Seldom A Dull Moment, The Next Chapter

 It's been a while! I've been thinking a lot recently about the last year. It was this time last year that I was getting ready to retire from 33 years as an educator. It was the only thing I knew, and with a lot of anxiety and excitement I dove into retirement in July, 2023.

It's now May, 2024 and I am so excited about everything that I have been involved in during the past year and I have my wonderful husband to thank for it! My two favorite quotes have proven true during the past 12 months

Walt Disney:

Gretchen Rubin, Author:

And I've adopted another quote and have it prominently placed in my office:

So, let's start with why I need to thank my husband....In May  of 2023, upon deciding to retire from education I was thinking about what my next chapter would be. One evening Don shared a CNN article with me about Travel Coaches. I was intrigued and investigated further, well...if  you know me, I didn't just investigate, I jumped head first into researching what a travel coach is. I had been an instructional coach for the last 7 years and was trained in cognitive coaching and had lots of practice with coaching teachers and administrators. I loved travel and my "dream job" had always been travel agent because I love planning trips for my family and learning about new places and adventures.

Could there really be a way to blend my coaching training with my passion for travel? The short answer to that is yes!! Link to CNN article that dare I say, changed my life and helped me find my "second chapter."

I immediately registered with the  Travel Coach Network and enrolled in the  Travel Coach Certification Program. I emailed with the CEO and felt connected and valued right away. I held off starting the program until the end of summer. Don started back to full time teaching, and I started the training to become a Travel Coach. (photo below from the TCCP site)

November, 2023 and I became a certified Family Travel Coach, accredited by the International Coaching Federation. I had planned on taking the whole academic year to work slowly through the certification program and I got so excited about that I finished 6 months ahead of my planned finish date. 

It was time to START MY BUSINESS! It didn't take long to decide on a name. In fact, Don and I had had many previous conversations about what our joint retirement years might look like and our family mantra was always a part of it...Seldom A Dull Moment. Our Seldom A Dull Moment years include lots of adventures, lots of traveling and a little bit of relaxing and soaking up all that is happening around us. This blog started in 2010 when we started our big family vacations and has continued since then with over 200 posts and over 122,000 views. 

We went from a nice piece of ETSY art in our kitchen, to the name of our business.

I learned a lot about starting a business in Virginia and by the end of January, 2024 we were official. I had registered with the state of Virginia, obtained a business license in Loudoun County and also a home base business permit. Seldom a Dull Moment was in business as Seldom A Dull Moment - Family Travel Coach. Eventually, we will be adding Seldom A Dull Moment - Photography and a side of Seldom A Dull Moment - Instructional Coaching as needed. 

Through the certification program, I created a business plan, identified who my ideal clients would be and deeply explored my why for wanting to be a travel coach. I learned quickly that a travel coach is different from a travel agent. 

To quote Sahara De Rose De Vore, the CEO of TCN, "Unlike travel agents, travel coaches don't focus on the booking phase of a trip. Instead, they help people set intentions for their trip and better understand their "why" for travel so that they can use travel as a medium for transformation, healing, self-discovery, growth, and more."

 My why for this second chapter was a little easier than I expected. Through my years as an instructional coach, I had been asked multiple times to share my "identity." I struggled with that, and ultimately realized that my identity had a lot to do with being a military BRAT. My younger years as a child of an Air Force dad really helped form me into who I am today.

Our Air Force family

 My passion for travel and exploring new places came from my 17 years of living in 9 different places, included 3 years in Italy as a teenager. Leaving school in January to move across the country or even to a new country helped me learn how to adapt, be flexible and relate to different people. I always loved packing up my room and setting it up in a new house. I got used to entering a new school and making friends, while leaving old friends behind. My 3 years in Italy really opened my eyes to how transformative travel can be. I was immersed in another culture, even though I attended a DOD school, I was living among other Italians and traveling Europe with my family and also on my own with friends and school groups. That time in Europe from 8th - 11th grade changed me and ignited my passion for seeing the world and sharing it with the people I love.

Here are some pictures from those transformative years:

windsurfing in Majorca, Spain

9th grade Laura in our front yard, Naples, Italy

bartering on artwork in St. Tropez, France

French club trip to Villefranche, France

skiing the Italian Alps

I also finally have an answer to that icebreaker question, "Where's your hometown? Where are you from?" 

The Dandelion story from MilitaryBrats.com is all about me!

"The great thing about dandelions is that, even though they are considered a “weed”, they do not take nutrients from their surroundings. Dandelions do not dare to be the submissive plant, nor the dominant plant. They live as equals in their surroundings. Look at the grass around the dandelion. Is it not just as green as it was before? The grass and the dandelion live side by side. When a dandelion is plucked and a wish is made as the seeds are tenderly blown, the seeds float on the wind, finding a new home. There, the seeds find a new home and flourish, living side by side with their new neighbors. Only a dandelion can understand another dandelion and the journey the dandelion has been on." (militarybrats.com) 

     That is the reason that the dandelion is in the middle of my branding.

So, here we are! Almost one year later and I am a Certified Family Travel Coach, an entrepreneur and one year retired from my first passion, teaching. I've got a few other Seldom A Dull Moment secrets in the works that I'll share when the time is right. 

Since January, I've started my Seldom A Dull Moment Facebook Group with close to 100 members, worked with clients to plan trips to California, Italy, and a multi-generational family trip to Disney World and I've been able to spend quality time with my adult daughters, husband and lovable dog. 

mom and dad - the reason behind my passion for travel

Lots of quality time with Sonny

Carleigh received a teaching award during her first year of teaching 6th grade English

Novice Teacher of the Year celebration

Katie graduated from George Mason University

This past year has been amazing and so full of personal growth and family fun! 

I will continue to use this blog to share our family travels and adventures. 
This will be a place to share how the Rahn family is DREAMING about, DESIGNING and ultimately DEPARTING on those next great family vacations.

So, in true Seldom A Dull Moment Fashion...

In 20 days the 3 Rahn girls depart for an epic 10 days in Las Vegas, Disneyland and Los Angeles. I will start posting soon about our DREAMING and DESIGNING, and how this trip came to be.

 

Stay tuned! It's always Seldom A Dull Moment with the Rahns!