In a different life, I might have been an adventurer

PRIME – April 2014 By Debbie Gardner debbieg@thereminder.com I love what I do, but if I had the opportunity to trade careers with anyone, I think I'd be tempted to try my hand at the kind of job this month's feature subject, Amy Dane, has carved out for herself. I'm not so certain I would succeed as a travel lecturer – there's a very good reason that I'm a print and not a broadcast journalist – but the opportunity to travel as extensively around the world has an incredibly strong appeal. I'll admit experiencing a significant level of envy as we scrolled through some of her recent travel photos on her computer. Despite the spartan aspect of the trip to Chad that we were reviewing, I could picture myself undertaking that kind of hands-on exploration of a country and its people. I guess that makes me – and my husband John, who shares my love of travel – a little different from most Americans. According to Dane, who is also a licensed travel agent with Travel Affiliates, as a country, we aren't explorers. "We don't go beyond our borders," Dane said, noting that New Englanders, might consider taking trips to the Caribbean in the cold winter months, but few attempt anything more exotic than that. She said too many individuals feel "we have a beautiful country [and] the best of everything is here… w hy go anywhere else?" However, as John and I discovered during a trip to Russia in 2000 to adopt out son, Evan, there is nothing like staying in-country in a foreign land to shatter that perception and widen your understanding of the world. While living with a host family in the city of Kaliningrad, we saw appliances such as a Bosch front-loading washer that was low-water and eco-friendly and a Plasma T.V – both which were not even available in this country at the time. The use of cell phones instead of land lines was already commonplace there. Small cars and an extensive use of public transportation were the norm, not an oddity, in that country. We had thought we were going to a fairly backward country when we got on the plane for Moscow, the first leg of our Russian adventure. I have to admit we were quite taken aback by what we saw when we landed at Sheremetyevo International Airport. We encountered another example of how America is not always in the forefront of things when we traveled through Italy in 2012 to celebrate a significant anniversary. In the buccolic countryside, nearly every villa and famhouse had some form of solar array on its roof. In terms of using alternative energy, the country was far ahead of the U. S. Yes, as Dane said many of her friends have complained, travel can be time-consuming and inconvenient. For example, I don't want to tell you how many things I had to make certain we had with us for a 21-day stay in Russia – where we could barely read or speak the language and were uncertain of our shopping and replenishing options. But from our point of view, the experiences and the knowledge gained has always been worth the trouble. As Dane said, "you put up with the inconvenience," for the experience. I guess here in Western Massachusetts, those of us who have neither the time nor heart to explore are lucky that we have someone like Dane willing to take those grand adventures and bring the experience back to us in photos and videos and well-told tales. For those of you interested in learning about some of her adventures live, check out the schedule located on page 13 that lists her upcoming travel talks at the Longmeadow Adult Center. For those who might like to view some of her photos and videos at your leisure, visit her website, www.amydaneadventures.com. There you'll find dozens of videos of her trips, as well as an extensive photo gallery that you can view anytime. Dane seems to embody the idea that life is for living, something my husband often reminds me as I rush between laundry, homework, deadlines and gymnastics practices. If you can't make that longed-for journey in person, perhaps Dane can let you experience it online with her.