Walk Into the Future

Category: Leadership

  • 2025 Winter Park 10k

    “Every pizza is a personal pizza when you are marathon training”.

    (Unknown)

    My Walk into the Future continues to be centered around being a running tourist.  I love to sign up for races and explore locations and enjoy the sights and sounds of each city. 

    Winter Park, Florida is in my regular running rotation with multiple distances: 5ks and 10ks each year in my running schedule.  The Track Shack headquarters is right down the street and returning to Winter Park for races allows me to visit with my friends at Track Shack and Orlando.  I met the owners on a running trail in Tallahassee, Florida while they were visiting their daughter and grandchildren years ago.  It’s always great to return to check out new merchandise and talk with local runners before the races.

    I ran my first Winter Park 10k back in 2019 and have not missed a race since.  I ran my 10k personal record (PR) of 55:57 (9:00 minutes per mile) back in 2021.  Fun fact—my three fastest 10ks have all been run during the Winter Park 10k.  The course is mostly flat and allows runners to stretch out and go fast.  I think that’s the part I love about this race—I know I will be fast because of the course familiarity and understanding when to push the pace to hit the finish line with a good race time.

    The 2025 Winter Park 10k was the last long race before heading to Nashville for the 2025 Nashville Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  The Winter Park race provides me with a fitness test to determine how much work I still need to accomplish before NashVegas.

    I made my way over to Track Shack the day before the race to pick up my race packet and get settled in my hotel.  I am a creature of habit so try to hit Track Shack before the large crowd arrives.  I like to get some shopping done while I’m in the store and it is better before the crowd arrives. 😊 They didn’t have any new gear in my size, so I just walked around a bit and then headed out to carb load.

    I made my way to the UCF Buffalo Wild Wings to get my fill of wings, potato wedges and beers.  I didn’t need to go overboard with the carbs since this was a 10k—still needed carbs but decided to forego the pasta and use the potato wedges and beer to carb up a bit.

    Headed across the street to my favorite hotel in Oviedo to get off my feet and get prepared for a big race day.  My bedtime comes early when I have a race coming up and I need extra rest to feel fresh—mission accomplished.

    I headed over to Park Avenue in Winter Park with plenty of time to warm up and stretch before the race.  The race village was teeming with runners when I arrived, so I found a spot to stretch without getting run over by folks trying to get to the 2-mile race start line.  I’ve never completed the double race (2-miler and 10k) but a lot of folks like the challenge so they can double up on race medals. 

    I toed the 10k line feeling fresh and wanted to run a good time.  The weather was warmer than last year but there was no humidity in the air.  This normally means a fast time for me regardless of the distance.  Let’s fast forward a bit and I was off my 10k PR by a little over 2 minutes.  This was my fastest 10k since 2021 and I felt good from start to finish.  I was able to cross the finish line with a smile and passed quite a few runners at the end.  I normally zone out the finish line crowds but decided to enjoy hearing total strangers cheer for me.  It was a great day to race!

    I made my way back into the race village to take some pictures and get my ice-cold beer.  Track Shack partners with local nurseries and everyone got a nice plant to take home as a prize.  I collected my potted plant and made my way back to my vehicle.  I dropped off some of my running gear and headed to Croissant Gourmet Bakery for breakfast.  I’ve been to this spot before and decided to treat myself to a great breakfast and do some people watching before heading back to Oviedo.  I highly recommend this spot if you are ever on Park Avenue.

    https://www.croissantgourmet.com/

    Spring break for Indian River State College starts tomorrow and I’m heading back down to Negril, Jamaica for rum, sun and reggae! 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “You know you are a runner when you plan vacations around races”.

    (Unknown)

  • Samsara!

    “Home away from home in Jamaica”.

    (#IslandGetaway)

    Once you go, you know!

    That was the old tag line to promote Jamaica as a tourist destination.  I never got the tag line when I was young but fully get it now.  Jamaica is an island getaway destination full of energy and adventure.  Yes, that last sentence sounds like a Jamaica travel endorsement.  Hopefully, I can get to work soon as a travel blogger.  Fingers crossed! 😊

    I started coming down to Jamaica back in 2005 to explore and experience the culture.  I was hooked on that first trip and have only missed a few years since.  My goal is to make it down yearly to enjoy my second home—yes, I adopted Jamaica.

    I picked Negril back in 2005 because I wanted to try something different.  Most folks that come down hit the major tourist spots (Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, etc.) but I never heard anyone mention Negril.  I wanted to give it a run because it is smaller and less tourist type activities.  It’s a fishing village and has a slower way of life than the better-known areas.

