Turtle Shell Travel

Travel Advisor with Fora Travel

Tag: fall

  • It’s getting chilly: November update and what I’m working on as a travel advisor this month

    Highs in the 40s are coming our way in Maine, and the weather radar is giving us a frosty welcome—probably sending snowflakes to knock on our doors any minute now! Winter is sneaking up like an uninvited guest, and we couldn’t be more thrilled. Bring on the holiday season and those cozy evenings where we can pretend the chill is good for our character!

    In the past month, we’ve played host to some friends from the midwest, and boy, did we pick the right day for our adventure! We bought same day tickets for the Cog Railway and rode to the summit of Mount Washington on a lovely (and surprisingly warm) fall day. It was the last day the visitor’s center was open, and we literally hopped on the last train out of there. The Mount Washington Summit is now covered with snow, as can see on their live webcam.

    For those of you who have yet to experience the stunning top of Mount Washington – I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Maine (or New Hampshire or Vermont)! The view is simply breathtaking and pleasantly surprising, especially for a “flatlander” like me from Illinois. If the weather cooperates (and trust me, it makes all the difference), it’s an unforgettable adventure. On our journey back home, we enjoyed a delightful Mexican dinner in North Conway that added to our wonderful day!

    Also in the past month, we joyfully participated in Tufts Family Weekend, and I had the chance to fly home and visit my parents, who are settling into the assisted living facility not far from their cozy condo in Rockford. Although the adjustment comes with challenges, we are committed to caring for Mom and Dad with as much love and support as possible, ensuring they are safe and enjoying plenty of good meals. Being part of the sandwich generation certainly has its ups and downs, but being a caregiver to a parent also brings moments of unexpected joy and growth. I’m grateful to be back in the Midwest, especially during this time when the corn and beans are being harvested and the sunsets stretch beautifully for miles. I returned home to a stunning fall evening in Portland.

    In the past month, I’ve researched winter island destinations in Spain and a Key West escape for January. I’ve also scheduled a follow-up call with a client organizing a remarkable Maine getaway in 2026. If Maine is on your bucket list—or any list—for 2026, now is the perfect time to start planning your adventure.

    This recap may resemble a holiday letter, so I’ll wrap things up here. In celebration of our holiday this month, I proudly express my gratitude for my friends and family who have stood by me through the challenges of caring for aging parents. I also extend my appreciation to my travel clients; your support for my small business means the world to me.

    Finally, I want to enthusiastically share my experience with the Design your Joyful Life course I’ve been part of this fall! It’s perfect for anyone eager to reflect on their professional journey and envision their future. You can purchase the book here, but participating in this guided class has truly inspired me to identify what fuels my passion and my aspirations for the next 5 years. The group of participants has been incredibly supportive and open-minded. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed connecting with thoughtful individuals from across the US who are embracing new experiences. And the course leader, Lisa, brings such a calm and vibrant energy to the experience. I highly recommend it!

  • Looking back to move forward

    Just as Taylor Swift has famously released her Red album, again, this weekend. I’ve been thinking of looking back in order to move forward with my life, with my blog.

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    This weekend I took my 16 year old son to visit University of Maine – Farmington. And although I kept my (mostly positive) comments to myself, I couldn’t help thinking of my undergraduate experience and how that, in many ways, it marked the beginning of my adult life. And now I’m watching him start to envision the start of HIS adult life. Deep sigh filled with lots of love, for him, for life.

    So, what does going to college have to do with travel? And why bring it up on a blog? I started this blog to share what I have seen, and I realize that my “ending” of parenting elementary school aged children is someone else’s (HIS) beginning. And when you get on that plane to a new destination, someone else on that same plane is on their way home from their adventure, their work trip, perhaps their goodbye to a loved one.

    I’d like to take this blog deeper than hotel rooms and destinations, and reflect on what travel does for us and to us. It makes us grow up and deal and realize that the outside world often doesn’t follow the same rules that you have at home. The language can be different and the views outstandingly different. The journey takes us along paths that others have walked before (perhaps for centuries). We can be the guide or the guided. And in between take off and landing, there are moments of anticipation, excitement, and deep reflection.

    Mitchell Road trees

    This morning in church, our pastor mention the “inward turn” that people take in worship. Where the prayers are private, unspoken. But you take that journey in community, just as we journey in a row of people on an aircraft. Where we think we are ending a journey, we are taking steps on a new one. Surrounded by others on their own path. Those interactions we do permit, even if it’s a smile behind a mask, reflect our human community.

    So, as a parent, I treasure where our family is right now. And even as this blog has been slow to take off, I’ll keep sharing where I’m at with this community, who values travel as much as I. On the way to church, I heard the song, “Closing time” by Semisonic, and the lyrics said “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”. Yes, be it college, childhood, motherhood, a place or a relationship.

    So, today, I’ll enjoy Taylor Swift’s Red Album (TV), the remaking of her past, so wise, so admirable.

    Do you have any endings or beginnings you can place in the comments. Even if it’s a word that’s meaningful to you? As the end of the year is upon us and leaves are falling, what are you leaving behind or moving toward?

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