A new Western Canada TCC Chapter has been formed in the Calgary area under the leadership of Area Coordinator Timothy Skeet. He is making plans for the first meeting, likely to be a Calgary Stampede breakfast in July. Details will be posted here when available.
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Tim’s travel resume began early in life. His parents were never world explorers, but believed in exploring the world around them to the fullest with numerous trips throughout British Columbia, the western United States and Hawaii.
As a teen, three major events (at least, major for a teen) impressed upon Tim a need to travel more:
- Expo 86 in Vancouver exposed him to numerous cultures “under one roof,” but the loss of his “Expo Passport” cemented in him that he would eventually need to restore the real stamps!
- The ’88 Winter Olympics was magical for any Calgary resident, and this event opened the eyes of Calgary to the world, more than the other way around.
- Later that summer, a band trip to Austria and Germany was Tim’s first exposure to international travel. On that trip, lifelong friendships were born, and 25 years later, they are stronger than ever. (Tim still knows little German, but he finally invested in Rosetta Stone this year to improve!)
Tim met his soul-mate, Lana, in 1991. Her travel resume trumped his with several high school trips to the U.S.S.R., experiencing the Berlin Wall and much of Europe in the late ’80s. He was always wide-eyed when Lana would share her stories, and Tim always hoped to see the same places. Following university, and while still courting Lana, in 1994, Tim was being pursued by this “little airline” flying out of Calgary International Airport. They had a decent route network and Tim saw that it could enable their travel habit. Nineteen years later, Tim is still with United Airlines.
Lana and Tim married in 1998, and Tim’s career with United seemed to take off. They made a move to Toronto, but following a stint for a couple years in “The Big Smoke,” Lana and Tim recognized his airline career was suffocating their ability to travel, and made a bold decision to move back to Calgary (within the company) to pursue a different focus: traveling the world.
In 2003 they discovered the Travelers’ Century Club and made a commitment to explore 10 new countries each year; they have pretty much remained on track. Lana and Tim reached their initial goal in 2010 after visiting their 100th countries – St. Lucia (Lana) and Sicily (Tim) – and joined the TCC shortly thereafter. Funny! It all started with 100 countries as the goal, but the discovery of territory gems: Rodrigues, Lord Howe Island and Lampedusa, together with unusual destinations like Nigeria, Mongolia and Kuwait became the real travel victory for Tim, and continue to do so. To sweeten the ride, he and Lana have become avid scuba divers, and this has created lasting and amazing friendships along the way.
While remaining based out of Calgary, Tim hopes to create a mobile chapter in Western Canada by splitting time with members in Edmonton, Vancouver and Winnipeg. We see a Calgary Stampede breakfast on the horizon, together with a “rodeo” of events to come! Yahoo!
