Travel Talkers Toastmasters

Share your stories, travel tips, great adventures. We love to travel and share our trips with others.

  • SHARE YOUR STORIES

Welcome to Travel Talkers Toastmasters!

Join Travel Talkers Toastmasters on Thursday, October 8, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Pacific (-7 UTC). The meeting theme is “Wine Country Trips.” Let’s travel to the world’s most beautiful wine regions. Share your adventures at our meeting.

Toastmasters offers members opportunities to improve their public speaking and leadership skills. And at Travel Talkers Toastmasters, we also learn about new destinations and share our travel adventures.

Our meetings are for all travel enthusiasts. Engage with fellow members to share your joy of travel. Build your public speaking skills and get valuable feedback in a supportive, Toastmasters-style environment. Let’s hit the road, share stories, and inspire each other to embark on new adventures. Mark your calendars for an unforgettable evening with the Travel Talkers community!

You are invited to join us and bring a friend. Thursday, October 8, 6:30-7:30 pm Pacific (-7 UTC).
Register for the meeting link: https://tinyurl.com/TravelTalkersZoomLink

Join the Travel Talkers Toastmasters for a fun evening sharing your travel plans and trips.

We meet on Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:30pm Pacific Time (-7 UTC). Use the link below to register for our Zoom meetings.

Guests are always welcome at our meetings! We look forward to meeting you and hearing your travel stories.

Travel Talkers Toastmasters, club number 04670726, District 101, Division A, Santa Clara, California. We are an online club with members from all over the world.

Why Toastmasters?

https://tinyurl.com/TravelTalkersZoomLink
https://www.toastmasters.org/Find-a-Club/04670726-travel-talkers-toastmasters

Meetings 2026

Travel Talkers Meetings

Club Officers

  • Travel Talkers Toastmasters—Museums and Cultural Destinations

    Meeting highlights

    The July 30 Travel Talkers Toastmasters Club meeting theme was Museums and Cultural Destinations, and the meeting also featured the installation of new officers led by Area A4 Director Scott Bradley. The club welcomed several guests, including Elizabeth Garcia from Arizona, Shalini Suravarjjala from Santa Clara, and Mandi Judy from Jamaica. Meghan Burns, as the Destination Master, conducted a guessing game about a U.S. city with many art museums. Lisa Hamil delivered a prepared speech titled “Star Power” about cultural experiences including meeting Elizabeth Taylor at a hotel in Florence, Italy. The club also conducted travel-themed table topics where members discussed museum preferences and cultural attractions. The meeting also included evaluations of timing, grammar, and overall performance, with Elizabeth winning the travel topics contest for her response about wanting to speak with the Mona Lisa to discover why she’s smiling.

    Club Officer Installation

    Scott Bradley, the new Area A4 Director from Santa Cruz, California, conducted the officer installation ceremony for the Travel Talkers Toastmasters club. The new officers officially installed are: Helen Josephine, President; Jacqueline Maynard-Campbell, Vice President Education; Lisa Hamil, Vice President Membership; Helen Josephine, Vice President Public Relations; Avis Russell, Secretary and Treasurer; Jessica Rolle, Sergeant at Arms. Each officer agreed to perform their duties to the best of their abilities. The meeting included introductions from several guests, including Elizabeth Garcia from Arizona, who is spending a month in Irvine, California; Shalini Suravarjjala, a guest invited by Lisa Hamil; and Mandi Judy from Jamaica, who all found the club through different means, including the new directory of online Toastmasters clubs and ChatGPT. Helen Josephine took on the role of Toastmasters for the meeting since Jessica was unable to attend due to a power outage.

    Destination Master

    Meghan Burns introduced the Destination Master activity, providing clues about a U.S. city with a high concentration of art museums and inviting participants to guess the location via chat.

