Going Places

“To be or not to be, that is the question” – William Shakespeare

Notions of discovering new places, looking out a window at 35,000 ft above “fly over” states, or something as simple as how to use ones’ points to gain the best deal, are scattered over years of half written pages.  Many of my partially written blogs have one thing in common, travel.  

But the time has come for me to throw all these thoughts into a narrative with hopes at the end we come out with some sort of meaningful message.  What has triggered this urge to finish years of thoughts, well if you grant me a moment, I promise I will get to the point.

 If you were to survey those closest to me with the question, “What motivates Jacky’s soul?” a reference to travel would be at the heart of each response.  My habit of wanderlust is hard to trace in my DNA.  My parents aren’t ones to jump on flight to Maui at a moment’s notice.  Don’t get me wrong, they have their own version of a trip out of town.  But they are more of the “down to earth” type adventurers, while I have no problem hopping on a plane if given the opportunity.

 Staying true to one of my annual tasks, visiting three new places, the past couple of years, has continued to comfort my get out of town urge .  And the location doesn’t need to be exotic or featured in a top ten destinations in Travel and Leisure.  Thanks to Tod’s successful athletic teams, I have collected Naples, FL, Wichita, KS, and Omaha, NE, already this year.  I also did something I have dreamt of doing since my college days, I became a travel advisor. 

Today’s version is much different from the 1980’s store front on Main Street.  By no means is this my next multimillionaire dollar career, but I have learned even more about the best way to book a fabulous experience while getting the best value at the same time.  For one, the best way to use your points if for air flight.  Using my travel site and learning how to explore new destinations has allowed me to open my mind to the unlimited resources to plan a journey.  And a journey is what has prompt me to finally complete this blog today. 

Ireland & England

The story begins back in mid-March when I was on a trip (I know shocker) for Lilly’s Bachelorette in Healdsburg, CA. While casually sharing a wine tasting with my two pals, I received a text from my Department Head at U of L.  The message was short and not overflowing with details, it simply read, “Would you want to go with us on the study abroad trip?”  Our Equine Industry Program takes students abroad every other year to gain international exposure and insight to the world of horses.  This year they were planning an experience that began in Ireland and finished up with a week in England.  I quickly responded with, “Let me check with Tod, but sounds amazing”, and got back to a glass of Pinot with Tisha and Brandy. 

Upon my return to school the following Monday, the plot gained transaction and the request took on a whole new narrative.  The ask wasn’t just to travel abroad, but to take the lead to plan the entire trip for 10 students and 3 faculty members.  Every detail; flights, lodging, activities, meals and even transportation.  The “why” of the fact that we were less than three months from departure and nothing had been done isn’t relevant for the tale, but the scope of what lied ahead with a ticking clock needs to be crystal clear. It was one of those “put in me in coach” moments that you can either strike out or hit it out of the ballpark.

And it wasn’t until I was sitting here looking down at Greenland on the flight home, that I felt the sheer magnitude of this lift.  Every bit of my wanderlust talent and resources gained from decades crafting my love of packing a bag and leaving town was put to the test.

Armed with a skeleton of an itinerary, dates of the trip, and a few past department excursion highlights (many prior to covid), I sat out to test my “travel advisor” skills.  Not to bore you with too many details, but the early days were spent learning  how to navigate travel at the University of Louisville, gathering details about my passengers, and circling up every equine related contact I could find to help me connect dots.  From sending “cold call” emails discovered on company websites to using my own travel site to find hotels to investigate for rooms, I even used AI at times to scan categories of activities to help me find the best fit for our group, I literary left no stone unturned.

I created a binder (my bible), had more than one large “post it” note in play covered with smaller color-coded “post it” notes and a spreadsheet that kept track of daily activities, budgets, and information on travelers.  At times I felt like I had manifested this moment from years of travel wonder.  I high-fived myself often when an encounter fell into place.  Set up Teams meetings to communicate with new people on the other side of the pond, which was often early in the morning taking in account the time difference.  And over the past two weeks crossed my fingers, toes and said a few prayers that it would all go smoothly.  Literally one of the wire payments for a hotel stay arrived the day we checked into our rooms.

