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Menu
 * Home
 * About the TCC ►
   * Overview & Benefits
   * TCC History
   * Membership Benefits
   * TCC Archive
   * TCC Forum
   * Photo Contest
 * Local Chapters
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   * TCC Pins and Name Tags (For Members Only)
 * Join the Club ►
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   * Pay New Member Fees Online
 * Events

 * Home
 * About the TCC
   * Overview & Benefits
   * TCC History
   * Membership Benefits
   * TCC Archive
   * TCC Forum
   * Photo Contest
 * Local Chapters
 * Countries & Territories
   * Geographical List
   * Alphabetical List
   * Territory Status
   * Retired Territories
   * Info Files
 * Member Updates
   * Update Your Status
   * Update Your Contact Info
   * Pay Your Annual TCC Dues
   * TCC Pins and Name Tags (For Members Only)
 * Join the Club
   * How to Apply
   * Pay New Member Fees Online
 * Events

 * Search
 * Travelers' Century Club®
   8939 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Suite 102
   Los Angeles, CA 90045
   Mailing Address:
   P.O. Box 2297
   Cupertino, CA 95015
   Tel: (888) 822-0228
   Email: info@old.travelerscenturyclub.org
   TCC Forum is a private social networking site for members only. Registration
   is required. More info here »
   
   


 * OFFICERS
   
   Margo Bart
   President
   Jeffrey Houle
   Vice-President
   JoAnn Schwartz
   Secretary
   Christopher Hudson
   Treasurer


 * EXECUTIVE BOARD
   
   Steven Fuller
   Michael Sholer


TCC NEWS


JAN. 20 VIRTUAL EXPLORATION: GASTRONOMIC INSPIRATION WITH YOUTUBER JONATHAN
DELISE

January 12, 2024


MEMBER FEATURE: DON PARRISH, DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS

December 4, 2023


DESTINATION: FERNANDO DE NOROHNHA

December 4, 2023


THIRTY-SIX-HOUR TRANSIT: HELSINKI, FINLAND

December 4, 2023


FROM OUR NEWEST MEMBER: KIKE CALVO, WESLEY CHAPEL, FLORIDA

December 4, 2023


CROSSING PATHS: TCC ENCOUNTERS AROUND THE GLOBE

December 4, 2023


WELL TRAVELED: DECEMBER 2023

November 30, 2023


A HEARTY WELCOME TO NEW TCC MEMBERS

November 30, 2023


NEW INFO FILES ADDED TO THE MEMBERS-ONLY TCC FORUM

November 30, 2023


DESTINATION: WALLIS & FUTUNA

September 1, 2023


SPECIAL FEATURE: THE WORLD IS OUR CLASSROOM

September 1, 2023


FROM THE CENTURIAN EDITOR: REMEMBERING DAVID HORNE

September 1, 2023

 * TCC PINS & NAME TAGS
   
   Lapel pins featuring the TCC logo cost $10 (choice of pin or tie tack
   backing). Award level pins ($8) are available for members who have achieved
   Silver (150 countries), Gold (200), Platinum (250) or Diamond (300) level
   status.
   
   Engraved name tags with the TCC logo and magnetic backing cost $13.50. When
   ordering, tell us exactly how you want your name to appear on the tag.
   
   These items are available exclusively to full TCC members. Order online (see
   link below), or mail your request to TCC headquarters with a check for the
   appropriate amount in U.S. currency. Shipping is included.
   
   Click to order »


 * UPCOMING EVENTS & CHAPTER MEETINGS
   
   February 10
    * Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana (Online via Zoom)
      
      More info »
   
   February 17
    * Virtual Exploration
   
   February 24
    * Georgia (Marietta)
      
      Chapter info »
   
   March 2
    * Northern California
      
      Chapter info »
   
   March 6
    * New York Chapter Senegal Study Tour
      
      More info »
   
   March 9
    * Missouri (Kansas City)
      
      Chapter info »
   
   March 16
    * Mediterranean Chapter (Altafulla)
      
      Chapter info »
   
    * Virtual Exploration
   
   
 * View the full calendar »


