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The Travelers’ Century Club is an international nonprofit social organization founded in 1954 for travelers who have visited one hundred or more of the world’s countries and territories. Click here to learn more »

Save the Dates: 2025 Regional Meet-Up in New York City
Based upon the enthusiasm of TCC members for conferences such as Malta, Calgary, and the Azores, the club is moving to a model of offering a large international meeting every two years, with regional meetings in between. The New York Chapter has been selected to host the next TCC Regional Meet-Up from July 10-13, 2025. Click for event info & registration instructions »

Location for the 2026 International Conference Unveiled
Our next international conference will be in Istanbul! There were 517 votes cast for the location of the 2026 destination. Istanbul came in first with 148 votes, followed by Bali with 132, Hanoi with 120, and Santiago with 117. Now that we have our location, the work has started to find the best dates and host hotel. These will be announced later this year. Thank you to everyone who voted and we look forward to seeing you at the 2026 conference.

  • A Message From the President

    A Message From the President

    Why do we travel? I have asked that question of fellow travelers and myself and I’ve concluded that the answers are as diverse as the people who travel. My friend, Gerhardt, is a planner. He spends hours on the Internet researching where to go, what to see, and how to get there. For him, travel is a “challenge.” He asks, “Can I achieve my plan?” Another travel companion, Marleen, enjoys collecting destinations. She’ll go anywhere and gain satisfaction by adding to her list of “destinations visited.” Alicia is the perennial student and Mike is the master photographer. These are only a few examples supporting the reasons why people travel and I’m interested to know yours.

    “The Case Against Travel” in The New Yorker magazine, June 24, 2023, provoked my thinking on the subject when the author, Agnes Callard, defines a traveler as one who visits a place “for the purpose of experiencing a change.” Having recently returned from an adventurous trip to Cameroon and Gabon, am I “changed”? Arguably, yes, and in many ways. The night spent observing (and to a limited extent participating in) Bwiti rituals was a privilege that I shall long remember. I didn’t consume enough of the iboga root to hallucinate but I have no doubt others did and they were transformed by their experience. Animalist and modern religious beliefs coexisted before my eyes in that ceremony and in a way I never imagined. During the same trip, we visited a family of lowland gorillas and marveled at the apparent intelligence they displayed. Then, of course, we remember the forest bull elephant that evening on the beach at Gabon’s Loango National Park which was as curious about us as we were about him.

    Am I “changed”? In many ways, yes. Maybe most of all because I traveled with three others. We started as strangers but quickly gelled into a cohesive cadre of friends on a mission to see and do all we could. We are already planning our next adventure and look forward to sharing more “changes” in the years ahead.

    The New Yorker article argues “Travel is a boomerang. It drops you right where you started.” To me, this argument is disingenuous. At the end of the trip, we return home. What do you expect? But the observation does remind me of a conversation I had with my mother (a non-traveler) when I declared, “The best part of travel is coming home.” She responded, “Then, stay home.” In her way of thinking, this would save money for more durable pursuits (like painting the house) and would be a whole lot safer. I tried to explain to her that the joy of coming home could only be fully realized because travel filled me with gratitude for my many blessings. Observing the lives of others reminds me to celebrate all that I have and make the most of every day.

    Why do we travel? There are many reasons and I invite you to share your motivations on the TCC WhatsApp or email me at the end of this message. While travel is certainly not for everyone, the cynical article in The New Yorker fails to value the memories created by travel. Someday, I won’t be able to power walk from one terminal to the next or wade through mangroves to track the lowland gorilla; but I will savor my memories. I will thumb through photos, pick up the phone and call travel companions who have enriched my life.

    I’m not sure who wrote this quote but I’ll conclude with the following message: “We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.”


  • September 2024 Photo Contest Winner: Lana Skeet, Calgary, Canada

    Congratulations Lana! With 40 photos to choose from, yours received the highest rating among members. You’ve not only brought honor to the Canadian chapter, but you have won a year of free dues for yourself. Thanks to everybody who submitted their wonderful “Waiting” theme photos for the June contest. They can still be seen and commented on by visiting https://pollunit.com/en/polls/tcc-2024-september »

    The theme for our December 2024 contest is “Moving us: The vehicles we vehicles we take.” Click for contest details »

    Photo: Lana Skeet

    Nothing defines “waiting” more than airline employee standby travel! I can attest that Tim looks like this on every trip we take, and anyone else who flies standby will agree.

    We had just enjoyed a comfy first-class pod from Buenos Aires to Miami on United, but the luxury of that seat quickly wore off after each successive flight we stood by for jammed up. Defeated, Tim waited on hold with United’s employee travel phone line to “list” us on another airline to our home in Toronto.

    There were no smartphones to rebook ourselves in 2002 and the internet was not readily available. Nowadays, Tim doesn’t have to sit on the ground, but we still wait for an airplane seat on every trip.

    HONORABLE MENTIONS

    Dianne Owad-Jones, Calgary, AB, Canada

    Photo: Dianne Owad-Jones

    Rain or shine, scores of Harry Potter fans gather at this hillside overlook near Fort William, Scotland, and wait to snap the iconic scene of the so-called Hogwarts Express steam train making its way across the splendid Glenfinnan Via- duct. It was built in 1897 and connects Glasgow to Mallaig, often described as one of the world’s finest rail journeys.


    Susan Turnbull, Brisbane, Australia

    Photo: Susan Turnbull

    Our minivan transfer failed to pick us up at the designated meeting point after traveling many hours by boat down the Rio Negro. Without cell service, our guide left by boat to make calls. Following an hour alone in the Amazon jungle — in the heat, dirt and insects, a sheepish driver arrived to take us back to Manaus. There were no complaints from us. It’s all part of the adventure.


Travelers’ Century Club®
8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 102
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 2297
Cupertino, CA 95015
Tel: (888) 822-0228
Email: info@travelerscenturyclub.org

TCC Forum is a private social networking site for members only. Registration is required. More info here »


Margo Bart
President
Jeffrey Houle
Vice-President
JoAnn Schwartz
Secretary
Christopher Hudson
Treasurer


Steven Fuller
Michael Sholer

TCC PINS & NAME TAGS

Lapel pins featuring the TCC logo cost $10 (choice of pin or tie tack backing). Award level pins ($8) are available for members who have achieved Silver (150 countries), Gold (200), Platinum (250) or Diamond (300) level status.

Engraved name tags with the TCC logo and magnetic backing cost $13.50. When ordering, tell us exactly how you want your name to appear on the tag.

These items are available exclusively to full TCC members. Order online (see link below), or mail your request to TCC headquarters with a check for the appropriate amount in U.S. currency. Shipping is included.

Click to order »

Travelers' Century Club