Good trouble and what I learned attending my first LGBTQ work conference

I took time off from my newsletter, but now I have some interesting things to share. And I attended my first LGBTQ travel conference which was fascinating. There are some really GOOD people out there!

I took a month off from sending my newsletter and it was good for me. You know when the world just gets too heavy and then small things seem more intense than they should be? That’s where I was at a month ago, but I’m in a much better headspace and feel like the last month has been both revitalizing and much more enjoyable than recent times. With that, wow, I’m still continually stunned by daily life but feel more hopeful now than I did at the beginning of summer, so that’s what I’m sharing today!

Thank you for continuing to follow along and tune into the stories I share, whether it’s here, on the blogs or out on social media. While my favorite part is always sharing about travel and giving people awesome plans to explore on their own, I like getting to share the reality of life and this week I have some great and interesting stuff to put out there. If you’re not here for that, scroll down and you’ll find some fun travel ideas in Maine, Florida and Palm Springs CA.

Life Updates: The Taylor Family Trucks On

Last time I shared about what’s happening in our world I talked a lot about how difficult the transition to high school/public school had been for our family. While things still aren’t perfect, there have been huge improvements for both kids in how they’re getting used to their new schools. The biggest change for us was our oldest going into high school.

Through the first few months of school (we started in early August), he’d really struggled to make friends or even be comfortable during lunch time. He didn’t understand really how to connect with any of these new people or even if he wanted to. He’s since been able to make buddies, join a few school clubs and he’s even gotten his friends’ phone numbers! That’s huge for us because it really felt like two months of dire straits and loneliness. He loves being in chess and D&D clubs, and he’s connected with kids in his daily classes. This week we went to another high school football game and he said he had the best time hanging out with his friends, and he even caught a shirt from the t-shirt cannon.

Our littlest dude is doing great too. While we’re still getting used to the school style being so different from the Montessori-like world we’ve been in, he’s finding his way and we’ve figured out how to reinforce what he’s learning at school when we do homework together. Yes, he’s in 5th grade and yes, he has homework, but it’s okay because it gives us a chance to understand what he’s doing in school and be able to gauge just what he’s struggling with. Outside of classes, he’s been able to join the school chorus (we get a holiday show!) and he’s taken the plunge into Cub Scouts. Really, things are going to much better than they were.

Good Trouble in our World

Like in many towns and cities around THE WORLD, last month St Augustine had an awesome No Kings rally. It was so incredibly encouraging to be present and see the number of people willing to show up and be counted with those opposed to fascism, the terrorizing ICE has been doing, and then absolutely selfish recklessness of the current administration. In out little town we had an estimated 3500 people show up and peacefully protest and then peacefully march. Again, it was all PEACEFUL and the most annoying part were some morons that kept driving past shouting obscenities at the crowd.

The kids came with us for the No Kings rally and I think they did understand the importance of showing up. We talked about how minorities and marginalized people are being attacked in many ways, and that it’s important for people to get a visual of the support and safety around them. We talked about standing up and speaking up when things aren’t right and that sometimes when you can’t take big action on your own, being a part of a group that can stand up collectively is a good way to do the right thing.

IGLTA - Participating in an LGBTQ+ Conference

I had never been a part of an LGBTQ+ work event until last week. Wow. I got to travel to Palm Springs for this year’s IGLTA World Conference. IGLTA: International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. This is the most inclusive group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure of being a part of. I try to do what I can to shine a light on minority and LGBTQ+ owned businesses and to share when destinations and brands do what they can to be inclusive safe spaces, but wow, this group of people is AMAZING.

What I saw here at IGLTA were international business leaders talking about the steps their companies take to ensure their employees and patrons feel included and their needs addressed. And it was people doing research and providing reporting and guides on safe travel for gender diverse travelers. While so many of the sessions and topics were focused on what travel businesses can do to support the LGBTQ+ population, I felt very encouraged and supported in my own ventures to share and advocate for those who don’t either have a strong voice or the legal protections to be themselves as they travel.

Something I aim to do with destination projects I take on going forward is to be much stronger in requesting and requiring LGBTQ and minority partners I can feature when I’m writing and doing social media. I always ask for people that I can highlight, but so many destinations either don’t have an LGBTQ business alliance/association or the destination hasn’t put in the work to get to know their local operators well enough. Sorry, but you can’t can’t swing a dead cat in ANY destination without finding an LGBTQ+ owned or operated hospitality or tourism business. I’m not going to let destinations out of this important point in the future.

I’m Not Everyone’s Cup of Tea… and that’s okay

I tell myself this a lot. I know that I don’t fit into a lot of groups, whether that be the conservative crowd of our town or my single friends and peers living everyday like there’s not laundry to do at home. Sometimes I really feel it, and sometimes that just ebbs away and the notion doesn’t surface for a long time. Spending a week surrounded by my LGBTQ peers and business acquaintances reminded me of this.

I’m very much at a point in my life where getting to spend time with my family, whether that be at home or traveling, is more important than crossing off my bucket list. I’m not out there trying to score a date or make a fleeting connection. I’m trying to learn about geology and indigenous cultural nuance vs getting a thousand pics of myself from different angles. I bring up these specific points because during the last week I’ve seen how others’ worlds just don’t have the same center as mine and it actually can create a strange barrier. Maybe it’s my social anxiety winning or maybe I’m just that different from others whom I would think I’d have a great connection with, I don’t know.