    Truth be told, I got lucky when I picked Samsara as my resort.  It was listed as a 3-star resort, but I loved the pictures of the resort and how close it was to other things in Negril.  Centrally located on the cliffs and I can walk to other points of interest with no problems.  The cliffs provide another level of adventure for cliff divers, snorkeling and scuba spots. All this can be done without leaving the property. 

    The chefs at Samsara are just as amazing as the views.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner have a unique Jamaican flavor and allows visitors to explore multiple food options.  I used to get the all-inclusive package but now I like to hit other locations for food when I’m in Negril.  I still eat breakfast and other meals at Samsara but love the freedom to explore and hit other food spots:

    • 3 Dives / Jerk chicken
    • Push Cart / Ox tails
    • Rock House / Grilled snapper with callaloo
    • Xtabi / Pan fried snapper
    • Chances / Best pizza in the world 😊
    • Samsara / Breakfast buffet with blue mountain coffee

    Samsara continues to provide a level of comfort and enjoyment.  Most of the staff have been there since I’ve been coming to Jamaica.  They remember me like I never left and this makes me smile.

    I recommend Samsara if you’re looking for an Irie feel for your vacation.  No big production or resort type feel.  I love this location because it allows me to explore as a Jamaican instead of being stuck in a large resort with tourists.

    Give Samsara a run if you’re looking for a Jamaican getaway.  Tell them that Williams sent you! 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Chasing sunsets in Jamaica”.

    (#SunsetLovers)

  • WPBF Interview

    “You’re not famous until your mother has heard of you”.

    (Jay Leno)

    Love this quote from Jay Leno and it fits my life quite a bit. 😊

    My mom is the only person who introduces me as Dr. Williams.  She gets a lot of joy introducing me that way and I think it’s a cool dynamic.  She does not think of or view me as famous, but she has heard of me and the work I’m doing on my Walk into the Future.

    I was asked to come down to WPBF in West Palm Beach, Florida to discuss some of the work we do with our military and veteran populations.  We have a large number of enrolled students with military affiliation and conduct a lot of outreach in the community.  This outreach caught the attention of the WPBF news director, and they requested we come down and do a live TV spot to promote the event.

    I was a regular on the local news scene when I worked in the Florida State University’s Career Center.  This was my first opportunity to get back on the air at my current institution.

    You can view the interview here:  https://www.wpbf.com/article/florida-indian-river-state-college-supporting-local-veterans-hobbies-helping-hands/64185475

    I’m not sure I’m famous now but it was a fun experience.  Hope you enjoyed the interview.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it”.

    (Henry David Thoreau)

  • Back to the Future

    (Image by Tumisu from Pixabay)

    “Opportunities don’t happen; you create them”.

    (Chris Grosser)

    What did you want to be growing up?

    This was an icebreaker question in a recent meeting we had at work.

    It seemed like a simple question, but it made me pause for a second.  Why do you ask?  Great question as always Maria! 😊

    Well, I had my mind set on being a forest ranger when I entered high school.  I didn’t know anyone who was a ranger, but I always saw them around growing up in rural northern Florida.  My hometown is Jasper, Florida which is right on the Florida / Georgia line.  It’s known for farming and fishing, so I spent a lot of time outdoors and wandering in the woods.

    I thought being a ranger would allow me to enjoy this aspect of growing up and help make a difference in the world.  I researched everything about becoming a ranger and joined 4H to develop additional skills.  I thought being in the woods and protecting the environment was going to be my career.

    Well, that all changed when I took a TV Productions class in my senior year. We got a chance to host live TV segments that aired in our school.  I never thought I would enjoy that aspect of the class but found a new joy going to school.  We got a chance to produce segments and conduct interviews with different topics ranging from sports, education and life after high school.

    I changed my mind about becoming a forest ranger due to our TV Productions course.  I started watching nightly news shows looking for pointers I could leverage in our class.  Journalism was going to be my new career, and I was excited about this.   I put a lot of extra effort into this course and a few of us were requested to video football and basketball games and provide the tape to coaches. This was an exciting time and showed another aspect to the course.  I was hooked!  Journalism was my thing.

    Fast forward a bit and I received a partial Journalism scholarship to Lake City Community College.  Turns out school was not my thing at that point in my life.  I flunked out of community college and joined the Air Force.  I had an outstanding Air Force career but never forgot about journalism.

    I started the Walk into the Future blog to share adventures and stories.  It’s not a traditional journalism role but I have people around the world reading my blog and sharing experiences with me.

