We have an experienced staff of friendly travel experts from many parts of the world, with varied travel interests, here to help you with any questions you may have or to welcome your suggestions! To contact any of us, just leave a message on the board.
When you're finished reviewing our staff biographies, simply click your browser's "Back" button or click on the return link at the bottom of this page to return to The Travel Forum.
The Travel Forum Staff
Definitions
Wizop - Wizard Sysop
- The person(s) responsible for the overall management of the forum and
Sysop staff.
Sysop - System Operator
- A term used to describe the staff who operate and moderate the forum.
Marty
Bush
 |
Marty is employeed by a global
software and consulting company. Marty specializes in life &
health insurance software, designing and managing the development &
implementation of complex Windows and Internet Web based systems with international
distribution channels. Marty and his wife Margot reside in a suburb
of Philadelphia, PA, USA, and spend much of their free time in Ocho Rios,
Jamaica where they have a 2nd home and live on the island for extended
periods with plans to retire there 'soon.' Marty's hobbies include
software design, computers, and sysoping on CompuServe, as well as U.S.
and international politics, economics and business. His web site
is at http://www.caribochorios.com.
Marty is a part owner of the The Travel Forum and is a forum Wizop. He also serves as the Web Master of The Travel Forum in addition to Membership duties and providing technical assistance to staff within the forum. He has been actively involved with CompuServe and other on-line services for many years. Write a message to Marty in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
| "Jamaica
Jim"
Jordan  |
Jim, also a partner in the The
Travel Forum and a forum Wizop, is well known on CompuServe and throughout
cyber space as "Jamaica Jim." He has extensively visited the Caribbean
and he regularly fields all kinds of questions from people all over the
world asking about the Caribbean. His personal web site provides
some interesting things -- you can virtually visit it at http://www.jamaicajim.com
and see what he has there. Jim also provides some of his travel experiences
as information for the web site of the travel agency he uses for all his
travel needs. There they maintain a "column" of e-mails he has received
and his responses as a Caribbean "Dear Abby" feature -- which is called
"Ask Jamaica Jim."
Jim's interest in the Caribbean stems from his having gone there more than one hundred times and having visited more than half of the Caribbean countries and colonies there! Write a message to Jim in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
Jerry
Schneider
 |
Jerry Schneider is a partner in
the The Travel Forum and is a forum Wizop. He has been welcoming
new friends to the Travel Forum since 1989, when he started here as a volunteer.
He lives in midtown Manhattan and is a lifetime New Yorker who's inordinately
proud of it, and of the abundance of theater and improv comedy shows that
he frequently takes advantage of. Recently, he’s put aside his love
of cruising (over 30 cruises), to commute three times a year to Espirito
Santo, Brasil, where the love of his life works. Whether in New York
or Brasil, Jerry swims daily, spends time at a gym (though you wouldn’t
know it to look at him <G>), and enjoys his semi-retirement.
Write a message to Jer in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
Forum Sysops
| Gretchen Beck | Gretchen is an Enrolled Agent and runs her income tax practice from a home office with a view of San Francisco Bay. She has worked with income taxes for over 20 years, and has traveled extensively in Southern Asia. |
Dave
Beers
 |
Dave Beers has been a member of
the Travel Forum since 1990. During his military career - which included
service in both the Marine Corps and the Navy - he visited many countries
and has added many more in the ensuing years. He is particularly
fond of cruising and he averages two cruises per year. He also is
a part-time cruise agent. Originally from upstate New York, Dave
has called Alabama home for several years. He recently retired from
the Tennessee Valley Authority and now does consultant work in various
areas of nuclear power.
Write a message to Dave in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
| Larry B. | Larry is a professional pilot
whose career including flight instructing, flying Grand Canyon tours from
Las Vegas, flying for American Eagle and now flying for one of the larger
express freight airlines. Larry lives in middle Tennessee with his
wife and two children and has participated on CompuServe Forums since the
early 1990s.
Write a message to Larry in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
Sandy
Elson
 |
Sandy has been a professional travel agent
specializing in cruises for groups and individuals since 1986. She
has earned the title MCC (Master Cruise Counselor) from Cruise Lines International
Association. Sandy owns a home based, cruise only agency, "Your Cruise
Concierge, LLC" (http://www.yourcruiseconcierge.com).
