The Travel Notebook
I've been doing a lots of day dreaming while trying to be fully present. When I want to feel productive with this dreaming, I research and track potential itineraries for vacations and longer stays/slow travel. This is my travel notebook, appropriately using a Princess Cruise line notebook that was part of a Christmas White Elephant gift. Two sisters and their husbands are on back to back cruises as I finish this post and it's been good fun seeing glimpses of their trip.
I've thought a bit about a permanent vacation home but have ruled it out at least for the time being. There's too much to do owning one home on my own, so buying a vacation property feels daunting. My friend who has a Florida place has a love-hate relationship with it. She loves the familiarity of the area, the beautiful beach, and pretty condo, but hates that even with a management company, at a high price point, it consumes a lot of her non-vacation time, and necessary stuff impacts her vacation time too when she's there.
There's real hesitation in tying up cash and then realizing the place isn't right for me. I don't want to feel obligated to spending my time in a single place especially not the right place. That can change after I've done some slow travel and discover a place I truly feel at home and not a tourist. Spending a week somewhere and declaring it "home" even if as a second, feels risky for me. If I downsized to something low maintenance here, which I'm not ready to do, I could change my mind, but it would have to be a place my kids like as well as I'd want them to want to visit.
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| Perfect spring morning had me thinking coffee in Paris, in April. Mug was from my niece's stay in high school 20 years ago. |
All this to say, my travel notebook is building little by little, both US and International and both typical vacation and slow travel itineraries, accommodations, and transportation. There's even a glimpse of a few cruises. I'm comparing travel by months, hoping more is spent non-tourist season. There's some experiences tied to certain months, like April in Paris (and other parts of the country as well), December or just after New Year's in New York when the city would still sparkle, October in Maine, and August in Montreal are worth exploring. I've not spent much time in the Pacific Northwest, but I think I'd love a visit to Washington state and Oregon. Blog meet up location perhaps? I hesitate going anywhere outside my general home area August through October as these are my favorite months in Minnesota even when August heats up because thats the last of summer to embrace.
I'm open to just going where and when an affordable option comes up, so will look at just holding weeks and budget for sporadic opportunities. Athens was booked spur of the moment based on a flight and hotel package price after I ruled out joining my sisters on a February cruise. The weather was incredible and while not the trip I originally planned, I tried to soak up the weather, the food, the history, and the feel and am looking forward to returning to explore more of the country and islands. I put on miles each day and barely scratched the surface, even of Athens. Likely I will avoid more than a one stop flight again though.
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| Aegina in the distance. |
I'm looking ahead to more financial flexibility once I tap into my retirement pension. I want to take my family on a great trip, all four of us and others who might be added by then. That's a good five years out, but hope to do smaller trips with each of my kids in the years between now and then. There's joy in the planning.
For now, I'll do 1-3 day options when I can get caregiving for pup. One is planned. My sisters and I are turning a concert into a July midweek stay in a hotel with all the amenities. I've got Galena, Illinois, Grand Marais Minnesota, Door County Wisconsin, and the UP in Michigan in my sight. All driveable and perfect for a couple nights away. Ideas appreciated-stick a pin in the Twin Cities and draw a circle of up to 5 hours of driving as that's the maximum I'd want to drive for a short trip.
How about your summer and 2026 travel plans in general? I know fuel prices are a game changer or at least a big consideration for most of us. Are you flying or driving somewhere or maybe have some fun staycations planned? I'd love all your ideas.
2026 travel plans here? Zero, other than little tiny day trips. Okay, maybe maybe we will get up to Chicago (about 5 hours) to see the Obama Presidential Center after it opens, but given family matters close to home, we are not heading out this summer.
ReplyDeleteAs you look at possible travel plans, all I will say is do NOT buy into a timeshare anywhere under any circumstances. Ask any lawyer who has represented the buyer/consumer/victim in one of these scams. They will consume your money, your time, your attention, and your life.
Time shares not on my radar. If anything, it'd be a small condo in a walkable scenic area, so I'd rarely need to use a car once there. Water access such as a pool or walking distance to a beach lake or ocean would be a must. But, thats at least 5 years away if at all. Im sorry your summer is being consumed by challenges. Hopefully your day trips are invigorating.
DeleteThis post made me happy, Sam. So pleased that you are dreaming and planning about planned and possible future travels, as the joy it gives you clearly comes thru in your post.
ReplyDeleteAnd I so hear you about non stop flights. We are traveling to Scotland this summer, and there are no direct flights into Edinburgh, where our trip begins, from LAX. So, I did some research on the site flightsfrom.com, a fabulous site to easily research where you can fly non stop to from any airport in the world, to see where we could fly non-stop to Edinburgh. Philadelphia was one of the airports listed, and since we've never been there, we'll be starting our trip there with a five day stay.
