Oh, the Places I've Seen

I thought it was about time to introduce myself. My name is Al and I'm the Travel Valet. What is a travel valet you ask? Well, I'm the guy who handles the details. In Las Vegas, they are called hosts and work for a casino; hosts are loyal to the casino of which they are employed and seek out those who gamble and spend large amounts of money. In the world of business, valets are called personal assistants. They are salaried employees and are loyal to the person who signs their paycheck. I'm neither of these. My livelihood is generated from outside sources not directly associated with the travel industry. Writing and travel are my passions and this avenue fuels both. My only goal is to seek out like-minded individuals or families to share travel secrets, cost saving techniques and fabulous stories.

I have been traveling since my earliest memories. My father was a photographer for National Geographic back in the 70's and still occasionally freelances to this day. Hitching along carrying one of his many camera bags, I witnessed, tasted and smelled the world from a point of view many never have the opportunity to experience. As my dad slowed so did my time on the road and then somehow, life got in the way. College, career, marriage and a child appeared in militaristic uniformed succession. My life became someone else's. Others called the shots; I merely followed orders. And then, other than the annual family pilgrimage to Disney World, my travelling ceased. I didn't realize how much the foundation of who I had become, my character, relied on these early experiences. My life became...ordinary.

Sometime during the monotony, I began visiting the local Barnes & Noble while having my afternoon Starbuck's before picking up my family for dinner to shuffle of to The Cheesecake Factory in our family truckster for our typical Tuesday night out. These visits to the bookstore opened my eyes to the unforeseen beauty of the written word. The words came alive like the travel experiences of my youth. I felt the energy and it tugged on me. My soul needed to get back out there. I eventually made that commitment. I made travel and writing a priority and forced it into my family's life. I believe we will all benefit from it.

This blog will be about everything travel from cost saving ideas, to my favorites, to top fives of anything, to great itineraries for all occassions and travel preferences and hopefully some amazing stories to tug at your travel soul.

By-the-way, for whatever reason, I'm quite good at picking winners. I'll share that too. Who knows, it could pay for your next adventure.
Picks of the Day(2-0-0)...Lakers first half -4, Brewers