What has transpired since we landed on June 13 is nothing short of a poetic story.  One could focus the writings on the life lessons learned, the equine business visited, the culture experienced, or the once in a life time moments captured daily.  Yesterday on the coach ride to our final destination, I asked the group this question, “What was your favorite experience?”  They were hesitant at first to respond and looking back maybe that wasn’t all that surprising.  It may take some time for the full effect of the impact of the last 14 days to resonate with the students.  They experienced “bucket list” activities, such as a day at the Royal Ascot, they rode horseback through the Irish countryside, and they connected with some of the most influential operations in the Thoroughbred horse racing world.

Lessons learned along the way

Taking a lyric from English legends the Beatles, “I get by with a little help from my friends”, may be the number one take away.  From the unparalleled generosity of sharing from the team at the Breeder’s Cup to the assistance that our new connections made abroad shared, enabled this process contain way more peaks than valleys.  Great example would be our time in Ireland.  I discovered our lodging first and met with our contact via Teams.  She connected me to our coach company, who then helped me with timetables, pivoting on a day we needed to change at the last minute and even found the riding stable we visited after I had gone through three other companies.  In a day of worry about robots and computers taking over the world, I can safely say our success is due to personal connections.  People rock.

Securing travel abroad with a university accounting department is not for the faint of heart.  Which credit card could we use for which expenses, could we do a wire transfer, and don’t even get me started on hotel room contracts.  Time was not on our side.  If we would have started this process after the first of the year, our bottom line would have benefited, as the worry of making payment deadlines diminished. But that wasn’t in the cards and out of our control.

The final lesson is that our students have needs that they haven’t even discovered.  This isn’t my first time taking undergrads on a trip and it is not even my first collegiate trip abroad https://alittlebitaboutalotofthings.com/2015/02/15/some-of-gods-greatest-gifts-are-unanswered-prayers/.  Yet there was something unique about having ten students (many who had never spent time out of the classroom together) thrown together in a tight environment and expected to operate as a single unit.  I described it one night as being on reality-based TV show.  Many of the characters aren’t day to day friends but are thrown together for the filming of the show and expected to portray a happy unified group.  Add to the mix sharing tight spaces, new foods, the sun setting at 10pm and up bright and early at 5am, the number of ways we were asking them to stretch outside their comfort zones was staggering.  Preparing them for what lies ahead is essential.  Discovering ways to capture their thoughts to plan a trip that will resonant or give them a pause to put down their cell phones and be present would be a grand goal.

To pick my favorite experience would be tough, but there was a moment on this trip I will never forget.  Our final stop was in the town of New Market.  The heart, home and starting gate of Thoroughbred horse racing in England.  If you are a lover of racing, you must visit New Market.  We stayed at the famous Jockey Club, who since 2022 has opened its rooms for nonmembers.  On our first night our host helped planned a very special dinner in the formal dining room.  The students came dressed for the occasion and were told to leave their cell phones in their rooms.  From the tour we were given to the actual meal, it was a very magical evening in a special location.  Watching the students interact, laugh and be present warmed my heart.  Knowing that replicating those few hours would be impossible and never forgotten.

To travel or not to travel, for me that isn’t even a question.  Speaking of manifestation.  When Tod and I visited Key West at Christmas this past December I purchased a sweater that has written on the neckline “Going Places”.  We are only through the month of June, yet in 2026 where haven’t I been?  Well Italy for one, but then again, we all need to have something to look forward too.

PSA (One more lesson dedicated to Tisha Tucker who asked me to write about points from my very first blog)

Points, points and more points.  Being loyal does have its privileges but it doesn’t happen overnight.  My advice select an airline, hotel chain, car rental, etc. and be consistent.  And it is just not enough to remember to use the number when you book a reservation.  Watch for promotions, shop through their website  (if that is an option), link accounts between sites, and make sure to squeeze every last point and benefit offered. 

For example, I am a United gal.  I have a United credit card that I use for most of my purchases (lately I have got into the habit of charging everything and paying off the balance each month, but that is another story).  I have also linked my card to my Lyft account.  Why?  Because not only does my credit card give me a monthly credit for ride share, I also receive miles for each ride.  To clarify for one ride in a Lyft, I am banking points with two different methods.  Capturing points is time consuming, but it pays off in the end.  Case in point, I upgraded in London for this flight home at the check in counter with 20,000 miles.