CHAPTER UPDATES


NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER RETURNS TO THE BASQUE CULTURAL CENTER FOR MARCH 2024
LUNCHEON MEETING

February 3, 2024


MARK YOUR CALENDAR: 2024 MEDITERRANEAN CHAPTER MEETINGS IN SPAIN AND ITALY

February 3, 2024


LONELY PLANET CO-FOUNDER TONY WHEELER TO SPEAK AT MAY 2024 UK CHAPTER EVENT IN
LONDON

February 2, 2024


ATLANTA AREA TCC CHAPTER PLANS FEBRUARY 2024 LUNCH MEETING IN MARIETTA

February 1, 2024


JANUARY 2024 WASHINGTON DC CHAPTER UPDATE

February 1, 2024


LETTER ‘G’ DESTINATIONS EXPLORED AT FEBRUARY 2024 TEXAS/OKLAHOMA/LOUISIANA
CHAPTER ZOOM MEETING

February 1, 2024


SOUTHEAST FLORIDA CHAPTER MEMBERS GATHERED IN JANUARY 2024 AT HISTORIC SPANISH
MONASTERY IN NORTH MIAMI BEACH

February 1, 2024


MEDITERRANEAN CHAPTER EVENT IN ALGIERS MARKS THE FIRST EVER TCC MEETING IN
AFRICA

February 1, 2024


SAVE THESE DATES FOR 2024 KANSAS CITY CHAPTER EVENTS

January 16, 2024


JANUARY 2024 TEXAS/OKLAHOMA/LOUISIANA CHAPTER UPDATE

January 16, 2024


SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS KIKE CALVO’S IMPACTFUL WORK IN NEW YEAR
GATHERING

January 16, 2024


DECEMBER 2023 NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER UPDATE

January 12, 2024
 * The Travelers' Century Club is an international nonprofit social organization
   founded in 1954 for travelers who have visited one hundred or more of the
   world's countries and territories. Click here to learn more »

 * The 2022 TCC International Conference in Malta

 * Paul Drake and his wife exploring Sicily before the 2022 conference

 * The June 2022 Arkansas Chapter gathering in Little Rock

 * New Member Jin Liu with David Brezic at her first TCC meeting

 * 200-country milestones for Linda Rose Victoire Byers & Margo Bart

 * The new Korea chapter resumed in-person meetings in May

 * Rimma Milenkova, guest speaker at the May 2022 Pennsylvania Chapter meeting,
   with member Jill Kyle

 * The spring 2022 Southeast Florida Chapter meeting

 * Previous
 * Next

 * Azores 2024: Next year’s Azores conference (May 30 to June 2) has reached
   capacity, and we are now accepting interest in attending via a wait list. As
   plans change, we do expect some to drop from the original list. Email us at
   info@old.travelerscenturyclub.org if you are interested in being added to the
   list. Download the Conference Agenda here »


A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

November 30, 2023

My term as the president of the Travelers’ Century Club will soon end and I
would like to take this opportunity to thank the club and the board of directors
for giving me the privilege of being president the past two years. By any
metric, our club is in a healthy and strong position with our membership at
almost 1,600 members. We are diversified with thirty chapters around the globe;
our monthly Virtual Exploration program continues to produce an entertaining and
educational product and we anticipate another successful conference in the
Azores next year.

At a recent TCC meeting, the subject of traveling alone was raised and I was
surprised there were so many positive comments on the topic. This had me reflect
on my own personal experience and was able to determine that of the 193 UN
Nation countries, I have visited one-third of these alone. There were no tour
groups to guide me, no family to share experiences with and no friends to
encourage each other. It made me think that one is more open to meeting people
if you are not with anyone and I recalled a number of unique experiences I
believe I would only have by traveling solo.

In one particular journey, I was in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and had the
opportunity to meet a very special plastic surgeon. He had been there for
several months performing corrective surgeries on many victims of the rebel
group, Revolutionary United Front. The group was known to use amputations as a
form of terror against their opponents during the country’s civil war from 1991
to 2002. When we walked together, it was noticeable that he shielded his face
from pedestrians. The doctor shared that he rarely walked the streets of
Freetown as he feared being recognized as the medical person who performed
excruciating painful surgeries on the victims.

