Around the world with David Porter

“I’m the guy that goes off doing crazy things,” said David Porter, world traveler and Ardenwoods resident of two years. With decades of travel under his belt, David has many stories to tell and much advice to offer.

David is from a small town north of Boston, Massachusetts. He grew up travelling with his family to places like New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, visiting the Flume Gorge, White Mountains, and more.

While attending the Massachusetts College of Arts, David spread his wings and ventured to Banff, Canada, then across the United States four times in a Volkswagen camper van.

With a Master of Fine Arts in graphic design, David kickstarted his career working for WGBH, a television station in Boston. Afterward, he moved far from his northern home to Virginia and worked as a graphic design instructor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Throughout the rest of his career, David worked as an instructor at the University of North Florida, at an advertising agency, a printing company, and ran his own graphic design business.

While David had quite a career, his passion was seeing the world. In his 30s, his next series of trips included the Grand Canyon, the California and Oregon coasts, and Colombia with his late wife, to visit her homeland.

One of many memorable trips for David and his wife was their two-week honeymoon in Holland and Germany.

“Holland is one of the easiest places to go because the Dutch all speak English. I recommend it to anybody going to Europe for the first time. That’s a good place to start,” said David.

He continued his far-flung travel, visiting Venice, Florence, and Tuscany, Italy, as well as visiting his daughter studying abroad in Manchester, England.

David believes that he has inspired his daughter to be a world traveler, as well. After her time studying in England, she studied for two years in Germany and then spent two more years in Spain.

“My daughter and I spent quite a bit of time running around the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico a few years ago. That also is fascinating to see because that’s where all Mayan ruins are, like Chichén Itzá,” said David.

Another notable trip for David and his daughter was through India, Thailand, and Bali.

David also took up sailing as a means of travel. He and a crew sailed throughout the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Greek islands, Honduras, Puerto Rico, and Tahiti. He has sailed twice to Cuba, and 21 times to the Bahamas.

“Tahiti is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I was on a small boat with many Americans, and we sailed around the country. Beautiful fish were swimming all around. It was just great,” said David.

After his Greek island sailing expedition, David and some newfound friends visited Istanbul, Rome, Paris, and Amsterdam.

“Best food I’ve ever had in my life was in Istanbul,” said David.

Fast forward to 2024, David flew solo to Buenos Aires this past February, where he boarded a cruise sailing to Uruguay, Chile, Patagonia, and Antarctica.

“Antarctica doesn’t have a hotel or a restaurant. But it didn’t matter because I was on a floating hotel. I would recommend cruises to people who want a taste of easier travel,” said David.

David was astonished by the beauty of Patagonia on this expedition.

“It is a beautiful mountainous area with some beautiful lakes. And as a matter of fact, it’s very much like western North Carolina, except in the background, the mountains are much bigger,” he said.

David’s upcoming summer travel plans include visiting Monhegan, an island off the coast of Maine with his daughter.

“It is spectacular, with big, beautiful cliffs overlooking the ocean and a forest in the middle. Forty-four people live on that island during the winter. But in the summer, there’s almost 300 because of tourists,” said David.

To David, the beauty of traveling means experiencing different cultures and people. Firstly, David advises would-be travelers to make sure and meet the local people wherever they may go.

“It’s just not possible to explain how special these interactions are,” said David.

Secondly, David recommends that all travelers buy a travel guidebook for wherever they travel.

“Learn just a dozen words or so: hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and so on. Also, how to ask for your menu, so you get a meal and a beer, of course,” said David.

Thirdly, David encourages young people to travel as soon as possible if they feel led to do so. David remembers a young man in one of his design courses at Virginia Commonwealth who visited him in his office one day, telling David that he wanted to travel to Europe for the summer and asking his advice on how to do so. David advised him to visit Europe, stay in hostels, and meet other travelers his age.

“He came back in September, and he was grinning from ear to ear,” said David.

Outside of traveling to exotic locations around the globe, David enjoys attending yoga classes, men’s coffee meetups, Ardenwoods-led outings, and visiting his daughter, who teaches economics at Mars Hill University.

“Ardenwoods ensures that there are things for us to do; they keep us busy. Dinner is always a special time, too,” said David.

David looks forward to continue to see the world, meeting new people, and learning about new cultures as he joyfully reflects on the many opportunities thus far.