I am working on my Belgian beer blog, but today I want to talk about summer travel. After gallivanting all over the world for the past six months, I settled down in Kitty Hawk, N. C., for my family vacation. I blogged about Kitty Hawk in the past, but what U.S. destination ties in better with Global Traveler than the birthplace of powered aviation?

I started early this year, at 4:45 a.m., for the journey south down the Delmarva Peninsula. One thing is for sure, don’t speed! The state police of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia have instructed their officers to nab the “bad guys” — us respectable tax payers flipping the bird at their states as we drive through to a friendlier North Carolina. I saw one Maryland cop hiding behind a telephone pole, squad car parked way back, pointing his radar gun. Another group of three squad cars blatantly set up in the median, pointing their radar guns and flagging cars to stop and pay.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel used to be like the Indianapolis 500, but now is policed. They barely let you fly over the 17.6-mile drive at 55 mph. I blogged about the CBBT in the past; it is an amazing industrial feat — opened in 1964 with a parallel crossing in 1998. The first crossing utilized no tax money to create.

I have yet to make it to the beach, as I am the advance team with my dog, running to the store to stock up and opening the house. Harris Teeter is an interesting local grocery store with overpriced items but of high quality and service. At check out, they ask if you found everything and if you say no, they get it for you! Of course, you have to be careful what time you shop. Avoid 12–3 p.m., as the store is filled with people who arrived before check-in time (4 p.m.). They are like “Sunday drivers” in the supermarket. Watch out for shoppers talking in the middle of an aisle blocking the way with their carts, sniffing the honeydews, not knowing where they are going and cell-phone talkers checking to see what else they need. I had to navigate and zip past these people, much like I did with the Maryland State Police on the way down.

When I return, I look forward to attending the GBTA (Global Business Travel Association) convention in Boston, where I can update you on the most recent developments in first and business classes. Enjoy the summer!

— Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO