CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE

We are celebrating next year our 50th anniversary and start this year with a new newsletter. I hope you like the format. Please remember that all info except new members are on our website www.travelerscenturyclub.org. Please check this site frequently, for late breaking news.

At our December meeting we approved three new countries, bringing our total to 317.

• Srpska (No. Bosnia) Capital – Banja Luka
• Kosovo (formerly Yugoslavia) Capital – Pristina
• Trans-Dniester (between Chisinau/Odessa) Capital – Tiraspol

Many of you world travelers might have visited there before, without realizing it.

Congratulations to our Treasurer, Kevin Hughes, who is circumnavigating the Antarctic Peninsula on board the Russian icebreaker, "Capt. Khlebnikov". They left New Zealand Nov. 27, 2002 and the cruise will terminate early March 2003.

Congratulations to Charles Veley of No. California, who has been traveling since early 2002 and wish to be the youngest person to visit all 317 places, as well the Guinness list and Ham Radio list of 335 places. Charles will do an info file for our next mailing.

Please attend meetings in your area on a regular basis.

Invoices for 2003 dues were recently mailed. There is an increase of $5 for dues.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Happy New Year! It's another year for travel and striving for the next level of countries.

My wife and I discovered an interesting cruise last fall. Titled "The World War II Cruise" on the sold-out Regal Princess. We sailed from Honolulu to Osaka, Japan, visiting Midway Island, Majaro Atoll, Guadalcanal, Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and Hiroshima. The lectures were excellent and we enjoyed the music and movies of the forties – truly a fantastic history course. Many of the passengers were WWII veterans and their experiences added to our learning lesson.

I placed a notice in the daily newsletter for a meeting of TCC members. Imagine my surprise at meeting time to be greeted by over one hundred people! We had fun exchanging travel tips, seeing friends with whom we had traveled before and then meeting new friends. Each day we talked with different TCC members – which added to our enjoyment of the trip. I even had the privilege of welcoming a new member into TCC when Fred Kellogg reached 100 countries.

This year I have had the pleasure of receiving Treasurer Kevin Hughes' e-mail reports as he circumnavigates Antarctica. I am looking forward to seeing has pictures and getting him to present a program at one of our TCC luncheons.

The Robert Mondavi Wine and Food Center is a great place for our March Meeting. The food is delicious, the wine flows and I get another chance to meet and greet members. See you there!

Longtime life members Wayne Reid Robinson and his wife Maybell Dey celebrated their 75th Wedding Anniversary and with the togetherness they had throughout their 75 years, no one was surprised when they traveled on the last week of March in 2002. Wayne passed away March 23 at age 95 and Maybell followed him March 31 at age 93.

We welcome proposals for unusual tours. If you meet our simple guidelines, then please submit your proposal for consideration. Some Guidelines:

1. Five years same ownership
2. Carry at least 2 million professional insurance coverage
3. Cooperate with travel providers
4. Member must be principal of firm and TCC member
5. Participant in a consumer protection plan
6. Head office must be in the USA under U.S. courts jurisdiction.

I would like to introduce my organization, United Planet (www.unitedplanet.org). We are a non-profit organization in Boston devoted to enhancing cross-cultural and geographical knowledge. We have a cutting-edge educational tool, called CAP (Cultural Awareness Project); CNN just did a story on this initiative. CAP involves having well-traveled people and people with experience with/in other cultures give volunteer presentations to schools, groups, and even companies. Of course, the volunteer can decide where to present, ie. schools only. Using new technology, we have launched this program worldwide.

Of course, no one is as well traveled as TCC members. I would like to invite you to share this program with your members. The experiences they could offer students, etc. would ignite curiosity to learn about the world and promote cross-cultural empathy. Of course, this would be a great way to promote TCC at the same time.

You can preview the project on our English homepage at www.unitedplanet.org. My e-mail is Dave@unitedplanet.org.

Dear Traveler Century Club folks,

I am writing with a request. Could I communicate with your membership my desire for assistance in collecting ants? I study ants on islands, working mostly on Atlantic and Pacific islands so far. This past year I have been collecting in Bermuda, Madeira, and the Azores funded by several agencies, including National Geographic. Next year we plan to work in the Bahamas, Trinidad, Cape Verde, and the Canary Islands.

I recently recruited a naturalist on a cruise ship who collected for me in Ascension, Saint Helana, and Tristan da Cunha. It struck me that your members often travel to remote islands and perhaps I could find a collaborator or two from amongst your ranks. I will supply all the necessary instructions and supplies, and I will cover expenses such as postage. I also offer co-authorship. I believe that many might find an increased sense of purpose that would make trips much more enjoyable.

Please contact: James K. Wetterer, Assoc. Prof. Florida Atlantic University, 5353 Parkside Dr., Jupiter, FL 33458 e-mail: wetterer@fau.edu.

"Gunga Jim" Downs reports that his company, Been There! Inc, now offers TCC members the opportunity to create and maintain a free online log of the countries you've visited at www.mytravels.com. Then click on "Countries of the World". Once you create your log, you may order an optional certificate that displays your name, the name of every country you've visited and the TCC logo. Mention your TCC membership in the "comments" section of the order form on their website and they will deduct $5 from your order. Jim Downs, Tel: 303/678-1555 – email: gungajim@mytravels.com.

Longtime member Robert Ihsen, presented a slide presentation of the early years of our
Club. Thank you Bob, for a very informative presentation.

#410 A British Indian Ocean Territory Diary, by Ted Cookson
#411 Flight into Tashkent, Uzbekistan, by Barbar Roy
#412 A Walking Tour through West Sussex, England, by Sheridan Harwin
#413 Papau New Guinea, by Erika Fernbach
#414 Soctra – Tranquil & Remote, part 2, by Bill Altaffer

Note: The opinions expressed are those of the writers and not the Travelers’ Century Club.

A hearty thanks to all of you club members for sending in Info Files for our Centurian. They are enjoyed by all, so please send in your items of interest. Don't forget that these must be typewritten, single spaced and not to exceed two pages due to cost of postage. Those of you who have sent in your Info Files that have not yet been published, please be patient as they will be used in the future. Note: We do not edit or correct misspellings, since we cannot match your type. You can also send your info files to our e-mail address: tccclub3@gte.net

Please note that when you request back issues of Info Files, there is a $1.00 cost per Info File.

We have new permanent name tags with the TCC Logo and your name engraved. Cost $7.50 including shipping. If you wish to order, send us your check and you will receive your tag in 14 to 21 days.

We finally received our order for Silver 150+ Countries and Gold 200+ Countries in tie-tack backing and pin back. Cost $8.00.

We are now offering (at regular $10.00 price) a new "his and hers" lapel pin with a tie-tack backing making it easier to attach. We know that you will wish to order this item to show your friends and to wear as a symbol of the world's most prestigious travel club. Available to all members and provisionals.

Travelers' Century Club
P.O. Box 7050
Santa Monica, CA 90406-7050
Tel: 310-393-7419
Fax: 310-395-9511
E-mail: tccclub3@gte.net
www.travelerscenturyclub.org

Officers
Klaus Billep, Chairman
Floyd D. Baker, President
David J. Barry, Vice-President
Sanford K. Smith, Secretary
Kevin Hughes, Treasurer

Executive Board Members
Jules F. Diebenow
Christopher Hudson
Diane Jarrett
Ruth M. Nelson
Kenneth Ziegler