    I’m not writing for a large newspaper or covering stories from New York as a photojournalist, but I am chronicling adventures and stories to share with folks around the world.  This may have been an unconventional route to get where I wanted to be back in high school but I’m here pounding out articles weekly.

    Hooray for that TV Productions class back in Jasper, Florida!  It opened opportunities and doors for me in life.  Well done, Mrs. Klepper!

    What did YOU want to be when you grew up?  Let’s make it happen.

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop”.

    (Confucius)

  • Hello Atlantic City Marathon

    “A marathon is hundreds of miles.  The finish is the last 26.2”.

    (Unknown)

    My Walk into the Future continues to move forward and provides me with opportunities to challenge myself.  I applied to the 2024 Chicago Marathon and got accepted via the lottery process.  I believe I got in because of my affiliation with the Orlando Track Shack organization.  I’ve run with Track Shack since 2010, and they hosted the 2024 Olympic Marathon trials in downtown Orlando.  This additional publicity may have factored in getting accepted into the Chicago Marathon since Track Shack was in the news for months. 

    I applied to the Chicago Marathon with a hope of getting in last year and I did.  The excitement of just getting in brought me joy and fear at the same time.  This was the largest running event for me so far and I enjoyed every minute of my time in Chicago.  I thought getting accepted once would help me get in again this year, but they didn’t select me.  I was bummed for a couple of days but then decided to find another marathon for this year. 

    Hello Atlantic City Marathon!

    I searched for a full marathon in the northern part of the country in October with a flat course.  The Atlantic City Marathon is not as large as the Chicago Marathon, but it has been around since 1958 and had almost 1,000 marathoners in 2024.  That’s a lot less than the 52,150 runners that completed the Chicago Marathon.  Oh well, 26.2 miles is the same distance regardless of how many folks run the race.

    I ran the 2022 Atlantic City Rock N Roll Half marathon so I’m familiar with the area.  The Atlantic City Boardwalk is world famous but does not match the atmosphere in downtown Chicago.  I will get a chance to see my friend Lauren Apgar since she signed up to run this race as well.  It’s almost a home race since she will be coming over from Philly.  😊

    I have the 2025 Nashville Rock N Roll half marathon coming up in April.  This is my favorite event in one of my favorite cities—I love NashVegas!  I added the 2025 Fargo Half marathon to my race calendar to maintain my running tourist spirit.  I’ve never been to the Dakotas, so I plan to run in Fargo, North Dakota and then drive down to South Dakota for a look.  This will allow me to cross off two additional states on my visit list. 

    My marathon training program is scheduled to start again on 6/15/2025.  I will leverage my 18-week training program that allowed me to take 25 minutes off my marathon personal record (PR).  I have a better understanding of marathon training, nutrition, rest and recovery now and should be able to take more time off my PR this year.  I’m excited about the new challenge and want to see how much I can push myself this year.  I was recently prescribed full length orthotics to help eliminate pain from my flat feet.  They started bothering me during the 2024 Rhode Island half marathon and never got better.  Decided to go see a Podiatrist and get my feet checked out.  He gave me orthotics for my running shoes, and they feel great.  I have been running faster training runs since mid-February so I’m excited to see how this translates to race day. 

    Atlantic City is a new adventure, and I plan to Walk into the Future on my way there!

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Always concentrate on how far you’ve come, rather than how far you have left to go”.

    (Unknown)

  • Make Every Second Count

    (Photo by Jordan Benton)

    “You may delay, but time will not”.

    (Benjamin Franklin)

    The Walk into the Future blog continues to look for new topics to develop.  Most of the content comes directly from my travels, life adventures and items of interest.  I have reached out to tree branches for thoughts on new blog content and then try to develop their concepts into something I can share with my readers. 

    I had an outstanding conversation with Melissa Forges on my drive over for the 2025 Town of Celebration Half Marathon.  We got a chance to catch up on life and have a few laughs in the process.  Melissa shared three topics of interest and gifted them to me to see if I could develop them into a blog article. Well, here’s my run at her first topic: Make Every Second Count.

    We all understand the concept of time and how our days on earth are numbered.  There’s a finite amount of time we get to live this life, and this is our way to inspire YOU to live more.

    I decided to do a little research to put your time in perspective.  What does time look like?

