On December 5^th, I had a minor knee procedure (arthroscopy), but since it was the second time I’ve had it done in 20 years and this time my knee was in worse shape, I ended up bruising and swelling really bad. So……for several weeks I haven’t been able to do much. No visiting local tourism attractions. I could barely walk the length of a few houses. Then I realized that I was wasting time. Just because I couldn’t get around, doesn’t mean that I couldn’t ‘travel.’

So I started to plan out some things I wanted to see in 2015. On the list, of course, is our big trip in September, but we haven’t really even planned much of that yet, so I started reading the brochures that I had ordered and visited the tourism websites (every state has one).  Also on the list is the hometown of Lucille Ball – Jamestown, New York. Every August they have a big comedy festival and I’ve missed it. I’m only 6 hours away. This year, I’m going! Well, it’s on my list anyway.

Then I did the following:

1. Looked up travel podcasts. Try http://www.travelin10.com/ and go to blogtalkradio.com and put “travel” in the search bar to find a bunch of podcasts, such as Peter Greenberg’s podcast, “Travel Today.”
2. Looked up travel writer conferences. I’m a professional writer of 25+ years but can always learn! I found out about the http://www.bookpassage.com/travel-writers-photographers-conference and the New York Times Travel Show. http://nyttravelshow.com/ (I spoke there once on healthy travel, but this time I’m going to go back for more ideas!)
3. I started writing out our itinerary and cost estimates.
4. I started pitching editors to write articles.
5. I reached out to people on Twitter.
6. I started a Virgin Traveler newsletter layout. The actual newsletter will happen later in the year!

Not bad for someone who couldn’t get around too much.  If you can’t now either, it doesn’t mean you can’t start planning!