AS I WRITE THIS LETTER, Hurricane Harvey is ravaging Houston, and GT Advisory Board member Mike Donahue is riding it out just north of the city. Mike was stuck while transitioning his son from Phoenix into a new position in Houston. I am returning from a business trip in Miami, where we connected with old friends and made some new relationships, and I’m now heading to Cape San Blas, Fla., for the Labor Day weekend and a little bleisure. Oddly, there appears to be no major effect from Harvey where I will be relaxing on the Gulf of Mexico.

Last year we were in the same place when Hurricane Hermine charged across the Florida Panhandle and threatened to hit our location. As I flew in, I wondered if the storm would be worse than predicted or be a wash. Hermine moved slightly east, hitting Tallahassee hard and knocking out power to 80 percent of the residents. The night Hermine passed, the wind grew and I wondered what on Earth I was doing in its path. For us, the aftermath had zero effect, and we swam in the Gulf the next day, but it could have cut power and washed out the only road to Cape San Blas, stranding us for a long time. In retrospect, it was not a good thing to stay, and trying your luck is not the way to deal with these storms.

Houston will need a great deal of support, and when it is back to business, we should visit and help its economy through travel. Restaurants, hotels and venues will need our support. Until then, the American Red Cross does great things and remains a worthy place to donate. After 9/11, a police officer told me the Red Cross was immediately on hand, offering equipment, food and water, the necessities of life.

I mentioned bleisure — a benefit and privilege of a successful business traveler. To fully appreciate your business and leisure trip, be ready to combine the two, not cut off one from the other. As I travel for my R&R, I am catching up on emails, connecting with staff and writing reports to appear in this issue and subsequent issues of Global Traveler and www.globaltravelerusa.com. I text my team regarding things I witness and subjects we should cover on our three platforms: GT; trazeetravel.com; and our newest venture, whereverfamily.com.

I have an exciting trip this month to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and will travel on Saudi Arabian Airlines. It has been many years since I first flew Saudia, and I look forward to trying its new first-class suite. Look for a GT Tested review in an upcoming issue.

Until then, enjoy your travels, and please let me know your thoughts regarding WhereverFamily!