    • 12 months in a year
    • 365 days in that same year
    • 7 days a week
    • 1,440 minutes in a day
    • 86,400 seconds in a day

    The first three time markers are the most common and talked about in our daily interactions.  Days turn into weeks, months and then years at a faster pace as we get older.  This may be a perception thing, but it feels real to me.  I left home to join the Air Force in 1986 and just celebrated 39 years on this life journey post Jasper, Florida.  We hear time flies, and it seems to become a reality as I get older in this life.

    Let’s dive into the minutes and seconds we each have in a day.  How many of the 1,440 minutes in a day are you doing something to make the world a better place?  What about the 86,400 seconds in a day? 

    I take my role as a tree (mentor) seriously and look to enhance my interactions with my tree branches daily.  I’m not sure I maximize every second of every day, but I put a sincere effort into this process daily.  It’s easy to say I will get something done tomorrow but I don’t want to waste time or effort and ignore today.  Yes, it’s easy for me to write this from the comfort of my keyboard but I will begin to leverage the time concept into my writing as well.  I have new responsibilities at work and there are days when I don’t sit down to work on my writing craft.  I assume I have time to develop topics into blog articles but need to leverage every second available to ensure I have a large library of blog articles to select from.  I normally have seven to eight articles drafted before I publish weekly.  Maximizing every minute and second in the day will get me back to a place where I have a large library to select from again. 

    Making every second count can be leveraged in all aspects of life.  I plan to use this mindset when I start my full marathon training program in June.  The 2025 Atlantic City Marathon is scheduled for October of this year, but I must use my training time smartly.  Lauren, how will you make every second count before we toe the line in Atlantic City? 😊

    How can blog readers who are parents maximize your time with your kids?  Yes, they have busy lives but are you making every second count with them?  Just a question Melissa but remember, this was your topic! LOL

    Have you booked the vacation you have been talking about for the past few years?  Again, time stops for no one—are you making every second count?

    I can add more scenarios but believe you get my point on time. 😊

    One final point.  My grandmother passed away in 2012 and the pastor that delivered her eulogy used the concept of time to inspire the family to live life.  He gave us the 1,440 minutes and 86,400 seconds per day to highlight how my grandmother lived life to the fullest.  His exact words were: She Lived!  He challenged the family to follow in her footsteps and live life.

    I’m still a work in progress but I maximize my time daily.

    So, I challenge my Walk into the Future blog readers to make every second count!

    Melissa, how did I do on your first topic? 😊

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Time moves slowly but passes quickly”.

    (Alice Walker)

  • Authentic Leadership (IRSC series)

    “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality”.

    (Warren Bennis)

    The Walk into the Future blog has a consistent focus on Authentic Leadership and the impact in the workplace.  My leadership consulting work is founded on Authentic Leadership principles and drives my daily interactions in the workplace.  My Walk into the Future readers should know I love a good quote by now.  Ok, here’s another one!

    “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives, and in his own land” (Mark 6:4).

    I have leveraged Authentic Leadership with my consulting organizations to help them develop their staff and engage them to seek positive work outcomes.  I continue to seek out additional consulting opportunities with local government agencies and will work with the Seminole Tribe of Florida again in early May.  Fun fact, the Seminole Tribe of Florida was my first Authentic Leadership client back in 2018.  I maintain an active vendor credential with the Tribe, but COVID-19 stopped our training momentum.  That changes in May! 😊

    So, why is the prophet quote above?  Great question, Lynn!

    I work with multiple organizations to help THEM improve the work environment, but I never introduced my Authentic Leadership program to my current organization, Indian River State College.

    Leadership training is normally a product of the Human Resources (HR) department at most educational institutions.  The University of Central Florida (UCF) and Florida State University (FSU) have robust leadership programs within the Organizational Development unit under HR.  I experienced firsthand how these consistent leadership programs enhanced the overall operational effectiveness on both campuses. 

    Fast forward and I decided to introduce my Authentic Leadership training program on my current campus.  I’m not saying I’m taking over the training program for my organization, but I have training materials that can and will help the organization grow. 

    I decided to schedule an Authentic Leadership series and invite campus partners and my staff to attend.  This was not an official consulting role (not paid) but I wanted to start making a difference in ‘my own land’.  No one called on me to do this, but I saw a need and had a platform to move us forward.

    The following workshops were scheduled with in-person and virtual options:

    • Authentic Leadership (2 times)
    • The Self-Aware Leader (2 times)
    • Empowered Leadership (1 time)

    I didn’t know how these workshops would be received in ‘my land’ but I was pleasantly surprised by the attendance and the level of participation.  There were several attendees who attended ALL the workshops even though I repeated two of the workshops—same material but the folks wanted to get more in-depth with the content.

