Good morning Mimi,

After almost 2 weeks away I feel exactly like the sentiment in the quote above. 

I loved every bit of my time away with old friends, new friends and colleagues. All of my 7 flights went smoothly - each one was on time and my checked bag was never lost (I had an Apple AirTag in it just in case).

There are many travel conferences, but I can’t go to all of them. Every business owner has to make a call as to what is the best investment of resources and more importantly time. PURE is the conference most aligned with the travels I plan for you. Experiential, fun, creative and out of the box. Having the opportunity to connect in person with so many people who I already work with and meet many new people who I can’t wait to work with was priceless. It was the best investment of my time and it brought me so much joy!

I loved being surrounded by people who spoke so many different languages - Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Hindi, Portuguese, German. It was a reminder of something we all likely know – for those of us with English as a first language, it is much less likely we speak another language. But for everyone else – it was normal that someone spoke Dutch, French, German and English or Arabic, French, Spanish and English. 

And of course all of these people are extremely well traveled. One German advisor I met has been to India 29 times (yes to the highlights but also to the OTBP places not frequented by tourists), in addition to many other places in the world. The impromptu conversations in the shuttles or at lunch about favorite places and experiences were amazing! And of course I took notes. I have lots of great ideas to share with you for your next trip.

Our last evening capped off the week with dancing under a beautiful Moroccan sky, to a great band and hip DJ. Morocco is incredible in so many ways!

On a practical note…

Have you ever done the VAT refund in Europe? I never had as it seemed like too much effort. My friend, Paloma, convinced me to try it and in the spirit of trying new things (and being able to share the experience with you) I did it. Read about how easy it as here. 

Here’s a recap of Cartagena…

I’ve been wanting to go to Cartagena for years. With two cancelled trips due to covid, I was long overdue. I love having a multi-purpose trip as this one was. 

#1 my girlfriend’s birthday celebration. I LOVE travel for celebrations! It is truly wonderful to be with some of my favorite people, in a cool place, doing unique things, meeting inspiring people and just having fun! If you have a big birthday or anniversary coming up – consider celebrating with friends at a destination.

#2 meeting with Cristina and her team, who I work with in Colombia. Cristina and I were in Marrakesh together just days before, so it was fun to see her a few days later on a completely different continent. I love everything about her. She’s passionate, creative, gets Americans, is full of enthusiasm and is a very positive person. 

For the birthday celebration - as soon as I arrived, the birthday girl and all of the friends hopped on a speedboat out to a beach club in the Rosario Islands. (Super fun and I highly recommend!) 

We all took salsa lessons. Recall I did this in Puerto Rico earlier this year. I’m improving :). And then we practiced at a local salsa bar. Just like in Puerto Rico, everyone loved it! It's another experience I highly recommend - definitely in a Latin country, but it could be done almost anywhere. 

We ate delicious foods, shopped at boutiques by Colombian designers and artisans and I added many places to my Cartagena map (see Highlight below). We also just spent time talking, lounging in the pool and enjoying being together. It could not have been a better birthday celebration! (and LD if you are reading this – thank you again for inviting me!)

After everyone left on Sunday, I spent the morning with my guide, Fernando, and he walked me through the old city. I learned about Cartagena’s history as well as peppered him with questions about his favorite restaurants, what bars locals like to go to, asked if he knows how to dance salsa (the answer was a definite yes! No Colombian girls would be interested in a guy who could not dance salsa), where the new Four Seasons is opening etc. 

Then lunch with Moni and Cristina, and an afternoon where Moni and I walked through the city to do site visits at villas, boutique hotels and the biggest hotel in town – the Sofitel. At the Sofitel was a special surprise – I met the butler who took care of my client and her 7 girlfriends on a trip here last year. He is warm, friendly and engaging, and anytime I have clients at the Sofitel I will request him as their butler. Lastly we arrived at the hotel where I was staying and had one last site visit followed by an evening with my computer open drinking a glass of red wine, writing up all of my notes so I don’t forget anything. 

It was a long trip and I loved it. But I also missed some key events. Most importantly my daughter’s departure for her gap year. Luckily I have a great husband and mother in law, who stepped in to make sure Jessie was set.  She was.  She’s incredibly organized.  She had the unique experience of being in London this week during the service for Queen Elizabeth. She's headed off on a grand adventure and I'm excited to see it unfold!

Meanwhile my husband is off golfing in Ireland with 11 guys having a grand time.  72 holes of golf in 2 days.  Yesterday, via helicopter, they went from Hogs Head to Old Head - 2 courses where I've sent clients.  They are two of the best courses in Ireland and everyone loves them.  The last time he golfed in Ireland there was a lot of rain.  This time it's all blue skies.  FYI if you want to plan an Irish or Scottish golf trip - start thinking now about 2024 - the best courses are booking up very far in advance. 

Warmly,