Originally from New York City, Sandy now lives outside Washington
DC and works with people all over the country via the internet. Sandy
has been active on the Travel Forum since 1985 and has been an Assistant
Sysop and Section Leader since 1987.
Write a message to Sandy in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
Scott
Hughes
 |
Scott Hughes is a professional
photographer based on the island of Maui, Hawaii. A baby boomer who
was born, raised and spent his life in midwest USA, Scott first visited
the Aloha State in early 1982 and was absorbed by the natural and cultural
environment of the islands. Upon reaching his mid forties, the decision
was made to relocate and start new. His interests include photography,
on the professional level as well as nature macro, action sports and documentary
imagery. He is a motor sports enthusiast and regularly auto-crosses
his 1999 BMW M3 (SCCA BSP)
Scott has been a sysop on a variety of CompuServe forums since 1992. Write a message to Scott in The Travel Forum by clicking here!. |
Lynn
McKamey
 |
Lynn is a published garden &
travel writer who has traveled extensively in Caribbean. Her favorite
islands are British Virgin Islands and St. Vincent & the Grenadines.
Lynn is also a writer of ski resort destination reviews - Whistler, Aspen,
Jackson, and Santa Fe. She is also a web site designer, adding her
professional touch to many sites. Known across the internet as "Scuba
Mom," Lynn has been a long time member of CompuServe forums and other services,
always professionally assisting members to get the most out of their visits.
Lynn's web site is http://www.scubamom.com. Write a message to Lynn The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
Dave
Pluke
 |
Dave Pluke has served on CompuServe
Forum Staffs since 1998. When not exiled to the frozen north of the
Twin Cities, Dave and his wife, Colette, spend time at their condos on
Half Moon Bay in Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico (60 miles south of Cancun).
T hey have visited several other destinations in the Caribbean Basin since
their first trip to Cancun in 1987, but continue to find that Mexico's
Riviera Maya feels most like home. In addition to snorkeling and beach
trips, Dave and Colette have touched most of the lower 48 States and have
many spots remaining on their "Must Visit" list.
Dave is a Principal and VP of Technology of a leading Structural Engineering firm and has been involved (obsessed?) with computers since Colette gave him his first, a Timex Sinclair 1000. Dave's Web Site is http://www.AlwaysAkumal.com. Write a message to Dave in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
Carolyn
Randall
 |
Carolyn Randall traveled all over
the world as marketing director for a company that manufactured a blood
analyzer. She now enjoys traveling to Europe as well as to see far-flung
relatives in the United States. Carolyn is an expert on the Coach
section of the airplane, having flown First Class only once in her life,
and never Business Class. Carolyn has lived in Southern California
for 30 years and works as a free-lance computer consultant. Carolyn's Web
Site is http://www.passportinfo.com.
Write a message to Carolyn in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
Joan
Randolph
 |
Joan has been a member of Compuserve
and The Travel Forum since the 1980's and was a Staff Member on fhe California
Forum before it closed. She taught computer applications in a middle
school before her retirement. She and her husband live on the Central
California coast and enjoy being "Very Frequent Travelers" ... 19 countries
and counting.
Write a message to Joan in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
Jan
Sternfeld
 |
Jan handles Travel Medicine issues
and keeps Forum members posted with travel advisories and other news releases.
She's also Library Sysop and helps with general Forum maintenance.
Jan is a registered nurse whose professional background includes emergency room work, clinical research, cardiology, and criminal justice. She has traveled extensively and enjoys wildlife viewing and photography. Recent travels include a delightful expedition to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands, and an enjoyable visit to Iceland and Paris. Other interests include organic gardening, alternative medicine, natural nutrition, and playing the piano and the stock market. Jan is married to a physician, resides in Ohio, and has two grown children. She has been active in CompuServe forums since 1990. Write a message to Jan in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
| Hugh Wyn Griffith | Hugh Wyn Griffith was born in
England and came to the USA in 1940 as a schoolboy evacuee. He served
in the US Army and became a US citizen. After service in France and
Germany he returned to England, graduated from Oxford University and worked
in the technical side of the textile industry in Manchester. This
brought him back to the USA frequently to say nothing of seeing much of
the rest of the world.
After retiring he returned to the USA and lives in Florida. He enjoys traveling, photography and music from Mozart to the Pink Floyd. Write a message to Hugh in The Travel Forum by clicking here! |
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Last Revised: March, 2008.