This is the speech to accompany the powerpoint presentation made at St. Joseph's College - NY for their Global Study Abroad Conference. The correlating speech has underlines that are supposed to be lined up with the slides, but may not do so perfectly.

1. Like many of you, I’m a Long Islander
This map is the first of many. I love maps. Especially old maps.

2. Before I continue, I
want to acknowledge
that so much of this
wouldn’t be possible
without my parents

3. My Childhood Travel
Set the Foundation for a Life-long Love of Travel
Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania Mystic Seaport, Connecticut

5. Childhood Travel - Setting the Foundation
Palm Trees in Florida in Winter, and swimming in a heated outdoor pool, are both exotic, exciting
adventures to a kid from Long Island that grew up in a different reality.

6. Travel
lessons
learned as
a child
Just going places and seeing new things is exciting
The NYC area is rich with amazing adventures
You don’t have to visit Paris to experience culture
Reality is different for people around the world
My parents deserve so much credit for fostering,
enabling & nurturing my love of travel as a kid

7. New Freedom as a Young Adult

8. You know nothing… Yet…
And that’s OK!
It’s about real-
world, practical
experience,
which you can’t
fake.
I knew nothing too, even
though I was relatively
smart.

9. My young adult travel brought me to beautiful places
but it’s the embarrassing moments that I recall most from this period.
Jamaica Puerto Rico

10. Young Adult Travel – Make mistakes & grow
Guelph, ONFort Erie, ON
These places are quaint, but don’t compare to the tropics

11. Not cheese Not bacon
Why would I expect Canada to serve “American” cheese?

12. Canada Day in Canada’s Capital
Canada’s national anthem starts “O Canada”, not “Oh, say can you see”.
It’s best not to confuse the two on their respective national days.
Canadian Parliament, Ottawa, Ontario Same Place on Canada Day

13. Lessons
learned
from my
teenage
travel
It’s not funny to be rude, but it’s fun to be nice.
Respect another culture’s differences, but
understand that stereotypes exist
Not everybody wants to be American. Many are
happy with who they are & where they’re from.
Acting like your home is the best place on earth
only alienates & disrespects others
Canadian bacon is not bacon

14. UK Tour at 18 years old
An age when I was old enough to appreciate beautiful, interesting places I was visiting, but still too
dumb and inexperienced in life to know how to travel well and how to handle myself.
British Houses of Parliament, LondonEdinburgh Castle, Scotland

15. Why were we even in the UK?

16. Lessons
learned
from my
UK tour
Nothing is not worth traveling for
Travel for your hobbies/interests/passions
Irreverence & ridiculousness is liberating. Don’t
take yourself too seriously.
Traveling on a whim is a story unto itself
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. When in
Scotland, do as the Scots do.

17. My Tea Travels
include visits to
estates in India,
markets in China,
over 100 tea
shops around the
world & multiple
tea industry
conferences
Tea Estate in Darjeeling, India

18. Summer Tours with the
Long Island Youth Orchestra,
July 2002 & July 2003
Portland, Maine Nova Scotia
Newfoundland
Newfoundland is pronounced “New-fin-LAND”, understand?
NOT “New Found Land” nor “New Finland”

19. 2002 Northern Europe Tour
London
Bergen, Norway
Stockholm, Sweden
Copenhagen, Denmark

20. 2003 LIYO West Coast Tour
Anchorage, Alaska
Victoria, British Columbia Seattle
Oahu
San Francisco
How cool is it to visit Alaska and Hawaii in the same trip?!

21. Halifax, Nova Scotia
Doesn’t quite have the same reputation as Brooklyn or Portland, Oregon when it comes to skin art. At least not in 2002.

22. 2002 Fashion – we all totally dressed this way back then…

23. In many ways, this is the most personal slide in the presentation. I never share pictures of my tattoos. They’re for me, only.
2002 – Halifax, Nova Scotia
Travel Tattoos
Brooklyn Bridge was done
in Brooklyn. Not a travel
tattoo, but I love it.
2008 – Tel Aviv, Israel
2009 – Mumbai, India
2013 – Bangkok, Thailand
2011 – Delhi, India
Each one of these tattoos has a story, and getting each one of them is a story as well. These tattoos are permanent mementos
from my trips, and are therefore incredibly significant and special to me, even though that 1st one isn’t very good.

