My Travel History
as of June 2008

Perhaps my greatest accomplishment so far in life is the amount of travel that I have been able to do. I have seen places and experienced things that many others only dream of. I know, because as a child I dreamed about doing them. As a child I looked at traveling as being a great privilege. I still believe this today.

While growing up I didn't think that we traveled that much. Money seemed to be always tight and I was envious of other kids that went to exotic places. For a while my father worked at the San Diego airport and I would sometimes spend the day with him. I loved the hustle and bustle of people coming and going and all the individual dramas of loved ones arriving and departing that an airport has to offer. I didn't understand that if a plane had an empty seat, why I couldn't get on it and go to where ever it was going.

As an adult, I look back at my childhood and realize that my parents were always was always taking me to great places. Some of my earliest vivid and happy memories involve travel. At the age of three I can remember the entire family in Lake Tahoe and specifically my sister Celeste catching a trout. Because my sisters are 10 and 11 years older than me, this is one of the few times we traveled as a complete family unit.

Childhood also offered several trips to see relatives in Michigan. One visit included a cross country road trip to get home, after my parents purchased a new car in Detroit.

As a young adult, my first opportunity for some amazing traveling was when I was accepted into the British American Drama Academy at Oxford in 1996. I spent a month at the famed university and then traveled to London, Amsterdam, and Edinburgh (still my favorite city) for the Fringe festival.

That trip led to my friendship with Jeff Menaker. Several trips to New York City followed over the years to visit him.

In my mid-twenties I took several trips to San Francisco and two trips to New Orleans for Mardi Gras with my best friend Tony. I can honestly say I think I have seen every parade a single Mardi Gras season has to offer. Also, since turning 21, Las Vegas has always been a favorite weekend getaway.

Several years ago my mother began taking cruises frequently with her sisters. She would come home with wonderful stories of her experiences. She even talked my father in joining her on a few adventures. Her stories piqued my curiosity and in September of 2003 I took a Western Caribbean cruise with my then girlfriend Sara.  This was an amazing experience and a major highlight of our 3-year relationship, which also included memorable trips to New York and the Grand Canyon. When we came home from our cruise we were both interested in pursuing work in the cruise industry. We followed a few leads, however nothing came of it. We both got real jobs and the dream faded.

A few years later, Sara and I parted on good terms and I remembered the fun we had on the cruise. Being freshly single, I decided to take a singles cruise. This time it was the Eastern Caribbean and where my digital picture taking begins.  Although the singles group was pretty much a flop because the average age was approximately 65, I did meet some new friends including Tracy who is still a close friend today. After this trip, the vision of working on a cruise ship was again back in my mind.

I was working at my real job as Chief Fun Guy for Picnic People (honestly, it was a real job) and in the summer of 2006 I decided that I wanted to try something else. Around that time, comedian Frank King was looking for talent to perform on cruise ships. I told him that I would love to be a cruise ship director and his agent quickly contacted me.

I left my job with Picnic People on excellent terms. On the night before my last day of work I  I spontaneously booked a trip to Germany leaving less than a week later. This also led to three days in Prague. On the last night of the trip, I received an e-mail that Holland America was interested in me. I began work as a Cruise Director on the Oosterdam in January 2007.

It was there that I met Abby who is now my girlfriend and much more. We met towards the end of my first contract and exchanged information as we both lived in San Diego.

Subsequently, I have done two more contracts with Holland America. One was the Voyage of the Viking trip which enabled me to go to 26 different cities in 35 days.

In just a few weeks, Abby and I will be taking a trip to the Netherlands and then a tour through Italy. I am going to work for a few days in Amsterdam as a street performer making balloons to earn some extra Euros for the trip. We also have a two week getaway planned at her parents' lake cabin at Diamond Lake in Washington later in the summer. I am very excited about these upcoming trips and whatever travel the future holds.

Fortunately, that no matter where that may be, I always have America's Finest City, San Diego, to come home to.