Transformative travel: Readers' tales of trips that changed their lives
Readers Share Memories of Embarking on the Trip of a Lifetime
It has been 22 years since we made that trip. I see myself, my family, my country and my life completely different. Even the simplest things have a new perspective. I made no impact on the children of Cape Haitian, Haiti, but they sure changed me with a single song.
— Roger Dean, Canton, Ga.
He was in over his head — and loving it
I learned scuba diving at the request of my daughter Philipa when I was 60 years old and fell in love with it. As a thank you, I invited her on a cage dive to see great white sharks at the Pacific island of Guadalupe, Mexico, with sharkdiver.com. Standing in the cage, I saw my first shark swimming by, so close that I could almost touch him. I was 64 years then and I never imagined how this trip would give my life a totally different direction.
When I sold my ranch in upstate New York a couple years later, I started to book dive trips where sharks were included. My first shark dive without a cage was in the Bahamas. Jumping into the ocean, knowing that there were at least a dozen Caribbean reef sharks down there, was a bit weird. But I jumped in anyway.
The sharks were inquisitive but never aggressive. I fell in love with those beautiful, amazing and highly developed animals. I started to read every book I could find and started my own website, sharkprotect.com. I am now an avid shark protector and am now on the Board of Trustees of the Shark Research Institute in Princeton, N.J. I give presentations about sharks in schools and colleges to tell as many young people about the importance of sharks in our oceans.
After 120 shark dives, I am still in love with sharks and take every opportunity I get to dive with them.
— Jupp Kerckerinck zur Borg, Millbrook, N.Y.
A wish upon a starry night comes true
I will never forget the moment I stepped on the sand of Wailua Beach in Kauai. It was night, the air was balmy and smelled like gardenias. There were so many stars, it seemed we were really on the edge of the universe.
It was a welcome respite from the Utah winter cold, where my father battled pancreatic cancer and I was in the middle of a painful custody battle for my 4-year-old daughter. I remember thinking what a miracle it would be to one day live in such a place.
Several years later, after my father passed away and I obtained full custody of Kate, I got a call from a recruiter looking for a medical social worker in Kauai. The memory of standing on the beach gave me the courage to sell all of our things and pack up a few suitcases. We now live moments from that same beach, caring for our cats, chickens and each other.
That journey gave me hope for a better life and a wish that finally came true.
