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travel life

Change Happens!

In my professional life and my personal life, I continue to evolve and change. A part of it is growing older, but a huge part is because of the adventures we have experienced. 

The person I was a year ago is not the person I am today. It can be hard to explain, and sometimes it's hard for the people close to you to understand, I know my loved ones have suffered through the years because of it.

but it's a raw truth. 

Adventures change you… the journey of life changes you - Sometimes for the good, and sometimes for the bad. Things that were important, or seemed important six months ago, may no longer be so today.

The things that remain the same are my love for family and friends and what our company SDM Adventures means to me - passion, adventure, fun, and the beauty of the wild places and animals we love to spend time with.

Many years ago, I wrote a newsletter about how I am evolving and changing through my travels. It was very personal. Looking back, it may have been too personal. 

However, the response I got from that newsletter was overwhelming. 

Our subscribers responded in one of two ways; Some got angry and unsubscribed - others wanted to experience the kind of changes I was talking about. 

I can't help that some of our readers had a negative emotional response to the newsletter. They were just not ready to hear that message. 

And that is ok. We are all on different journeys. 

But on the flip side, there was also a very positive response from so many of our readers who were pretty excited on the idea of having their lives changed by adventures… there was a lot.

The thing is, change is not what you seek out when you experience life-altering adventures. The change is what happens when you survive them. Life flows, and you flow with it, and when the trip is over and the dust settles, you are just never the same again. 

You may think you are the same, but you are not. When you break free from routine and move out of your comfort zone to experience the world's magic, something happens to you deep down inside. 

And the more experiences you have, the more visible those changes become. Your energy grows and becomes something you can feel. And if you don't believe me - Try sharing time with someone who has traveled a lot. Talk with them, you can almost feel that energy in the air around them. It is such a cool vibe. 

Even as much as we have traveled, some people out there just make you feel like you're standing still in life.  And without them even trying to… they inspire you to want more out of your own life. 

So get out there my friends! 

Go on a journey, take a walk in the woods, sit and watch a hundred sunsets. Experience the natural world and all its perfection, and watch and feel how the world changes you. 

You may not be ready for it.

But if you are, then I hope to see you out in the world - let’s trade stories and inspire each other to do more… somewhere… anywhere.

Thank you for reading

And We are OFF... Mexico Bound!

My ladies not happy travelers that I am popping surprise images.

My ladies not happy travelers that I am popping surprise images.

And we are off! We walked out the door this morning at 6 AM, bleary-eyed and disgustingly tired. Our uber waiting for us to take us to the airport and catch our plane ride to Cancun. We had to fly to Mexico City first, and now we are sitting at the airport in Mexico City, waiting for our connection to Cancun. Travel days are always exhausting, especially when its a long trip. We were up until 2 AM, getting everything ready. A lot of last-minute packing going on; Clothes and dive gear, and all the camera gear we bring. It is a lot… All part of our circus world.

Gabriel taking advantage of the layover.

Gabriel taking advantage of the layover.

Long trips are always tough on me emotionally. Thankfully this one is also a mix of family time - the SDM crew is joining me out there for our time in Mexico. Mari, Sophia, and Gabriel are joining me for three weeks, so it will make my time out there nice. But, of course, there will be some added headaches having them with me as well. “Sometimes family is just too much family”, as my son David once said. But still, it will be nice having home with me. Tonite we will be staying at a hotel close to the airport in Cancun to wait for a couple of old friends who will join us for a few days of beachside relaxation and debauchery. They are coming out before our first group arrives for our whale shark expedition off Isla Mujeres, Mexico to have a bit of fun and catch up on good times.

Of course, while we are hanging out and reminiscing I will find windows to take advantage of my time in paradise and go looking for wildlife. I mean, what is the point of coming to a beach paradise in the Yucatan if it isn’t to find exotic animals? Drinking and lying around a beach just does not do it for me, I need to get off the beaten path and see what is crawling or flying around. I do look forward to my before sunrise wake-ups to see what animals are up to. That is what I live for.

I can’t wait!

Of course, we just got the news that our flight is delayed three hours. So… the waiting continues. Until tomorrow night, guys, hopefully, it will be with some new animal pics for you.

Officially our flight is now a three hour delay and the circus animals are making the most of it.

Officially our flight is now a three hour delay and the circus animals are making the most of it.

As always, thanks for reading!