    The biggest take away for me was the amount of interest and excitement for the attendees to create their personal WHY statement as part of their homework from the Empowered Leadership workshop.  The WHY statements were well conceived and addressed areas each attendee wanted to improve in their daily lives.  I felt like a proud papa reading the statements and saw my volunteer work making a difference in my work environment.  Not a surprising outcome considering I do this for outside organizations on a regular basis.

    Looks like you can be a prophet in your own land after all! 😊

    What areas can you impact in your own land?  Thanks!

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Every time you speak, you are auditioning for leadership”.

    (James Humes)

  • 2025 Goals

    “A goal is a dream with a deadline”.

    (Napoleon Hill)

    The Walk into the Future blog leverages goal setting to keep moving forward in this world. 

    I make a point to set my yearly goals in early January every year.  These are not random New Year’s resolutions but actual goals that help determine my path daily.  This process has been in place for over twenty years, and I don’t see myself stopping this anytime soon.

    I categorize my goals into areas of my life that I want to focus on.  My exercise program is hugely important to me and gets a lot of attention when I sit down to write out my goals.  I look to create measurable goals, and this area allows me to track my progress daily.  I haven’t written about my gym workouts, but my goal is to lift weights three times per week.  I found success by running four times per week, so this goal carries over from 2024.  (Goal = lift 3 days a week and run 4 days a week).

    Travel is a major part of my Walk into the Future, and I wanted to set a goal that would allow me to travel to places I have never been.  Yes, I’m still heading down to Negril, Jamaica for spring break—this is an automatic trip for me yearly.  I have been to 38 states so far and want to hit all 50 states soon.  My travel goal for this year is to travel to the Dakotas, West Virginia, Arkansas and Wisconsin.  I’m looking at upcoming races in each of these states and will become a running tourist to ensure I make it to these states.  Nebraska, Indiana, Wyoming, Montana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will be all that’s left.  Contemplating another New England trip to knock out those remaining states.  I just signed up for the 2025 Fargo Half Marathon on 5/31/2025 so I will be able to visit both Dakotas on this running tourist adventure.

    My reading program is something that I’m proud of.  I strive to continue to be a lifelong learner and love reading books.  I still like the feel of a book in my hand, so I order most of my books from Amazon.  My reading goal is to read 2 books a month and I’m off to a great start so far.  I focus on leadership books and share them with my friend, John Crowe.  He’s my official book club member. 😊

    I am actively looking for new consulting and speaking roles in 2025.  I have not added any new clients in the past 6 months, and I want to get back to my leadership consulting this year.  The Seminole Tribe of Florida reached out before Christmas so I may have a few sessions with them coming up before summer.  I will leverage local government contacts to extend my Authentic Leadership reach on the Treasure Coast.  I have started reaching out to other colleges and universities to gauge their interest in leadership training for faculty and staff.

    My last goal is to continue to serve as a People Builder.  This includes daily affirmations to my tree branches to help them move forward in their daily activities.  A simple text to say hello may be all that’s needed to ensure it’s a great day for one of my tree branches.  It makes me feel good knowing they like hearing from me. 😊

    Well, my 2025 goals are set and I’m making great progress so far.  Let’s see what the rest of 2025 brings us.

    What goals did you set this year?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Believe you can and you’re halfway there”.

    (Theodore Roosevelt)

  • Five Minute Thursday: Favorite Comedian

    “You know you must be doing something right if old people like you”.

    (Dave Chappelle)

    Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to give the Five-Minute Thursday writing prompt another run! 😊

    I created this topic with designs to write about Ali Siddiq who is an amazing storyteller and keeps audiences engaged.  This prompt came to me because I drove up to Daytona Beach last weekend to see Ali at The Peabody for his new tour, In the Shadows.  I started writing this article with the intention of telling my readers how great Ali Siddiq is but decided to take a slight detour to truly highlight the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).

    This Five-Minute Thursday prompt is: My Favorite Comedian.

    Surprise, it’s not Ali Siddiq but Dave Chappelle.  I have been a fan of Dave’s comedy for a while now with my full introduction to his work via The Chappelle Show.  This show only ran for two seasons but the amount of work he put into this show makes every episode a classic.  The level of comedic timing and clever skits made him a household name.  The show was must see TV and never disappointed the viewers. 

