Travel Talkers Toastmasters

Travel Talkers Toastmasters is an online club for everyone who loves travel and enjoys sharing their love of travel. We have members and guests from several states including California, Arizona, Washington, Texas, and Virginia. We also have members and guests from The Bahamas. I had the opportunity to attend the Toastmasters International Convention held in The Bahamas in August 2023. While attending the conference, I had the opportunity to meet club members and guests of Travel Talkers Toastmasters as well as other Toastmasters from around the world.

The theme of our February 1st meeting was The Bahamas. We heard two great speeches about the beauty of the islands, the diversity of the people, the unique celebrations, and the delicious foods found in The Bahamas. Club member Vernitta Brown from Nassau and club member Avis Russell from Freeport are both outstanding travel ambassadors for the country they love. I was so lucky to spend time with both of them during my trip to The Bahamas in August. They showed me their favorite beaches, we ate at their favorite restaurants, and they introduced me to their families, friends and fellow Toastmasters. Avis’ speech detailed the unique adventures we could enjoy on Bimini Island diving with the dolphins, on Exuma Island swimming with the pigs, and on New Providence Island experiencing the Junkanoo celebrations in Nassau. Vernitta’s speech was an energetic and engaging description of what we would find on Inagua Island (Flamingos and sea birds), Crooked Island (snorkeling), and Harbor Island (beautiful pink sand beaches).

“There’s something about a picture-perfect destination that is naturally romantic whether it’s a sunset cruise on perfectly clear waters, a hand-in-hand stroll on a rose-colored beach, or a secluded sandbar reserved just for two – discover the love of a soft Bahamian breeze.” Bahams.com

Our Destination Master, Raji Bandanapudi, gave us these clues;

• This country is rated number one as the happiest country.
• This country has over 180,000 lakes.
• Crispy rye bread is a national dish and is served at most meals.
• 100% of all plastic bottles are recycled.
• The computer game Angry Birds was invented in this country.

If you guessed Finland, you are correct!

Our Travel Topics Master for the meeting was Tym Myers. He asked us questions about traveling to The Bahamas. He wanted to know what item we felt we must bring on our trip, which form of transportation we preferred to get to The Bahamas, which island we would want to visit, and what type of local food we would want to try. The beaches of The Bahamas were the go to place to visit and we all wanted to sample the many dishes made with conch–conch salad, conch fritters, cracked conch. Conch, pronounced “konk,” is the meat from an oversized sea snail. It is native to the coasts of The Bahamas, Florida Keys, The Caribbean, and Bermuda.

Join our next meeting as we continue our travels around the world. Our next stop is “South America” on Thursday, February 8th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Pacific (-8 UTC). The continent of South America is home to nearly 400 million people and consists of 12 countries—Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, and Suriname—plus an overseas department of France called French Guiana. Be inspired to travel somewhere new. Let’s hear about your adventures at our February 8th meeting. Guests are always welcome to attend our meetings. If you would like to join the club, contact Helen Josephine for an application form.

Register for the meeting: https://tinyurl.com/TravelTalkersZoomLink

RSVP on MeetUp to let us know you are coming to the meeting. Guests are always welcome!

Looking forward to hearing your travel stories! Join us to be inspired to take your next trip.

Helen Josephine,

Travel Talkers Toastmasters