24. Obviously Alaska & Hawaii
are incredibly beautiful

25. But I’d argue Norway is
arguably more beautiful

26. Scandinavians Speak Remarkably Clear English
In this spot should be a picture of a
Scandinavian actor with an
amazingly clear American accent
which they all credit to watching
American TV & movies...
But they are all too sexy, and I’ve
already shown you Jon Snow, and I
need to keep this presentation from
getting out of control, so there will
be no pictures of Alexander
Skarsgard, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau or
Malin Akerman.

27. Quebec, Canada
Français est la langue officielle du Québec
Montreal
Quebec City
Quebec City

28. Travel Lessons
Learned as a
Young Adult
Planning your travel itinerary is responsible & wise
Maximizing your time can allow you to see many places
effectively
A little chaos should be embraced in travel
Don’t go into fjords, they’re freezing
When you return to a destination, don’t see the same things
If you’re going to do something questionable, question it
If you’re thinking about getting a tattoo, really think about it
first

29. Adam’s Ages, Stages and/or Phases of Travel*
EARLY
CHILDHOOD
YOUNG ADULT SEMI-ADULT ACTUAL ADULT
EMPTY-NESTER
RETIREE
*wildly unscientific & probably doesn’t apply to you in the same way

31. Angela Ruggiero is a hockey legend & was
Director of the Islanders’ Children’s Foundation

34. The moment of real culture shock, when my life completely changed,
was when I experienced this for the first time…

35. Coaching Hockey in China, January 2007

36. One of these is báijiǔ 白酒

37. Coaching Hockey in China, January 2007

39. Travel Lessons
Learned from
Semi-Adult
travel in China
Crouching while pooping is better for you than sitting on a bowl
Learning how to balance yourself while in a full crouch requires practice
Study-up in advance of traveling to any foreign place
“Saving Face” is an important element of many Asian societies
Respect and politeness are not the same around the world
Being blunt and honest is not always appreciated the same way in some
cultures
If you go to a foreign country, it’s up to you to adapt, not the country
You don’t have to work hard to show people you’re smart. Let it happen
organically.

40. Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, India*
*For now. Ladakh is currently in the process of separating from the state & becoming a Union Territory. The unrest in Kargil also makes the situation there volatile and unpredictable.

41. Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in Ladakh Buddhist Monks in Ladakh play hockey too!
The region is sometimes referred to as “Little Tibet”

42. Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, India
Confluence of rivers in Ladakh It’s impossible to avoid playing hockey here!
The region is sometimes referred to as “Little Tibet”

43. I vowed to myself I wouldn’t repeat the mistakes in India that I had made in China.
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” - Benjamin Franklin (according to the internet)

44. Because India
This is completely common in India So is this.
is a country full of crazy contradictions that changes your view of the world

45. Coaching Team India in 2009
Training Team India in Ladakh before the tournament Frustrated at the lack of success in Abu Dhabi
behind the bench with Team India
“Success is when Opportunity meets Preparation” – said by somebody

46. Middle East Travel in 2008 & 2009
Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesJerusalem, Israel
A whole new world (for me). A new fantastic point of view (multiple views).

47. Travel Around India
2009 – present
(but mostly 2009)
• Leh, Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir
• Shimla, Dharamshala & Kasol, Himachal Pradesh
• Dehra Dun, Rishikesh & Mussori, Uttarakhand
• Amritsar, Attari & Chandigarh, Punjab
• Gurgaon & Chandigarh (again), Haryana
• ★ Delhi ▲
• Agra ▲, Uttar Pradesh
• Jaipur ▲, Rajasthan
• Mumbai (Bombay), Maharastra
• Cochin, Kerala
• Chennai (Madras) & Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu
• Port Blair, Havelock & Neil Islands, Andaman &
Nicobar Islands
• Bhubaneswar, Konark & Puri, Orissa (now
Odisha)
• Kolkata & Darjeeling, West Bengal

48. Train travel around India
For the record, I’ve never been on a train so crowded that people were on
top (I don’t think), but I have most certainly been the person hanging out the
train door for dear life on very crowded trains.
Not what they expected upper class to be.
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Mumbai
An amazing way to experience the country

49. Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Seriously, it was this beautiful in person.
Also, I stayed in a little huts on the beach for ~$2/night
Havelock Island
Neil Island

