"Life is what happens when you're
busy making other plans."

                                                                         - John Lennon

Dear Friend,

I hate to admit this, but John Lennon had my number.

It seems every day that I make tentative arrangements to visit with my brother back east or to take a short trip to the mountains with an old friend. With the best intentions, I really mean to do these things. But “other plans” come up seemingly daily and, alas, I find myself pressed to follow through with those things that are truly important in life.

I recently read in CNN.com (which begs the question: Why am I reading CNN.com rather than taking some great trip somewhere?) that Baby Boomers are taking a whole new tack in retirement, electing to scale down their homes and cars and other acquisitions – and in turn the daily stress that comes with those things – in favor of more life-enhancing experiences… particularly travel.

And they are not selecting normal, run-of-the-mill cruise and Vegas vacations. Rather, they are choosing meaningful adventures where the reward goes far beyond another fine meal and a fancy hotel room. Truly, they are collecting travel experiences rather than buying things.

Well, even though I have those “other plans” lapses, I fully subscribe to this theory – after all, years ago when my friends went off to graduate school or to corporate jobs, I took off for the woods to look for animals and to take in nature’s beauty. I must admit that it’s worked quite nicely for me these past 26 years.

And this year I plan to go just a little bit further… and I invite you to join me.

Go sit with a family of mountain gorillas, or walk among 300 million monarch butterflies, or perhaps snorkel with a penguin or a sea lion in the Galapagos Islands. I think you’ll agree with me that these life experiences are truly worth postponing other plans.

I hope to see you out there,


Ben Bressler
Founder & Director