Joe Thomas sits comfortably in his chair, sharing worldly travel tales and wearing a “so many books…so little time” T-shirt.
A T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “so many places, so little time” would be more appropriate for Thomas.
This senior citizen has seen more countries than most people – he’s a zealous traveler, by his own account.
Thomas has been to 13 countries, traveling to Europe five times; several trips were when a round-trip ticket from Los Angeles to London was $250, he says.
His travels began after leaving his hometown of Vernon, Texas, for the University of Oklahoma, where he was drafted for World War II.
He joined a platoon in Oregon, and then ended up traveling throughout the United States courtesy of the Army, he says.
After the war, Thomas worked for the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., as a desk clerk. Once he felt he had seen enough of the city, he packed up his things and headed for California.
He lived in Whittier, Calif., for 20 years working for Texaco, but he made a point to travel on the weekends and use his vacation time wisely.
As the state filled with people and smog, he decided in 1968 to move to Mexico.
“I was so disgusted with California. We just decided to move to Guadalajara,” he says.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best climate in the world. There is no need for air-conditioning in the summer or heat in the winter. It’s spring year-round.”
Once he and his parents settled in Guadalajara in a three-bedroom apartment (rent was $125 a month), he decided to “really see Mexico,” he says.
After learning the basics of Spanish, Thomas went off on his own and traveled to every state and most major cities in Mexico, he says.
“I would never give up the eight years I had in Mexico,” Thomas says.
He has been retired for nine years and keeps himself busy reading excerpts from Utne magazine on a radio station for the blind, he says.
He also works as a courtesy officer for the City. Thomas says he is able to see first-hand many of the trade shows that come to Dallas by working security for the events.
Thomas doesn’t have any out-of-the-country trips planned in the near future, but he recommends the experience.
“I think everyone should live out of the country to appreciate our country.”