See and hear while you can

David J. Danto

Travel thoughts in my own, personal opinion

eMail: ddanto@IMCCA.org Follow Industry News: @NJDavidD on

See And Hear The World…While You Can - July 2025

I don’t walk around thinking I have one foot in the grave. I’m not that guy. But I’d be lying if I said the signs of aging weren’t becoming a little louder – especially when I travel. Especially when it’s for leisure. That’s when the mirror talks back.

There are the obvious signs, like things hurting that never hurt before, or being closer to two million lifetime miles than I am to one million. That number should inspire awe or pride – something. Instead, it makes me feel tired of the game. I used to chase status like a hobby, register for every promo, know which credit card to use for gas and groceries. Now? I probably could’ve earned more miles for my next trip if I had clicked on the latest “limited-time offer” from the airline, but honestly, I couldn’t care less. My travel planning these days is guided by one very clear principle: just sell me what I want at a fair price and then go the hell away.

That attitude seems to permeate all my travel decisions lately. I’m not interested in playing the loyalty game anymore. Not when loyalty clearly only flows one way. If I need a seat, I’ll buy it. If I need to cancel, I’ll expect to only receive a future-travel credit unless I’ve purchased the sacred refundable fare. And no, I don’t want your new branded tote bag, podcast, or influencer-hosted safety video. Just fly the damn plane and tell the truth about how long any delay is.

It’s not just travel fatigue – it’s life perspective. Somewhere along the way I realized that traveling somewhere “someday” is a trap. Waiting for retirement to go see the world is like waiting for the traffic to clear on an L.A. freeway – you’ll grow old waiting, and then you won’t want to go anymore. Or worse, you won’t be able to go anymore. Tired, frail, dragging a suitcase behind a walker. No thanks. If there’s a lesson in all these creaky joints and packed pill organizers, it’s this: take the trip now.

And don’t wait on the music either. My wife and I have been on a quiet little mission to catch as many of our bucket-list performers as possible – before they, or we, call it quits. A few years ago, I finally got to hear Tom Jones live. The man still has incredible pipes to this day, as does James Taylor. We saw Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. a couple of years ago, which will be the closest we’ll ever get to seeing The 5th Dimension in their prime. We caught America while their harmonies still held up, and Huey Lewis before his hearing loss took him off the road.

And Brian Wilson… we were lucky to see him multiple times. I’m not talking about the sad final tour (we were at) where he sat on stage more as a symbolic presence than a performer, barely able to sing. That one broke our hearts. But we remember the earlier shows – the brilliance, the depth, the soul of a man who reshaped pop music from behind a piano. We saw that Brian Wilson – and with the real Beach Boys – not the monstrosity that’s touring today. And those memories mean everything.

Paul McCartney, Kenny, Loggins, Tony Orlando, John Fogerty, etc., etc. These shows aren’t just concerts. They’re time machines. They remind us of who we were when we first heard those songs, of who we loved, of how long ago it all started. And as more and more names pass into obituary columns, we feel something eerie. Not grief or mortality exactly – more like being tapped on the shoulder by time itself. The way we used to watch our parents read the paper and say, “Oh no, they died?” We’ve become them. Our icons are falling. And it’s not just sad. It’s sobering. Elton John has stopped touring, Billy Joel has paused touring to deal with a health issue, Frankie Vallie hasn’t sung a live note at his lip-synced “farewell” concerts for years, and Peter Yarrow and Mary Travers are sadly already gone – making the concerts we saw with Billy, Elton, Frankie and Peter, Paul and Mary cherished memories.

So here’s what I’ve learned: the calendar is never going to hand you a perfect moment. You have to steal the time before someone else does. Take the vacation. Book the flight. See the show. Walk the streets of that city you always meant to visit before it gets flattened into a cruise port. Don’t wait until your knees hurt or your back seizes or your hearing needs subtitles – or the thing you want to see isn’t there anymore.

Because here's the truth: your company may miss you – but only for about three emails. Then they’ll lay off thousands of people the next day and still send out a press release about how “proud” they are of their values. So, make the time NOW – take your PTO and live your actual life. Because time isn’t slowing down, and the best moments are already on the clock.

I may be getting old. But I’m still striding down that jet bridge with my head high, earbuds in, a heavy carry-on I’m still strong enough to hoist into the overhead bin, and a plan to see it all – before I can’t anymore, or the chance disappears with the melting glaciers, the passing artist, or a city swallowed by rising sea levels.

This article was written by David Danto and contains solely his own, personal opinions.

All image and links provided above as reference under prevailing fair use statutes.

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