50. Donate now at hockey.foundation!
I’d be a bad Executive Director if I wasn’t always looking to fundraise.

51. INTERNATIONAL ICE HOCKEY FEDERATION

52. My dream was
to backpack
Europe, and in
2009, this is
how I was
able to get
around

53. Munich felt like Gothic Heaven
Gothic Heaven comes with bratwurst and sauerkraut

54. • Czech Republic
• Denmark
• England
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Scotland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Spain
• Wales
By the end of my Europe trip,
I had reached the following countries:
2002 Trip Destinations (UK & LIYO)
Learning how to travel quickly & efficiently in
2002 helped me maximize this 2009 trip and have
a successful, memorable, exciting experience.
2009 Backpacking Cities

55. Allied Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)

56. That’s it. That’s the whole email.

57. Less than 24-hours later! YES!

58. 65th Anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Normandy (D-Day)
One of the most special and memorable days of my life, and it almost didn’t happen!

59. • Czech Republic
• Denmark
• England
• France
• Germany
• Italy
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Scotland
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Spain
• Wales
By the end of my Europe trip,
I had reached the following countries:
2002 Trip Destinations (UK & LIYO Tours)
Learning how to travel quickly & efficiently
in 2002 helped me maximize this 2009 trip
and have a successful, memorable,
exciting experience.
2009 Backpacking Cities

60. Remember, donations can be made at hockey.foundation!
There are sponsorship opportunities available as well!

61. 2011 Return to Ladakh to Coach Hockey & Donate Equipment
Stranded in the middle of the Himalayas for a week added to the adventure

62. India hosts the tournament & wins their first-ever international hockey game

63. 2013 began on a high note
Sometimes we had to work with the military to get support. This equipment was distributed around the region to help
provide greater access and opportunities on the ice

64. But things didn’t finish so well…
1. First, a dog bite in my leg that required 5 rabies
shots
• Dogs are everywhere in Ladakh and packs of dogs have
actually killed people
• Rabies has a 100% mortality rate, so not getting the shots
would’ve been too risky
2. Then I broke my nose playing hockey in Bangkok
• The picture of my face is just 1-2 days later & the other one
was me coming out of surgery 2 weeks later – I look very
happy unconscious
• I was in Bangkok coaching Team India in the Challenge Cup of
Asia, and remained there to play in an adult hockey
tournament they host twice/year
3. Last & worst, with no picture, was the infection
developed while on that trip that required a surgical
procedure to remove – before my nose was fixed!
• You’re welcome
If I become an actor, this
will be my head shot.

65. 2014-16 had their own highs and lows as well

66. Visiting Bishkek,
Kyrgyzstan was an
unexpected pleasure. The
country is at the cross-
roads of Asia (Silk Road).
You can see the influence
of hundreds of years of
trade & conquest,
including the most recent
overlords: the Soviet
Union. The local cuisine
was delicious!

67. 2015 in Kuwait was the last time I
coached Team India in the CCOA
Kuwait was another wonderful
experience. The remnants of the
Persian Gulf War are still around,
but the country has generally
thrived since then. There’s great
food here as well!
I was behind the bench 1 more time for a special event outside of
Toronto when Team India became the 1st national team to play
against a team from the ECHL (2 levels below NHL) before passing
the torch to coaches brought in by The Hockey Foundation.

68. Ceremonial Puck Drop in Ladakh, India at 14,307 feet above sea level for the
Guinness World Record Highest Altitude Hockey Game

69. This was
what my
actual
experience
looked like…

70. Ceremonial Puck Drop in Ladakh, India at 14,307 feet above sea level for the
Guinness World Record Highest Altitude Hockey Game

71. Lessons
Learned from
a Life of Travel
(so far)
My travel experiences have defined so much of my life, but they
don’t define me
Traveling just to collect stories or points on a map is not
traveling
The stories of my travel are stories of people, places &
experiences
People around the world want the same things we want,
namely, to be happy and healthy
Religion and politics matter, but not as much as portrayed in the
media
The world is complex and complicated. Don’t pretend to know
all about other places, whether you’ve been or not.
Friendship and relationships around the world

72. Final thoughts
Seek adventures
Mistakes happen
Respect differences
Be open to new ideas
Be more patient
New York is the best city on earth
Everybody loves pizza

73. I want to personally thank
my mother with a little gift…
My Guinness World Record
Certificate, which I couldn’t
have done without her love,
guidance & support over the
years.