Travel is enriching, in so many ways. It brings this big world closer together and gives us new insights on how we might live differently and sometimes even better.

I had to cancel a planned "big trip" 2 years ago when I was hit by a careless motorist while on a casual Sunday morning walk and experienced a broken pelvis. Now I have reset that trip for the end of this May, when I head first to Kiev, Ukraine to finally see the city at my own pace. I was first there in November of 2015 to give invited lectures at a Psychology conference, but they kept me so busy I only got out briefly in the late evening for any sightseeing.

I am looking forward to meeting again with some colleagues there at the university and seeing what seemed to be a MOST beautiful European city. From Kiev, I fly then to Warsaw, where I have had 2 lecturing appointments. I always enjoy my time in Warsaw and will also visit colleagues at the university there and a couple of my ex-students as well.

From Warsaw, I fly onward to Manchester, where I spent a full academic year on a Fulbright, and all of my friends I look forward to seeing are NOT from the university, but are part of the running community in the suburb of Stockport. I ran that year with the Stockport Harriers, and set some lifelong friendships bringing Stockport runners to Sacramento and many subsequent trips back to visit in Stockport.

From Stockport, I fly backwards to Oslo to catch a world-class trackmeet that has been on my "bucket list" for at least 25 years. This meet has the featured event of a stellar class mile race in one of the best fields assembled every year. From Oslo I fly back to Sacramento to return to my regular routine....until the next interesting trip, of course.

I try to do at least one, if not 2 "big trips" per year and always get out to Honolulu every December to help as a volunteer at the Finish Line of their big international marathon race there.