It was a new romance, and we wanted to go to Jamaica.  A friend referred us to a "very cool" travel agency in Harvard Square and that's where we headed that lucky afternoon in 1986.  The romance is still romantic, the Jamaica trip was bizzare and fun, and the agency was impressive indeed so we stuck as clients.  A few years later I went from client to agent and then to partner. Twenty plus years later, I love these people and the work!
 
And, then there’s the food! "Food is part of a country's culture" a friend pointed out to me years ago. Now I look back at that statement as so obvious but back then it was a revelation.  In travel, my interests keep changing, but food (I just can't call it cuisine unless we're in France ), what the locals eat and why they do, is still a big draw.  I am as interested in the cafe menu as I am in the cathedral across the piazza, or the zocolo.  Not everyone has to go to the museum or the church but they can't go long without the ristorante.