AAA Traveler - Summer 2021 - 19

Roderick and
Sue Guerry
Granddaughter in Paris
check off a location, they really like to dive deep into wherever
they're traveling. " Though the trips are arranged to ensure their
teenage grandchildren are entertained, the emphasis is always on
education and culture. According to Roderick, " educational
travel is like getting a college education. "
Roderick says he usually calls up Liz to tell her about his
plans, then follows up with an email so they have everything in
writing. They've never met in person but he says he'd like to
meet her someday. He describes Liz as being very patient and a
great listener. " She takes into consideration what I want to do
- even if it's quite outlandish, as it sometimes is - then she'll
modify it to something more realistic or she'll think about how
she can actually make it happen, which is even better. "
Postponing Their Trip Around the World
The Guerrys' main adventure in 2020 was supposed to be a
two-month trip around the world, including two-weeks in
Japan, two-weeks in China, and a Tran Siberian train ride to St.
Petersburg, as well as a 25-day river cruise from Bucharest,
Romania, to Amsterdam. It goes without saying that
COVID-19 put a damper on their plans so they're working with
Liz to reschedule the trip for 2022.
The pandemic wasn't Liz's first time helping a family adjust
travel plans as a result of some sort of disaster. A veteran AAA
Travel Advisor of nearly 25 years, she assisted a family that was
scheduled to visit Japan when a major typhoon hit and a couple
who arrived in Europe during the worst snow storm the
continent had experienced in a quarter century. During 9/11,
one of her clients was stranded during a cruise in Turkey, unable
to get a flight back to the United States. When her client's family
couldn't reach her on the ship, Liz was able to get through
and relay messages to her client's family until she could
return to the U.S.
Though they haven't yet planned any travels for 2021, the
Guerrys are hoping it will be safe to take a cruise this summer.
According to Roderick, " The kids want to take a Carnival cruise
to the Caribbean, and I may do that for them, but I was
thinking of taking them on an educational cruise with a
company like Adventure Canada. "
There are Good People Everywhere
Most of the places that Roderick and Sue have taken their
grandkids are places that they've already visited, in some cases,
multiple times. According to Roderick, he loves revisiting places
and seeing them through the eyes of his grandchildren. He also
loves teaching - or better yet, showing - them that there are
good people everywhere.
Roderick believes that no matter where you are in the world,
you can always find someone to help you. Case in point, the
time he was driving down an increasingly narrow road in Seville,
Spain, and his Chevy Impala was too wide to make the turn.
Traffic was backed up as far as the eye could see, and speaking
no Spanish, Roderick got out of the car and threw his hands up
in the air. Immediately, a group of men came over, picked up the
car, tilted it on its side and carried it until it could make the
turn. " The crowd burst out in applause! " he exclaimed.
" I want my grandkids to learn that people are the same
everywhere, and that kindness and goodness are human nature
and are the same everywhere you go. "
Your AAA Travel Advisor can help you explore your world. Visit AAA.com/Travel
to plan your family adventure!
TRAVELER SUMMER 2021
19
http://www.AAA.com/Travel
AAA Traveler - Summer 2021

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