Barbara R. Tysinger -- Travel

Travel

I love to travel, as long as I have a place to come home to!

I don't remember much about my earliest travels, but I have seen pictures. My first trip was probably when I was not more than two years old and my parents took me to the beach for the weekend. By all accounts I enjoyed it very much, and my mom was exhausted from bending over and holding on to me as I played in the surf.

Travel throughout my childhood, aside from return trips to the beach, was most often to visit relatives in other states. By the time I was ten, I had been from Virginia to Florida and back again. I had my first ride on an airplane at the age of about 12, when I went with my grandmother to visit my aunt in Florida. Airplane trips were a big deal then, and everyone dressed nicely for the occasion. I remember I had to wear a dress. Yuch.

My first trip abroad came when I was between my Junior and Senior years in high school. The trip was initially organized by our French teacher, who could go free if enough students signed up. Unfortunately (for her), there were only three student from our school going on the tour, so she stayed home and we joined up with a group from another high school. We had a blast! Forty high school students loose in Europe with only a few teachers along! And none of them knew my parents! We started in Rome and worked our way north visiting Florence, Montreau, Paris, London and Windsor.

In 1987 it was England again. This time a self planned and self guided trip with three friends from graduate school. We spent a fabulous week based in London and traveled to Windsor, Hatfield, and Hampton Court. But a week just isn't long enough!

Two more trips to England followed. The first in 1990 with my mom, covered London to Edinburgh and back again with a stop in York along the way, and a side trip to Windsor.

This is my mom with two Yeoman Warders or "Beefeaters" at the Tower of London.
© 1990 Barbara R. Tysinger.

The second was very spur of the moment, and occurred over the Thanksgiving 1995 holiday weekend. We began planning for this trip in October 1995 and were walking in London a little over one month later. Considering that both I and my traveling companion are micro-planners, it is a miracle we made it in so short a time! But it was marvelous to do my Christmas shopping in Harrods!

Fortnum & Mason's decorated for Christmas 1995. Taken from the top of an open double-decker tour bus 6 hours after arriving in London!

The Tower of London glowing in the sun. Taken from Tower Bridge on one of our few sunny days! Thanksgiving weekend, 1995.

My most recent big trip, however, was right here in the good ol' USA. Beginning on New Year's Eve 1995 I traveled to Orlando and visited Walt Disney World! OK, the trip was for a gaming con called SunQuest, but WDW was just sitting there, did you expect us to miss it?

The World Showcase Lagoon at EPCOT Center, Walt Disney World. January 1996.

More of my travel photos can be found on my Photography page.

After relocating to North Carolina and taking my current position with the University, I have much more scope for business travel. As part of attendance at conferences, seminars and workshops I have visited North Carolina from one end of the state to the other, as well as Denver CO, San Antonio TX, Washington DC, Chicago IL, Columbus OH. This summer I will be visiting New York, and, if all goes according to plan, New Orleans next summer!

Who knows where I'll end up next!