    There were a few skits that you really had to pay attention to keep up.  One of these skits was:  The Blind Black White Supremist.  Yes, the skit was just as ridiculous as the title, but he made a point and kept the audience laughing.  Check it out when you get a chance. 😊

    Dave ventures into True Hollywood Stories featuring Charlie Murphy to tell stories about legends, Prince and Rick James.  These are identified as completely true stories as told by Charlie Murphy.  I still watch these clips on YouTube when I want to laugh out loud.

    Dave Chappelle is a true stand-up legend.  His Netflix comedy specials are some of the most watched.  I believe I have seen them all and continue to watch clips on YouTube—his work never gets old to me.  I jump on YouTube when I need a laugh before going to bed and I always search for something from the Chappelle archives.  He just completed his fourth hosting stint on Saturday Night Live.  I’ve watched them multiple times and he continues to bring the funny.

    I highly recommend you jump on YouTube and check out some of his work.  You pick what looks good to you, but The Blind Black White Supremist is worth a shot if you want to laugh at a concept this silly.  The Prince skit is hilarious too. 😊  Challenge him!

    Check out Ali Siddiq while you are browsing.  He is a funny dude too!

    Who is your favorite comedian?

    Calvin Williams

    “I love my jokes”.

    (Dave Chappelle)

  • Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

    “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”.

    (Helen Keller)

    The concept of travel is a large part of my Walk into the Future journey.

    Running tourism and Negril, Jamaica have been the focal points of my travel articles so far.  I do write about local trips and my time sitting on the beach.  I plan to get back to the beach more in 2025 so there will be more Florida beach explorations in your reading future. 😊

    One of the great things about higher education is our winter break schedule.  My current school is a member of the Florida College System (FCS) and our break schedules match our students, examples: Spring Break, Thanksgiving Break and the Winter Break.  We are off when our students are not in classes. 

    Winter Break 2024 started the day after our last Fall Commencement ceremony.  Our break ran from 12/19/2024 to 1/2/2025.  This was a few days shorter than our normal Winter Break based on the academic calendar, but this was a nice break and provided us with an opportunity to enjoy some down time at the end of a long year.

    I decided to get a little more adventurous this year over break and travel to a destination I have never been to.  Several friends have been down to the Dominican Republic (DR) and everyone had great things to say about the island.  I thought about going to my tried-and-true spot in Negril, Jamaica but wanted to get a new country’s stamp in my passport. 

    I did some initial travel research on Expedia to figure out a resort for me to visit in the DR.  I did not have any preconceived ideas on my trip but wanted to get down and see some sights.  I booked my flight, resort and ground transportation via Expedia which is how I book my Jamaica trips—no surprises with the process. 😊

    I picked the Bahia Principe Grand Punta Canta resort based on reviews and proximity to the airport.  I flew out of Orlando International Airport via Jet Blue and my adventure was off and running.  The flight down to Punta Canta, DR was a little over two hours and I slept most of the way down.  The Punta Canta airport is not a huge place so getting bags and through Customs was quick.  I made my way out towards the ground transportation area to find my ride and head to the resort. Again, a very simple process and I was directed to the van waiting to take me to the resort.

    The resort check-in process was simple, but I had to wait a bit since I arrived two hours prior to check-in.  This allowed me to explore the property and get my bearings.  The resort was as advertised with multiple bars, restaurants and places to unwind.  This location was a big change from my stay at Samsara in Negril.  This resort was a self-contained city and had everything that most people would want. The resort was not close to shopping or entertainment areas, so these things are provided within the resort.  Not a complaint but a bit different from my time in Negril.

    I decided to make the most of the resort and everything it had to offer.  My room was spacious and centrally located to the beach area, restaurants and bars.  It took me less than a 10-minute walk in either direction, and I could find something to entertain myself.  The resort had multiple events scheduled during my trip, so I just made my way to the sound of music nightly and enjoyed the atmosphere.

    The beach area was small and crowded but there was a nice little vibe there since there were multiple bars directly on the beach.  One of the large pools was close by so I could hear music coming from the pool while I sat on the beach and worked on my tan.  😊

    The food was plentiful and delicious!  I found myself parked in the dessert portion of the buffet more than I thought I would, but everything was fantastic.  The all-inclusive aspect of the resort allowed me to dabble in different types of food without feeling guilty. 

    The DR was a nice little get away before Christmas.  I’m glad I made it down and got a new stamp in my passport.  Been there and done that. 😊

    I will head back to my happy spot in Negril, Jamaica in March for Spring Break 2025—back to regular travel.

    Where have you always wanted to travel?  Will you make it in 2025?

    Irie!

    Calvin Williams

    “Not all who wonder are lost”.

    (J. R. R. Tolkien)