Go to Bat for Dad This Father’s Day. Frame something he will cherish. FRAME IT! Kids • Pets • Low Golf Score Card • Report Cards Diplomas • Wedding Photos • Invitations 13429 Cedar Road • Cleveland Heights • Near Taylor Support Your Local Businesses! www.woodtraderframing.com • M-F 10-6 • Sat 10-5 216-397-7671 Congratulations to the Beachwood High School Lady Bison Track Team on being named CVC Metro Champs! Following Your Passion, At Any Age lizabeth Fink has always had a passion for travel. She has always traveled as much as possible and is very thankful to her parents, who shared their love of travel with her and her two sisters. To date, Fink has been to areas in approximately 42 countries, including Iceland, Costa Rica, Portugal, Greece, Spain, Czech Republic, Russia, Argentina, Belize, Guatemala, Ireland and England, and continues to grow the list. “I have always been fascinated by other cultures and love meeting people from all over the world,” she told us. “I am most interested in history, art, archaeology, architecture, music and cuisine.” Some of Fink's youngest travel experiences take her back to overnight camp in Maine and family trips to Cape Cod and the Caribbean. She recalls her experience in Mexico, between her junior and senior high school years, where she studied Spanish at the Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey or ITESM (in English: Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education). That, along with former years of studying Spanish, enables Fink to speak the language while traveling and while with Spanish-speaking friends. She also completed an Ulpan (program designed to teach adult immigrants to Israel the basic language skills of conversation, writing and comprehension) at Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael in Israel, and participated in an archaeological dig at Gamla, in the Golan. Although she admits that her Hebrew knowledge is basic, Fink E recognizes that it starts to come back when she is exposed to it for a while. Following a seven-month stint in Israel, Fink toured Europe with a Eurail Pass and has returned to Europe to ride the rails several times since then. “I consider myself a global citizen and love to share my travel interests with others, hoping to inspire them to travel themselves,” Fink told us. “My great passion is creating off-thebeaten-track itineraries in addition to seeing great cities and the usual places of interest.” Fink always finds that by venturing out to places off the radar of most tourists, you find yourself among locals or nationals where you can learn more about the culture. “It always heightens the excitement and makes things more interesting,” she says. “Plus, it often takes me out of my comfort zone by forcing me to use some foreign-language phrases or words to help get by.” “Just knowing a few words of a country's language goes a long way when speaking with locals,” she added. “It shows that you are open, friendly and curious.” Fink also uses public transportation where available, saying she loves the sense of exploration and navigation, and is proud of the fact that she never uses a GPS and doesn't plan to in the near future. “I like to discover places the oldschool way by downloading maps and directions to my devices, or by using Google Earth to ‘drive’ a route, so I am familiar with potential obstacles,” she says. In addition to occasionally staying in some major hotels, Fink usually opts for boutique venues, bed and breakfasts, and more recently, condominiums or flats booked through VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owner), HomeAway and airbnb, saying that it's always a great joy to shop and live, for however briefly, in a neighborhood. Fink has a B.A. in History with a focus on International Studies and Western European culture from Cleveland State University, and a Master of Library and Information Science from Kent State University. She worked for many years in libraries and academia, and now focuses her time on travel, a career she had been thinking about since the mid-80s. To follow her passion for travel, Fink's current endeavor is to serve as a tour host for a guided trip to South Africa and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe in January 2016, with stops in Cape Town, Eastern Cape, Kruger National Park and Johannesburg. She is also promoting guided trips to Israel, the Mediterranean region or virtually anywhere in the world where there is an interest. She is working with Heavenly International Tours, owned by Elisha Ben Yitzhak, whom she first met 33 years ago prior to going to Israel. “I am very excited about this next phase of my life,” Fink told us. “I recognize how little time we have on our planet and understand that we need to make the most of it.” Fink is also passionate about antiquities and ancient monuments, and is saddened to know that some are being destroyed by the current world crises. On this note, she would like to be involved in some sort of effort to help preserve precious cultural sites for future generations. “That would be a dream come true,” she said. When asked about secret closeto-home places, Fink mentioned Serpentine Mound, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, Great Seal State Park and Fallingwater. In closing, Fink says, “When traveling, don't be afraid. Learn a little bit of the language if you can and go outside your comfort zone to see things you may not normally want to see. It expands your mind.” People have always said that Fink should be a travel agent, and now she's doing it. “It's never too late to start something new. Travel opens our eyes and hearts to the world around us,” she said. Elizabeth Fink, a Beachwood resident, can be reached at 216.233.3974 or efinktravel@gmail.com. “I am very excited about this next phase of my life,” Fink told us. “I recognize how little time we have on our planet and understand that we need to make the most of it.” 44 Beachwood Buzz n June 2015