For those of you who are new to the club, we really do prefer to meet in person, but because no one knows when this will happen, we’ve become quite good a connecting through video conferencing. For the most recent updates on when your chapter will meet, follow us at travelerscenturyclub.org.
We only need to see one Zoom photo and the best smiles beamed from our Southern chapter in Atlanta. Lead by coordinator Kelly Thomas, they had a presentation by member Dave Kingrea who is a cruise ship lecturer.
Chapter coordinators would ask their members a single question. Rick Shaver (Canada) asked, “If the pandemic ended tomorrow, what would be your first country destination?” JoAnn Schwartz and Margo Bart (Northern California) asked their group, “What would it take before a member felt safe enough to travel overseas?”
The best perspective came from former TCC President Sanford Smith of Northern California who said he has “traveled” to more than 65 countries the past month thanks to operating a ham radio. His “travels” included Wuhan, China, where he spoke with a resident about the lockdown.
We also celebrated! David Van Treuren and Phyllis McGuire (Colorado) had cake to recognize the chapter’s 31st anniversary. They also recognized Don and Gwen Cramblitt‘s new Gold status, and they welcomed David Marsh, Vanessa Petsuch and Diana Korte as members.
Gloria McCoy (San Diego) did the same as an impressive 25 members met July 11 online. New club members Jonathan Holbert, Marlene Tolfa and Dima Zinsky were welcomed to the club.
Just like other chapters, destinations were prominent in the discussion. For Gloria’s group, Papua New Guinea’s sing sing festivals in Goroka and Mt. Hagen were featured and wreck diving in New Britain. This lead to a discussion about Truk Lagoon and you can see how the discussions can go on for hours.
But for most of us, we miss seeing each other in person and look for- ward to the next time we get to enjoy conversations with our groups. Some members are doing this, but chapter planning is much more difficult. However, Jane Berryman (Philadelphia) and Donna Marsh (London) offer optimism as they announced their intention to have meetings at the end of September. For all chapters, local rules and member interest will determine their next meeting.
