Mike is my name and traveling is my game!  Corny, but true.  I will skip the part about being born in Maryland, growing up on a dairy farm, moving to Florida with my family when I was 13, working on a ship in the merchant marine, backpacking in Europe, traveling to more than 30 countries, selling real estate, working with chambers of commerce and economic development organizations, hosting foreign delegations, and currently have my own consulting firm.  Now, aren’t you glad I left all of that out?

The success I have enjoyed both personally and professionally I credit largely to my international experiences.  Having parents who instilled in me a strong work ethic, and a loving family has had a lot to do with it too.  Traveling and experiencing other cultures has helped keep me grounded, and always be mindful that we share the planet with more

than six billion other people.  Contrary to popular belief, our individual and collective opinions are not the only ones that count!

When Catrell and I made the decision to go on an around the world odyssey with Morgan, Zach and Harrison, we promised each other that we would never lose site of the goal, which is to make them better global citizens.  Some would say, rather than selling everything and saying good-bye to your consulting practice, why don’t you just buy them a book or have them watch the Travel Channel.  We’ve never been ones to sit on the sidelines and observe.  Instead, we want the boys to be immersed in various cultures firsthand. 

At the risk of getting on my “soap box”, it’s a no-brainer to conclude that virtually all of the problems we have today throughout the world are because we don’t understand each other’s cultures.  It leads to many unfortunate consequences; however, the most profound and unforgivable in my opinion is ignorance.  If we can develop relationships that will benefit people through our travels, and give our sons a real-world education, then we will consider our efforts to be abundantly successful and worthwhile.