Jessie Burkhalter

As a child my only way to explore, outside of my hometown, was through books. Like most of you, reading allowed a vacation to places out of reach. It could be the "cosmopolitan" NYC apartment of Eloise to the city streets of Paris in Madeline, either would have me fully absorbed in every detail of a location. As an educator, with a love of reading, it made sense for me to become a reading specialist, and then a dyslexia educator. It was during this time, I was fortunate enough to begin traveling. My first trip was to Cancun, with my husband. The sight of an iguana was so startling I literally jumped out of my skin. They were so tall, big and such a bright shade of green! My second trip was to Paris (which became a 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th :). Hawaii became a favorite of our three daughters.

I absolutely adore learning about new places, just as I did when I was younger. Creating, organizing and detailing your next vacation is something I would consider myself lucky to do.