    • This US city has one of the highest concentrations of art museums in the world, with nearly 100 museums
    • Served as the capital of the United States until 1790
    • Home to many famous artists, including Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Georgia O’Keeffe
    • The homes and art collections of famous historic residents of this city served as the foundation of many of the art museums you can visit today

    If you guessed New York City as the location, you are correct.

    Cultural Experiences and Travel Topics

    Lisa Hamil delivered a prepared speech titled “Star Power” about her cultural experiences. She shared cultural events and celebrities, including attending and singing in a Pavarotti concert in Verona and meeting Elizabeth Taylor at a dinner in Florence during an HIV conference. She described how these cultural experiences provided relief from academic stress, particularly during a challenging statistics class.

    Museum Travel Topics

    Helen led the Travel Topics session where members shared their responses to museum-related questions. Scott proposed opening an outdoor museum featuring petroglyphs and Native American artifacts, while Elizabeth expressed interest in speaking with the Mona Lisa to discover her secrets. Avis preferred guided museum tours over exploring alone, and Mandi highlighted how museums provide deeper historical context about a country beyond just experiencing its food or beaches. Meghan shared a bizarre museum artifact involving a Civil War bullet with unusual claims about its romantic history, and Judith imagined a future AI museum where paintings could come alive and interact with visitors.

    Next Meeting

    The theme of our August 6 meeting is “Dinosaur Adventures.” Join the Travel Talkers Toastmasters Club for a fun evening sharing your adventures. Engage with fellow members as we share our stories about traveling. This is your opportunity to focus on your public speaking skills and get valuable feedback in a supportive Toastmasters-style environment. The meeting is on Thursday, August 6th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Pacific time. We want to hear about your favorite Dinosaur adventure.

    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

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

  • Travel Talkers Toastmasters–Antarctica

    We concluded our around the world travels with a visit to Antarctica, the coldest, windiest place on Earth. The travel season lasts from November through March, during the Antarctic summer. Tourists and researchers explore the animals on shore and in the sea. A recent National Geographic video of young Emperor penguins launching off a 50ft cliff of snow and ice into the sea was an internet sensation.

    As part of our theme of Antarctica, our Destination Master, Samantha Jamwal, gave us these clues about a country in South America:

    • This is the country where 90% of the boat tours to Antarctica leave from.
    • It is the second largest country in South America.
    • 95% of the people in the country are from European descent.
    • The world’s first animated feature film was made here in 1917.

    If you guessed Argentina, you are correct!

    Avis Russell was the Travel Topics Master for the meeting. She asked us questions about traveling to Antarctica. Tym Myers shared that a trip to Antarctica is on his bucket list because he has a friendly wager with his daughter on which of them would visit all of the world’s continents. He is only missing two continents, Antarctica and Australia, to win the wager. Helen shared that she would like to travel to Antarctica to see whales and penguins. Meghan Burns told us the story of the explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, describing the “black ducks” he encountered on his trip to Argentina in 1520. The explorer found them easy to catch and delicious to eat.

    Our speaker was Samantha Jamwal. She presented her speech, “An Optimistic Pessimist,” about her journey to become a more optimistic person. This speech was a Level 5 project in the Engaging Humor path. Samantha shared her challenges of being a pessimist and her desire to be more optimistic about life. She provide three actions that have helped her overcome her pessimistic tendencies:

    1. learning to conquer her own internal anxieties
    2. thinking about future positive goals
    3. surrounding herself with positive people and content

    She concluded that for her, being positive takes work, but the ultimate goal of being more optimistic is worth the effort.

    At our next meeting, the meeting theme is “The Long and Winding Road.” Where will the long and winding road take you? We want to hear about your road trips. Where are you headed next? Join us to share your adventures on Thursday, April 25h from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Pacific time. We want to hear about your travel and adventure plans.

    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.

