Happy Holidays! November was a whirlwind as travels took me to Turkey, Greece and Paris for the entire month. It was a trip planned pre-pandemic and well worth the wait. Thank you to our Advisory Board Co-Chairs, Francesca Donlan and…

Hello from your advisory board co-chair, filling in for Helen as we cross from Thanksgiving into the holiday shopping season. And hopefully, travel planning season for 2023! This has been a great year of roaring back for many of our…

Happy Fall! I am writing the NATJA Notes introduction this month while Helen Hernandez and Ben Root enjoy a much-deserved trip abroad. It’s almost Thanksgiving and many use this time to reflect on gratitude. I recently spoke to a new NATJA…

Happy Fall! For the last several weeks, I have been enjoying true fall days: crisp mornings and nature’s vibrant changing of colors. My travels have taken me from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway to Washington,…

Greetings! October is one of my favorite times of the year. Pumpkin season is in full swing, the leaves are changing, and the “ leafers” are out enjoying the colors of Autumn. It’s hard to believe that in just 2…

Happy Fall! As I write this note. Our thoughts and prayers are with our South Carolina and Florida members who are experiencing torrential rainfall, ocean swells, and devastation from Hurricane Ian. This appears to be a once in 100 years…

Happy September! We are on the cusp of welcoming fall and we eagerly await its crisp embrace. Hot chocolate and pumpkin pie are on the horizon. As it goes this time of year, we are in the beginning stages of…

Greetings! As summer winds down and kids get ready to go back to school, we are preparing for the last holiday of the summer. Labor Day is the beginning of the transition from summer to fall. Everyone is squeezing in…

Greetings! We hope you are all enjoying the last full month of summer. Perhaps you are among the millions of people who are taking advantage of this time to travel and explore the world or taking it easy, connecting with…

We are now well into the summer season and indicators are that travel has surpassed pre-Covid levels in many parts of the world. For our members, it means more travel content and promotion for destinations. There are countless media outlets from…

“June is bustin’ out all over!! You can feel it in your heart. You can see it on the ground.“ Oscar Hammerstein II wrote these lyrics many years ago and that’s what I see as the summer travel season begins.…

Today marks the 1st day of June and the unofficial beginning of summer. Normally, this time of the year graduates are donning their caps and gowns, children are getting out of school, parents are planning family vacations, and generally, life…

Greetings! We are back from an exciting conference in Puerto Rico.  NATJA would like to thank the Discover Puerto Rico team led by Brad Dean and Leah Chandler for providing an entertaining and educational experience. They pulled out all the…

Dear NATJA Family, As spring sets in, this is the time of year for renewal and celebration, and more than ever, looking forward to spending time with our families without the dark cloud of the pandemic looming above.   In 2…

Happy Spring! The snow is melting and flowers are blooming with an anticipation of warm days ahead. This is the time to make travel plans to spend time with loved ones, celebrate graduations, or simply enjoy some respite from the…

Dear NATJA Family, As I write this message, we are only days away from welcoming the Spring season. The ground awakens from a winter’s nap with beautiful flowers, carpets of grass, critters running up and down trees, and the excitement of…

Dear NATJA Family, On Groundhog Day, Punxsutawney Phil predicted 6 more weeks of winter, so we are hunkering down, hoping for more rain and snow in California, and dreaming of beachside cocktails in Puerto Rico this May. The final preparations…

Happy February! We begin the month by celebrating Black History in the U.S. and internationally, the Lunar New Year and welcoming the Year of the Tiger. One of travel’s great powers is its capacity to create awareness of the diversity…

Dear NATJA Family & Friends: Happy 2022! We hope that you enjoyed beautiful and safe holidays. As we begin this new year, our public health challenges from the last couple of years continue to affect our daily lives. With these obstacles come…

Dear NATJA Family: As 2021 comes to an end, I can’t help but feel grateful for all of you. This year has been challenging but we have all stayed connected and supportive of one another. Thank you to our Advisory Board as…

Dear NATJA Family: The holidays are here! For the first time in 2 years, there is an electric buzz in the air that has less to do with shiny Christmas lights, and more to do with the prospect of spending…

