{"id":4394,"date":"2018-11-20T21:34:51","date_gmt":"2018-11-20T21:34:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/2ndcupoftea.com\/?p=4394"},"modified":"2018-11-20T22:01:02","modified_gmt":"2018-11-20T22:01:02","slug":"trading-cows-for-magic-beans-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/2ndcupoftea.com\/?p=4394","title":{"rendered":"Trading Cows For Magic Beans… 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

F<\/strong>irstly, thank you; <\/em>to\u00a0the many of you who have asked.<\/p>\n

And, there have indeed been many questions.<\/p>\n

This, in addition to being an expression of real gratitude for the interest you have shown in my ‘disappearance’, is therefore also intended to be an answer to many (most?) of those questions. Let’s see…<\/p>\n

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YES, I still very much guide. NOPE, not on your nelly for Road Scholar (a long sad story, but what<\/em> a sorry agency it is evolving into). Yes, still freelance and for various agencies. NO, no longer exclusively in Europe (have broadened horizons to South America and Israel).<\/p>\n

YES, I do still remember everyone who has been kind enough to email and to whom I am have not yet had a chance to reply. It has been wonderful to hear from you and I am trying…<\/p>\n

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YES, I still live in Spain, but now in Barcelona with a small, but expanding family (we are currently 3 humans, a dog and one – they say cranberry sized human – in the ‘oven’). Though to escape we still have our little ‘cottage’ in the hills of Andalusia.<\/p>\n

There you go. Can one catch up in three short paragraphs?<\/p>\n

S<\/strong>o… the future? Well 2019 will see Mireia (an official local guide to the wonderful city of Barcelona) and I start our very own modest agency as we would like to do things ourselves.<\/p>\n

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Many of you who have travelled with me before have asked; ‘why don’t you create your own agency?’ If I have answered consistently over the past 19 years as a guide, you will have heard me say because I cannot do it alone.<\/p>\n

In Spain they talk of meeting one’s ‘other half orange’. In meeting Mireia, our citrus fruit is finally complete. With her unparalleled local knowledge and business acumen, together with my experience of creating and leading tours – for others – we are now ready to start slowly.<\/p>\n

I can assure you the majority of guides sit around whilst groups are on ‘free time’ and lament how out of touch agencies are. ‘If only they’d listen to us,<\/em>‘ they say. A great friend and colleague of mine – Lucy, took the step last year to set up Lucy Loves Travel<\/a> (which I can highly recommend) – now it is our turn…<\/p>\n

So…<\/p>\n

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We have some planning to do yet (in between nappy changing), but over the winter we will create a website as well as fashion what we believe to be marvellous and different<\/em>\u00a0itineraries. No one has greater knowledge than Mireia when it comes to Catalunya and I for example love the Cathar history and everything connected to Alpine Cultures. Between us we speak 10 languages and have travelled to more than 100 countries, so watch this space…<\/p>\n

In the meantime – if any of you\u00a0have any ideas for PLACES you would like to visit, TOURS or even DATES… well Mireia and I would be delighted to hear from you. We can assure you – we – unlike so many large agencies out there – will…\u00a0<\/span>listen.\u00a0<\/em>Chances are if YOU are thinking of going there so are a few other likeminded travellers we know.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

We hope to hear from you – for now just email me thomas@2ndcupoftea.com<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

W<\/strong>ith so much experience between us as well as regular tours we both lead, the safe (and boring?) choice would be to keep guiding just for others. But where is the magic in that? We too have dreams – in fact, we are together because of<\/em>\u00a0one. So for 2019 it’s time to act on these,\u00a0our<\/em> dreams. The time has finally come to trade our cow, as surely…<\/p>\n

You should never hesitate to trade your cow for a handful of magic beans<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0– <\/em>Tom Robbins<\/p>\n

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