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

    Helen Josephine,

    Travel Talkers Toastmasters

  • Travel Talkers Toastmasters–Oceania

    Beautiful blue ocean and endless beaches were the themes of our April 11 meeting as we explored the countries of Oceania. Our Destination Master, Meghan Burns, provided theses clues for a country in Oceania:

    • This island nation was first encountered by Europeans in the 17th century and colonized by the British in 1974. The country gained its independence in 1970.
    • In addition to its native language, you can also hear English and a variation of Hindi, as a result of indentured servants from India during the colonial period.
    • The main airport, Nadi International Airport (NAN), is on the largest island. It welcomes over 2 million international visitors a year.
    • This country welcomes visitors seeking blue waters and white sand beaches, SCUBA diving, surfing, and other tropical activities.
    • Exports including sugar cane and bottled water.

    If you guessed Fiji, you are correct!

    Kit Myers presented her Presentation Mastery, Level 2 speech for the Understanding Your Communication Style project. Her speech, “Aye, if We Both Spoke Ainglish,” was about her challenges communicating with travelers from Australia when she was a tour guide in the United States. The words and phrases in Australian English used by the Scotsman and the Welshman in the tour group frequently confused her. Her strategy was to initiate communication and learn from her travel guests.

    The Travel Topics master for the meeting was Samantha Jamwal. She asked us about traveling to the 14 difference countries in Oceania and what we might want to do while visiting. Judith wanted to sample the foods of Papua New Guinea especially anything made with coconut. Tym wanted to spend a week relaxing on a beach hammock in French Polynesia. Megan wanted to hike to the water falls on Fiji and go snorkeling.

    At our next meeting, our travel around the world concludes with a trip to Antarctica. The travel season lasts from November through March, during the Antarctic summer. You would be traveling to the coldest and windiest place on earth. But wouldn’t it be fabulous to see the penguins flying off the snow? Join us as we share our adventures on Thursday, April 17th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Pacific time. We want to hear about your travel and adventure plans.

    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.

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

    Helen Josephine,

    Travel Talkers Toastmasters

  • Travel Talkers Toastmasters–Southeast Asia

    At our meeting on April 4, we explored the culture, food and travel adventures in Southeast Asia. Our Destination Master, Helen Josephine, provided these clues for a country in Southeast Asia:

    • This country has influences from India, France, Hinduism, and Buddhism.
    • There are 4,000 temples in this country. The 900-year-old temple, Angkor Wat, is the best-preserved example.
    • The largest economic sector is the manufacturing of clothing.
    • The second largest economic sector is Tourism.
    • Soccer is one of the most popular sports and was brought to this country by the French.

    If you guessed Cambodia, you are correct!

    The Travel Topics portion of the meeting also covered travel ideas and locations in Southeast Asia. Meghan Burns asked us if we would rather visit Cambodia or Vietnam, if we had ever seen the constellation of the Southern Cross which is only visible in the Southern Hemisphere, if we had ever stayed in the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, and which was our favorite Vietnamese dish.

    We enjoyed hearing two speeches at our meeting. Jacqueline Maynard-Campbell presented her Icebreaker speech to begin her next Pathway project, Motivational Strategies. In her speech, Jacqueline introduced herself to the club with details from her life. Jacqueline shared with us that she is “American by birth, Bahamian by marriage, and a citizen of the Kingdom of God by invitation and acceptance.” Tym Myers presented his Level 2, Understanding Your Communication Style speech. Tym shared that he took an assessment test in junior high school which recommended he study to be an Accountant. He made an attempt to study accounting in College and he hated the experience. However, he developed an interest in Aviation and became a commercial airline pilot, an occupation that was not even an option on the junior high school assessment test. He concluded that you should not always go with the first thing that comes along, it’s better to find your own path.

    At our next meeting, our travel around the world continues with a trip to Oceania, the water hemisphere which includes the countries of Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Palau, Tonga, and Papua New Guinea. If you love to sail, snorkel, or relax on the beach, the countries of Oceania are waiting for you. Join us as we share our adventures in Oceania on Thursday, April 11th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Pacific time. We want to hear about your travel and adventure plans.

    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.