Dear Friends: This year we launched our first membership drive. Through the efforts of our members, we have increased our NATJA family by nearly 15%. Thank you to all who participated! The awards competition has ended and despite the disruption…

Greetings! Wherever you are in the world, we hope that you are enjoying the change in season. There is a crispness in the air that is so wonderfully refreshing after the hot summer months. The change of pace is quite…

Happy Fall! We hope our Canadian members had a wonderful Thanksgiving, surrounded by family and friends! This is a time of year that so many cherish, and after last year’s isolation, to be able to share it with our loved…

Happy Fall! At NATJA, we enjoy seeing the seasons change, and absolutely love the change in colors from summer to fall. Our own California weather is limited in its change, so we revel in our members’ stories and photography with…

Greetings! As we prepare for the most beautiful time of the year, we encourage you to read the newest edition of TravelWorld International magazine for some fall travel inspiration! This issue, “The Beauty of Fall”, highlights some of the most gorgeous places to…

We begin to say goodbye to the dog days of summer and welcome the beauty of autumn and its magnificent display of colors. This is a time for the return to school and to prepare for the annual festivities related…

Happy Summer! We are at the beginning of a more promising summer as people hit the road or take to the skies to embark on much-anticipated travel adventures. After sixteen months of staying put, it is no wonder that we…

Happy Summer! While we are only a few days away from the “official” date, we wanted to extend greetings for what seems to be a full re-opening for the United States. It is our hope that our Canadian members will…

Greetings!  This is the week when NATJA will hold its first virtual conference. Thanks to all who have registered for what is scheduled to be an informative, educational, and fun event.   Our conference committee members, Suzie Dundas, Helen Hatzis, Betsi Hill, Barbara Marrett and Gustavo Rivas-Solis, who met on a…

Dear NATJA Family: All I can say is, “We are back!” After this past week’s announcement from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxing the use of masks, we are confident that tourism will once again see a boom! Travel…

Dear NATJA Family and Friends:  The last several weeks have been thought-provoking given the results of the Derek Chauvin trial and the increase in assaults against Asian-Americans. One does not need to be political when it comes to seeking fairness,…

Dear Friends,  As destinations open up and travel resumes, we wanted to provide an opportunity for our community to come together. While countries are in the process of having its residents vaccinated, this process probably will not be completed until later in the year. Our NATJA team felt it…

Happy Spring!  Spring this year marks a new beginning with a whole new meaning! Vaccinations in the United States are ramping up and we are hopeful that our friends in Canada will see a similar boost in vaccines soon. We are all eager to shed away the vestiges…

Wishing all a four-leaf clover filled with good luck! As spring takes hold and we begin to see signs of nature’s rebirth, we can’t help but be hopeful for our future. As more destinations across the United States see an…

Greetings! As we slowly begin to open up nationally and our citizens are being vaccinated, there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and…

Happy 30th Anniversary! This month marks the beginning of our yearlong celebration of NATJA’s inception. You will all be receiving a new membership pin with your renewal commemorating this milestone. Dan Schlossberg, a NATJA founder and president emeritus, will begin…

We hope that you all had safe and healthy holidays.

As the year comes to an end, we reflect on the challenges that have affected so many, and how we, as an organization, have attempted to address them.

The Holidays are upon us and while for many of us they are a time of joy and celebration, this year we are challenged by redefining what is “normal.”

As this year draws to a close, we look back and are thankful for so much.

For our members who are United States citizens, both at home and abroad, we have a critical day approaching.

The leaves are changing colors and we are slowly entering the time for hot chocolate and pumpkin pie.

Happy Fall! It’s time for the 29th Annual NATJA Awards Competition! This year we have consolidated many of the categories due to the decline of printing and expansion of online publications. Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee recommended…

It’s hard to believe that it is the middle of September. This year has certainly had its challenges. I think that I speak for everyone when I say 2020 can’t leave fast enough!

Here we are six months into the COVID-19 pandemic. As the seasons continue to change, so have we to meet the challenges of this new era.

It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over and we are all gearing up for fall. As COVID-19 continues to take its toll, we are all getting accustomed to the “new normal” which has impacted our businesses, social lives,…