I’m very different from a lot of people that I know and we’re all in different moments in life. Sometimes that can feel like I’m not having the same success as others, or like maybe I’m doing it wrong, and then sometimes it feels like I’m the square peg of the bunch. Ultimately, I think it just means that I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. Something I have to actively tell myself and work on is accepting this and moving on from it. I share this in case there’s anyone else whose mind goes down that same path. It’s okay to not fit well with people as long as at the end of the day you sit well with yourself. [end of introspective rant]

What’s New on the Blogs! - Travel Ideas

The last two months have been so full of travel with four different trips, so writing hasn’t been as productive as I would’ve thought, but I still got to get a lot down on paper, especially about Maine.

2TravelDads.com - One of the trips we had this month was a bit of local travel over to Sarasota, FL. I had forgotten how nice of a city it is, from the beaches to the circus history (more on that below), or more importantly it’s one of the communities of Florida that’s pushing back against anti-LGBTQ agendas and staying strong, both on person and verbally online pushing back. So after visiting a few times and really having a great trip this last time I finally wrote all about things to do in Sarasota, because it’s a lot of fun, and the Ringling Museums are awesome! Also up on the blog is a BIG article all about Kennebunkport, ME and the fun Kelly and I had during our four days exploring this quintessential Maine town.

MaineExplored.com - Since two of the four trips in the last month were to Maine, that’s where most of my efforts have been focused (and there’s so much more on the way). I’ve tried to write about the many places we stayed over our adventures and am almost through them. Here’s what’s new:

• The Blair Hill Inn - OMG, so beautiful set high above Moosehead Lake

• The Breakwater Inn - charming and quiet on the water in Kennebunkport

• New England Outdoor Center - amazing outdoor destination with beautiful cabins near Baxter State Park in Millinocket

• Sandy Pines Glamping - super fun Wes Anderson theme cabins in Kennebunkport

• The Ocean House Hotel - vintage beach mod on the dunes in Old Orchard Beach

And then there have been some really fun activities, hikes and tours, which I’m also still working through. What I’ve been able to tackle thus far…

• Canoe Moose Tours in Greenville with Northeast Whitewater

• Kennebunkport Lobster Tour on the Rugosa

• Hiking Mount Kineo in Moosehead Lake

• Guide to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia NP

• Riding Antique Trolleys at the Seashore Trolley Museum

• Exploring Baxter State Park in the Highlands

• our 9 hour Grand Slam Lighthouse Tour from Bar Harbor into Canada

• the Downeast Scenic Railroad near Bar Harbor

• the Abbe Museum, all about the Wabanaki people

I enjoy writing about Maine so much. It’s beautiful and fun, and I get to explore it with my bestie who lives there, which makes it all even more delightful.

MyAlaskaTrip.com - I’m almost done with all of the adventures and activities we had in Southeast Alaska this summer. It was several weeks of non-stop going, but I think I’m just about there. I’ve started to finally draft up actionable itineraries for next summer, so hopefully those will be up soon! Here’s what’s new on My Alaska Trip until then:

• Sea Kayaking in Ketchikan

• Haines’ Captain’s Choice Motel (sounds odd, but it’s great)

• Southeast Alaska Discovery Center in Ketchikan

• Alaska Seaplanes out of Juneau

• The Landing Hotel in Ketchikan

What I really enjoy about getting to really dive deep into destinations is building out detailed trip plans and sharing the nuance of each location. Southeast Alaska really has been just that, as it’s beautiful and each town and passage is so wonderfully different. I love it.

TheKeysExplored.com - Even though the Florida Keys are one of my favorite destinations to write about, they’ve taken a back seat while I try to get my other sites caught up. We’re heading back to the Keys in a few weeks though, so there’s going to be a whole other bundle of things to write about. What I have been able to write about is the many parks of the Florida Keys and just before the Keys, both Everglades and Biscayne National Parks. We’ll be camping in the Everglades this month, so there’s going to be even more fun to share!

Upcoming Travels

We’ve got some fun stuff happening in the next few months because my business still is dependent on travel, and it’s not something we do flippantly while the world wastes away, but because it’s the source of my income and it also is able to bring joy to our world. With that, he’s what we’ve got happening to look forward to:

• short Walt Disney World trip - we haven’t gotten to do a project with Disney in a few years, so this should be fun

• Florida Keys road trip and then glamping in Everglades National Park (lots to write about after this!)

• Alaska in Winter! Yes, we’re doing that again, but this time it’ll be Anchorage and the MatSu Valley

• Stowe, Vermont - OMG, this will be my 49th state and it’s going to be a really fun ski adventure.

• NYC for my annual trip, and this time Chris actually gets to come along.

• Maine in Winter! Presque Isle and “the county” during the depths of the cold for all things wintery fun

I know there’s more to add to the list, but this is just what my brain can comprehend right now. It’s a lot to look forward to, but also a ton of work both before and after. I’m ready for it though!

Thank you for hanging out and reading what’s been happening with us. I always appreciate the support from readers, social media followers, and all the friends I do or don’t know. You’re all appreciated. :) Have a great week and stay healthy!