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

    Helen Josephine,

    Travel Talkers Toastmasters

  • Travel Talkers Toastmasters–East Asia

    At our March 27th meeting we explored traveling to East Asia. Our Travel Topics Master, Helen Josephine, asked us questions about places we had visited in Asia and our favorite Asian food. Samantha has just returned from a trip to Japan where she visited the Sacred Deer Park in Nara. The deer in the park are protected and visitors are encouraged to walk among the animals and feed them. Samantha told us that the deer are very tame and comfortable getting food from humans. Unfortunately the bigger deer are bullies and if you don’t feed them they follow you and head-butt you. Samantha had one deer bite her leg when she was trying to feed the smaller deer. Megan also had a strange encounter with wildlife at the Singapore Airport where she tried a Fish Spa with little fish nibbling on the dead skin on her feet.

    Our Destination Master, Jacqueline Maynard-Campbell, gave us these clues for an island nation:

    • This nation is two islands at the conjuncture of the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the leward islands part of the Lesser Antilles.
    • The islands were first settled by hunter-gatherer native tribes called the Ciboney and the Caribs.
    • The Islands were colonized by Great Brtiain in 1672 and 1678.
    • The economy is largely dependent on tourism, which accounts for 80% of its GDP.
    • Both of these islands have very irregularly shaped coastlines that are dotted with beaches, lagoons, and natural harbors.

    If you guessed Antigua and Barbuda, you are correct!

    Kit Myers presented her speech, “It Started at the Shanghai Cafe,” about her first memories of eating Chinese food when she was a child. That first introduction turned into a life-long appreciation of Asian cooking. In particular her family enjoyed making Chinese chicken wings and she shared recipes for several versions of this dish. The slides for her presentation included copies of family recipes and photos of the finished dish.

    At our next meeting, we will continue our travels around the world. Join us as we share our adventures about traveling to Southeast Asia on April 4th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Pacific time. We want to hear about your travel and adventure plans.

    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.

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

    Helen Josephine,

    Travel Talkers Toastmasters

  • Travel Talkers Toastmasters–Eastern Europe and Central Asia

    We explored traveling to the countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia at our Travel Talkers Toastmasters meeting on March 21. Our destination master, Kit Myers, provided these clues for a geologic feature or landform in Eastern Europe:

    • This geologic feature covers 1770 miles from the Black Forest south to the Black Sea.
    • It connects ten European countries, running through their territories or marking a border.
    • It can be seen in the towns of Rousse, Bulgaria and Bucharest, Romania.
    • The rock sculpture of Decebalus, a colossal carving of the face of Decebalus (AD 87–106), the last king of Dacia is visible from this landform.
    • It terminates in Belgrade, Serbia where it joins the Black Sea.

    If you guessed the Danube River, you are correct!

    Our Travel Topics Master, Meghan Burns, took us on a journey to explore the food, cities, castles and railroads of Eastern Europe. She asked us questions about visiting Bran Castle in Transylvania, taking a trip on the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and visiting a spice market on the historical Silk Road in Uzbekistan

    Helen Josephine was our speaker for the meeting. She presented her Dynamic Leadership, Level 4, High Performance Leadership speech. Helen’s speech was about the teamwork required for the development and implementation of the Division A event on February 24th, “Supercharge your Communication Skills.” This event was an opportunity for members from the 17 clubs in Division A to meet in person for the first time in 4 years. Helen’s vision for the event was to encourage networking among club members, offer a workshop on how to give effective evaluations, and introduce community members to the value of Toastmasters. The event was a success with 40 Toastmasters members attending from 12 clubs, including 4 members of Travel Talkers Toastmasters (Raji, Helen, Tym and Kit).

    At our next meeting, we will continue our travels around the world. Join us as we share our adventures about traveling to Asia on March 28th from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm Pacific time. We want to hear about your travel and adventure plans.

    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.

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

    Helen Josephine,

    Travel Talkers Toastmasters

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Telling a great travel story is my passion, sharing that passion with others is fun.

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