Winstead credits his parents with exposing him to travel when he was younger . Most summers , he said they traveled by car to an interesting location in the U . S . Sometimes , they drove out West to camp or check out national parks . Other times , the family went to D . C . to learn more about history or to Colorado to see the terrain .
“ They definitely exposed me to traveling and it helped me to realize how much I enjoyed it ,” he recalled . “ I have always been a very curious person , and I think they helped to inspire that , for sure .”
When he was a young adult , Winstead traveled to Europe with a chamber singers group . Although he doesn ’ t sing , he was able to go along to help handle materials and to support the group .
“ That whet my interest even more , for sure ,” he said . “ I realized how much I really appreciated traveling internationally .” Winstead said he has been to most of the states , but still needs to check out a few , including New Mexico , Rhode Island , Delaware and Vermont .
He has visited every continent except Antarctica – and he hopes to remedy that as soon as possible . Winstead said he has always tried to maximize his travel dollars , looking for deals when he can . He said some people are surprised he travels as much as he does , but he said it makes sense , when you consider it ’ s his primary hobby .
“ I don ’ t own a boat or play golf or hunt ,” he said . “ Those hobbies can be expensive , too . When I ’ m in Meridian , I am almost always working and not really spending money . Traveling is basically my hobby .”
He said that often , people overestimate the cost of international travel .
“ There are good deals out there ,” he said . “ Especially with cruises , you can get some very good deals . Sometimes , leaving the country isn ’ t really more expensive than going somewhere in the United States .”
Winstead said he is always awed by how nice people are when he travels .
“ Some people who haven ’ t traveled much worry about people not being nice – not being helpful ,” he said . “ But I haven ’ t had that problem . People can be so nice !”
He said that tools including Google Maps and Google Translate also can be helpful when trying to get around and communicate internationally . The internet also has made it easier to research locations and travel deals .
Unfortunately , Winstead said the global pandemic has stalled
12 • TIMELESS MERIDIAN