OSTC January 2022 Member Highlight!
Rose DeTorre
Each month we'll highlight another member so we can all get to know one another better! Member highlights are nominated and voted on by the OSTC board, then highlighted in that month's newsletter. That member will get the same set of Q&A! Read on for Rose's answers:
How did you get exposed to travel and adventuring, what brought you to our club?
When I was 20 years old I got my passport so I could go on a cruise to the Bahama’s on spring break with my best friend. That was all it took for me to get the travel bug. Fast forward to today and I’ve been to more countries than states in the USA. What brought me to OSTC was MeetUp.com. I was going though a transition period in my life, I called it my year of discovery, where I was trying lots of new things in an effort to reinvent myself. At this point, I had been snowboarding for like 3 years and ran across the club on MeetUp.com. I became a member and signed up for the Heavenly trip without meeting a single member. The club created a lot of opportunity for me to meet good people and travel to new destinations.
What is your favorite OSTC memory?
I have so many great memories and have met some amazing people through the club. One thing that will stick out in my memory forever is being in Geneva, Switzerland in March 2020 when they announced they were closing the borders. What was supposed to be a 2 week trip was reduced to 3 days. So I did what any rational person would do and went to a local bar to spend the remainder of my Swiss Francs.
Where is your favorite place to travel to and if you could create your own trip, what would it be?
I have lots of places I enjoy traveling to from Spain and France in Europe, the Galapagos islands in South America, an African safari in Tanzania, and scaling the great wall in China. One place stands out in my mind unlike anything I’ve ever experiences, India. I spent a total of 3 months in India for work once. I even have friends over there who I stay in contact with. Although my visa expired this year, I am hopeful for the day I would return.
If I could create my own trip, you would think this would be an easy question, but not for me as I have a 6 year backlog of trip ideas due to the pandemic. I will mention two trips from my list: Indonesia, which I am considering planning for 2023; Antarctica, which I hope to have crossed off my bucket list no later than 2024.
Hobbies, talents and interests outside of traveling:
I like to read, I am usually reading 2 or 3 books at the same time. I am a big support of the local art scene in Orlando, specifically the Orlando Ballet. I use to compete athletically in long distance running and triathlons, although I have retired from the competition I did it for so long the lifestyle that comes along with it is ingrained in me. I still workout most days doing cycling, yoga, pilates, barre, swimming, strength training, and boot camp. The last hobby I picked up during the pandemic is paint by numbers. It gave me something to do during lock down and I enjoyed it so much I’ve continued doing it. Perhaps some of you have seen some of my work on Facebook.
Fun fact no one knows about you:
When I was in my early teens I dreamed of being a model. My parents enrolled me into this school, besides teaching me how to stand up straight and walk with confidence, it also taught me manners. I found myself learning table manners and etiquette when eating at a formal dinner setting. Although my modeling career never took off, (being 5’1” may have had something to do with that) the lessons in etiquette have proven to be invaluable.
