My niece Emily is Openly Trans.
She’s been transitioning since shortly before the Pandemic. For the last two months, she’s been working on the new building project next door with me. The two of us have been going like crazy to rebuild the bottom floor. I’ve even personally put in a few 15-hour days and all-nighters…phew.
It has been wonderful to have so many hours to bond with and get to know my niece. I didn’t see her much as a child, and this time together has been priceless to me. It has also been fascinating to work with her since her transition to female. These days, thanks to the hormones, etc., I can really tell there is a young woman working alongside me. Her estrogen hormones have taken over, softening her muscle tone. I’ve observed her relying much more heavily now on her technique, rather than brute testosterone driven strength.
Regardless of the gender of the builders, the progress on the building has been just as amazing to watch. In fact, my notes were slightly delayed this month, due to our marathon to get HE Travel transitioned into its new home and server space.
I’ve really enjoyed a career creating safe spaces
These include spaces for my niece and the many other LGBTQ+ workers and travelers I’ve interacted with over the years. Like many of our travelers, my niece must live her life on guard against hate and discrimination. With HE Travel, we provide safe spaces globally, and we will keep paying this behavior forward. To that end, Emily and her partner Ally plan to manage our new LGBTQ+ coffee shop/bed and breakfast so that it will be another of these great safe spaces.
And this space is going to be great for more reasons too!
Since the onset of the COVID Pandemic, the bulk of our staff have not been physically coming into our main office. To accommodate this change in global work structure, we are downsizing our physical office space for the Travel Agency and going 100% remote. We’ve relocated our servers to their charming new location (next door to my apartment and other B&B unit). Inside this freshly remodeled A-Frame cabin is a shared workspace for any staff who wish to escape the chaos of their home life and work in peace. It’s a lovely space to meet with clients or spend time watching the sunset on the mountains or feeding the chickens.
One final note on the construction:
We designed the staircase on the fly with no pre-plans, and we built it over the course of two days. I was helped by my niece Emily and Uncle Phil’s partner, Jake.
We re-built the balcony and staircase from a combination of new wood and wood which we repurposed from the remodel of the main house. The Vintage sign is the original sign from Hanns Ebensten’s first Key West travel office on Fleming Street. It finally has a new, more permanent home! Here’s to another 50 great years!
Last Minute Tour Updates:
The Salkantay – Hike to Machu Picchu – Hike on a historic trail through the Andes Mountains while staying in cozy mountain lodges. Hurry only 3 spaces left!
The Croatia Island Hop – There are few places in the world more beautiful for a cruise than Croatia. Only one cabin left!
I hope to see you on tour!
Warmly,
Zachary Moses
Global Travel Guru
You can find last month’s notes here.