Imagine jogging one morning in Sana’a, Yemen. (In this group, I’m sure a few of
you have done this.) In 2015, as I was jogging one morning, a man ran up beside
me and speaking perfect English, asked if I was a foreigner. Foolishly, I
invited further conversation by saying,“Yes.” He started to list government
scandals he wanted to tell me about. Even though I tried to run faster, he kept
pace with me and recounted a long list of failures of his government. It was
particularly embarrassing, or even uncomfortable, because he was talking loudly
and I was afraid a police officer would hear him. I tried stopping, but his
animated talk continued. As this went on for ten minutes or so, I thought I was
better off running than standing on a street corner listening to him. He
eventually relented and let me continue with my run.

I have visited Ethiopia three times and generally speaking, the people there
love and support runners. One time though, I had been running for several hours
in the Omo Valley near the South Sudan border when a thief stopped me and
demanded the two rings I was wearing. Because I had been running that long, my
hands were swollen and he couldn’t remove my rings. He tugged and tugged and I
almost feared losing a finger by other measures. Surprisingly, he gave up and
let me go. I never felt like I was in any particular danger.

How many of you have a 10-inch scar on your stomach caused by a yak? The Mount
Everest marathon in Nepal was a must for me in 1999. Envision a narrow trail. I
then came face to face with a farmer and his huge yak. I motioned the farmer to
proceed, but he insisted that I come first. Within four feet of the yak, it was
startled and suddenly dropped its head, huge horns were ready to do damage and
it lunged towards me. Somehow, I was able to grab the horns, but the yak was
still able to lift me off the ground. It violently shook his head from side to
side throwing me into the air and shallowly goring my stomach from one side to
the other. Fortunately, it was not a deep wound and I was able to finish the
marathon, but required medical attention at the end of the race.

In 2001, I was jogging in Shiraz, Iran when I passed a sports stadium. I could
see that a large number of people were gathering and decided to enter. I assumed
it would be a soccer match. However, it was the anniversary of the Iranian
revolution, and the quote “Death to America” was the theme. (Good timing,
Steve.) Although speeches were in Farsi, disparaging references to the USA were
obvious. It was surreal to watch the two-hour propaganda exercise. Nevertheless,
again, I felt safe and anonymous during the program.

These are extreme situations of independent travel, but I still recommend that
the next time you’re planning a trip and your travel partner backpedals on going
with you, don’t cancel your trip. GO! Have faith that the rewards you receive
from your solo journey will be one of your most rewarding vacations.


DECEMBER 2023 PHOTO CONTEST WINNER: THOMAS NASH, SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA

November 30, 2023

Congratulations Thomas! With 35 photos to choose from, yours received the
highest rating among members. You’ve not only brought honor to the Northern
California chapter, but you have won a year of free dues for yourself. Thanks to
everybody who submitted their wonderful “Himalayas” theme photos for the
December contest. They can still be seen and commented on by visiting
https://pollunit.com/en/polls/tcc-2023-december.

The theme for our March 2024 contest is “Central America.” Click for contest
details »

Photo: Thomas Nash

Taken at the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa, Tibet in 2006, this photo was taken while
pilgrims circumambulated the temple on the Bakhor Kora spinning prayer wheels
and chanting “Om Mani Padme Hum.” Inside the prayer wheel, the chant is printed
thousands of times on a long rolled up scroll. Each spin repeats the prayer many
times. Our travels that year took us to remote West Tibet with more photos from
this trip and 47 years of travel at http://nashpix.com.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Dorothy Thompson, Richland Center, Wisconsin

Photo: Dorothy Thompson

Located in Kathmandu, Nepal, the Pashupatinath Temple holds the title as the
largest temple complex in the world. Named a World Heritage Site in 1979, it is
also one of the oldest temples. A sprawling collection of temples, ashrams, and
monuments, it’s positioned in a valley surrounded by the Himalayan mountains. It
is here that I encountered this sadhu who offered me a blessing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

John Belyea, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Photo: John Belyea

Yaks are the primary means of moving goods up and down the trail from Lukla up
to the Nepal Everest basecamp. This view in the Himalayas is above the
settlement of Pheriche.

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