Our profession continues to grow in South America and globally. I spent the month of January traveling around Uruguay (Montevideo and Punta del Este) and Argentina (Mar del Plata and Buenos Aires). As most of you know, I love to travel! I always reach out and try to connect with professional organizers wherever I go. Not only does it enrich my travel experience, but I love telling those who are new to our industry how NAPO changed my life and encourage them on their chosen career path as well.

I had the very good fortune to meet Uruguay’s first professional organizer, Sara Lopata, who lives in Montevideo with her husband, Sergio. Her company is called “Todo En Orden” which means “All in Order” and she has hit the ground running! Her husband, Sergio, is working with her in the business. Sara, Sergio and I had an instant connection and were able to spend my last night in Montevideo together as well! I have included a few pictures from our meetings below.

Days before my South American adventure ended, I had a three-hour meeting with 11 professional organizers in Buenos Aires, Argentina. They came from as far as Mar del Plata and Rosario to learn about NAPO and the professional organizing industry. Enthusiasm was high and the energy was contagious. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a new association of professional organizers in Argentina! I want to extend a HUGE thanks to NAPO member, Maria Pardal, our NAPO ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay, who organized this festive event. I couldn’t think of a better way to end my time in Argentina and Uruguay! Making these connections all over the world is so exciting and I encourage you to do the same wherever you travel–whether it’s domestically or internationally!

Finding a member of NAPO outside the US is easy. Once you’ve decided where you are going, visit the NAPO web site and click on “Find A Pro.” Then, click on “Professional Directory.” From the country drop-down menu, select the country where you are visiting and scroll down to the bottom of the screen to see if a NAPO member lives there. If you don’t receive any results, do not despair. Send an email to me at Barry@PackingMovingUnpacking.com informing me where you are going and when. There could easily be members who are newer to NAPO, but haven’t completed their provisional requirements, so they are not yet listed in the NAPO directory. 

For our NAPO members living outside the US, finding a NAPO member living in the United States is even easier. Once you’ve decided which cities you will visit, visit the NAPO web site and click on “Find A Pro.” Then, click on “Professional Directory.” Enter a zip code for the US city you are visiting. If you don’t know the zip code, just Google the name of the city and state to find it. The default will search within 25 miles. If it’s a very large, highly populated city, you might want to narrow your search to 5 or 10 miles from where you are staying to narrow your results. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to see a list of NAPO members in that area. If there are many, you can decide whom to contact by their specialty, length of time in NAPO, CPO designation or whatever criteria you choose. If you need additional help deciding whom to contact, send an email to me at Barry@PackingMovingUnpacking.com informing me where you are going and when and I will do my best to assist.

The benefits of “NAPO–A World of Connections” are many and truly a win/win for everybody. You get to spend time with a local resident and the member gets to connect with a NAPO colleague. Not only can you learn from each other by sharing and collaborating professionally, but you will know a local to seek guidance from as you plan your trip! Some of my most favorite and memorable travel experiences have been the times I have spent with professional organizers around the world. Once you have taken your trip and made your connection, there are several ways to let your friends and other NAPO members know. Take some pictures while you are there and post them on Facebook. Post your travel experience on Member Connect. When posting on Member Connect, please always put “NAPO–A World of Connections”, as well as the location and date of the meeting in the subject line. And of course, submissions are always welcome for the NAPO blog. To submit, log into NAPO POINT and click on the “News and PR” tab. Then click on “Get Organized and Be Productive” blog to submit your blog for consideration.

I assure you that if you invest a minimal amount of time and effort to make a NAPO connection abroad, you will be glad you did and more than likely, you will gain a life-long connection that you will always treasure!

I look forward to hearing about your next new NAPO connection!

Barry J. Izsak, CPO
NAPO International Liaison
NAPO President 2003-2007