will be more than happy to assist you in anything you need and anything you have concerns with.

Bon Voyage, Happy Travels!

What Traveling Means To Me. I am Glad I can Help People In It

Hello everyone, today I am going to talk to you about what traveling means to me and how vital it is in my life. I am sure most of us love to travel and go away from civilization and reality once in a while. I am here to tell you about what it means to me and how it has shaped my life. Traveling is one of the most incredible things of life. You get to see different parts of the world, form your own opinion, give it your rating, and each travel story is an experience in itself. Last night I was talking amongst friends on my travel experiences and giving them my expertise. One person has never been on a cruise ship before and has never cruised and so I introduced her to a new world full of cruising and traveling. I must have been talking for over half an hour. It is a passion of mine and I love talking to people about travel. She said that you are an expert. I was just happy and moved by what she said to me. It is amazing what traveling can do for you. It makes you feel more independent in a way, it gives you that push into the world to get out of the city once in a while and just explore the world before your eyes. Its one of the greatest pleasures of life. I am so happy to have experienced it all, and I will continue into my journey. I am creating a new blog all about traveling and everything else Which will launch at the end of January, 2013. I am so excited about the experience to help others in all forms of travel. People told me why don’t you become a travel consultant? Although I would love to but, this is my way of travel consultation. I will not have it as career, but people tell me otherwise.

They said Talin you would be incredible on it and you have so much knowledge than a travel agent does. They said its true, you know so much more than a travel agent does. When I heard this, I said no way, they said yes way. I love it, but I just love consulting people online and personally, but not as a job/career path. I like exploring and traveling has shaped me and my outlook on life. I have seen things and I have been to villages and countries where they are not doing so well, and they don’t make much money. Like Cuba one persons salary of the month is like 15-20 pesos, and the food they get is measured by the government, and so much more. I saw this happening years and years ago when I went to Cuba for the first time back in the 90′s. It gives me time to appreciate what I have and everything I have with grocery stores that are easily reached, good clean water to drink and so much more. I am thankful for everything I have here. I have seen the way people live, and one persons house is like 300-400 square feet, and some homes are like tool sheds and 4 people live in it. They also haven’t even seen a plane or the airport, and when we showed them the airplane and pictures of them and everything, they were so surprised and they were amazed at it. This is also one of the reasons why I love traveling. I meet all different types of people, different cultures, and people of every walks of life. I love it.

I look forward to my next adventures.

Special Announcement – My Travel Blog Site To Be Launched Soon!

Hello everyone, I have a special announcement to make to everyone. Besides my primary blog I have here, and due to popular demand, I decided to launch my very first travel blog site which will be launched at the end of January, 2013. Since I was 7 years old, I got introduced to a world of travel by my family, and I travel every year to different destinations and everything. Now, All my knowledge, understanding and my expertise in travel, I want to put it into good use and assist others who are into traveling, and those all new to the traveling world. This blog I will create will include tips, advice, cruises, cruising, cruise ships, how to connect flights, best deals, discounts, great sales, all inclusive vacations, flights, airlines,  hotels, car rentals, airports, road trip travel, my very own travel experiences, travel updates, websites to visit, aviation, the list of places and cruise ships I have traveled and so much more. Traveling is such a big passion of mine, and its something I love doing and helping others with their travel needs is important to me and to make sure they travel comfortable and happy. I am very excited for this step I am taking to create a blog just for the reason of this incredible world of travel. You name it, I have done it. I am very fortunate for all my experiences and expertise and I want to put it in great use. Well, that is all for now.

my blog address will be provided once it is complete. Thank you!

Happy traveling, Safe travels.

So Blessed With All My Experiences In Travel

There is so much I am blessed with and I am so happy to share it with you today. I am so blessed about my experiences in travel and in the past weeks and months, There have been people who have asked me so many questions on travel and so many things and I have helped them with the best of my ability and they came back from their trips so happy and thrilled. They gave feedback and told me that I was there travel consultant. That made me feel so incredible, and so blessed. I want to be able to cater to people, assist them in their travels, and whatever questions they have, I will do my best to answer them. I feel I am a great asset to any travel company out there and I feel though I have enough credentials to get out there to help people and to make a difference in someones travel plans and no matter how big the airport or how small the airport is, no matter where the travel hubs are, and so on and so forth, I am here to assist at anytime. If you would like to know about certain documents, visa’s, passport validation, among tickets, and so many things, I am here always to help you and I am honored to do so. Traveling is one of my favourite things in life and getting out there to explore the world is what I love to do and help people too. Thank you.

I Have Been Discovered By A Travel Advisor!

I am so excited to announce, that I have been discovered by a travel consultant with all the tips and all my travel blogs I have written over the last few months, and said that I am such a good travel advisor, and now I may have a great job as a travel consultant for airports, cruise ship travel, and among other advice to give to clients who travel. Who knows, I may get in and I may get into the world of travel and that would be one incredible thing. Lets see how things pan out, but lets start with I got discovered. Only a matter of time until I land a great job and a great future ahead of the travel industry. Lets do this. I am keeping this short today because I am going to head out and celebrate my happiness and being discovered is something I really appreciate. I cannot name the travel consultant as I would like to keep that confidential but it is one of the big travel companies out there. Anyway, I am so happy! Thanks for believing in me and giving me energy! signing off now

The Costa Concordia Cruise Ship Tragedy, Hit Me Really Emotionally…

As I had woken up, I decided to do my regular daily routine by getting on the computer and checking my e-mail, but I decided to check out the news, and I saw a headline that a Cruise Ship had capsized, and I right away clicked on it, and I was just in shock, I could not believe what I was seeing on the computer. I thought it was something out of a movie, but unfortunately it is real. I cannot even begin to describe how I am feeling for the Costa Concordia Cruise Ship tragedy that happened on January 14, 2012 off the coast of Italy in the Mediterranean Sea. My heart feels heavy for all those people involved in such a terrible ordeal. I am glad 4000 people were evacuated and are safe, but I feel for those who have not been found yet and unfortunately those who lost their lives. I have not stopped thinking about this since I heard about it. I started to cry and my emotions on this was on the rise.

Having been on the same Cruise Ship Company on another Cruise Ship called Costa Atlantica, and among other Cruise lines in the industry, this news even hit me harder as I have been on these huge ships before. I cannot believe how scared and eery I have been feeling the last 24-48 hours since this terrible tragic thing that happened. Now I am thinking about how all these people are going to go home without travel documents, how they will be salvaging peoples belongings, how they will even raise this enormous and a 135,000 ton ship. I know this may put a big scar on the cruise ship industry and now people may not travel with cruises anymore, and I wouldn’t blame people who are looking to travel. I know this is a very scary thing, but I really enjoy cruising and visiting so many countries all at once. This definitely will not deter me from cruising again as I have had a passion from cruise ships and cruising and for several years this has been part of my life.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all those and all the families.