Otherwise, we have two family cruises still this year, both one week in length due to family availability limitations, and will end the year in San Juan, Puerto Rico with our two daughters and their loved ones.
In 2027 I have two big trips already reserved - one month in New Zealand, one week on our own, three weeks on a tour, and a cruise out of Amsterdam back into Boston that will include a full circumnavigation around Iceland and three stops in Greenland, plus a number of stops in Maritime Canada. We'll begin that cruise with a two week tour of Belgium and Luxembourg. Still unsure if we'll do it as an on our own or as an organized tour. I recognize all three countries (inclusive of The Netherlands) are easily navigable, however the older I get the more stressed dealing with the transportation pieces become. So we'll see. 🙂
I never thought to add a connecting city as part of the destination intentionally. It might not be as cost effective but certainly better on my body. Your trips sound great. I know I sound like I'm complaining about pup- cost of meds and time limitations, but he's my last pet and want every moment. Ill ne good and ready for bigger trips and will be well researched. I will say, when my family spent two weeks in France, Belgium, and Germany, outside Paris, we rented a car a couple days, but all three countries had good luck using Uber which helped with transportation logidti6cs.
DeleteI'm with Tamara (and, thanks for the tip on flightsfrom.com - I will check that out! We are heading to Greece in less than a month & I also dislike multi leg trips! Even New Zealand was much easier for us - the flight was long, but non-stop.
ReplyDeleteAs a former vacation home owner, I don't recommend only because instead of relaxing on a trip, there was so much time spent on maintenance & general upkeep. Maybe our experience was colored by the fact that we had limited time off, but while we absolutely loved the memories & the location, it wasn't enough to offset the fact that we had to "work" on all of our vacations. That said, we did love the location (Oregon coast) & are in fact renting a house in the same town for the first time since we sold our place. We are looking forward to going back.
I LOVE travel planning. We are planning Las Vegas/Zion for our anniversary in September, and then likely Iceland in June for M's 60th next year. We will fill in the gaps potentially with Tucson/Sedona in March of next year. And, trips back & forth to Boulder, skiing, etc. - Hawaii Planner
I checked that resource too...Great tool. My kids already seem overwhelmed with the family cabin and expectations to be there times when they'd rather have other plans. My in-laws lived there in the summers so it wasn't like they had to use every weekend there on maintenance. I'm enjoying the process of planning. Even the little get away in July has a couple extras in, but im looking forward to the pool, happy hour and brunch with my sisters.
DeleteHappy planning.
ReplyDeleteIts good fun even if farther out.
DeleteI can certainly understand your hesitation in tying up cash and then realizing the place isn't right for you. That bothers me too with looking for a new home for us. It is so nice to see you thinking about traveling and your post seems optimistic, which is so good. We don't have any plans far away from home, but that is nothing new. We do enjoy day trips though.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, I have come across whiny lately if this seeems like I'm posting optimistic thoughts. Ive got to start a second notebook on planning to downsize likely 5-10 years from now. It seems my best options won't be right in my town but that's why research is needed. Good luck on your search.
DeleteWe get brochures from lots of places. I noticed Viking is having an off season tour of the Greek islands which seemed pretty reasonable. Right now we are debating taking a Christmas village tour in early December.
ReplyDeleteThe nu.ber of cruise brochures alone is a dozen a month! The Christmas village tour sounds right up my alley.
DeleteTravel: Flying to Nashville Thursday for 4d of fun on Broadway and at the Speedway, then renting a car to go to Eastern TN to spend 4d with a friend who moved there. So 4 expensive hotel nights and 4 no cost nights-will buy food for when we're with them.
ReplyDeleteWe plan the next trip after returning home from one and the charges are real and wanting to be paid off.
Treats here are season tickets to my alma mater football team and season tickets for the local "Broadway" auditorium. Those break up fall and winter for me.
We have a second home 2.5 hours away and a world away-mountains, snow, tiny town. Very relaxing. I don't know if I would keep it should hubster depart. Given his health status, there are certainly things I would have to consider differently......
The flipside of holding off is time passes, health changes and the opportunity to travel is in the past and we don't want that either. I've had that discussion with "money guy" and intend to travel down to 50% of what I have by age 75. If I can continue to travel, great. If not? It has been a great time. And it's different for me. No kids and you wish to help your children so my theory doesn't serve your purpose, as it does mine.
Why do we have so damn much thinking to do after we retire? DRAT!
There's more thinking than I want to do! Your mountain retreat sounds relaxing. How often do you have to be there for maintenance? I will do more travel when I'm merely an animal grandma. Plus in 5 and 6 years I have a couple other financial resouces to tap into ( but then need to watch my tax situation-more thinking!!)
DeleteHonestly, we went every 2 weeks for a fast weekend until it was paid off. (it was cheap so only took us 5y). For some crazy reason, we've gone less and are more relaxed about it. Sometimes it's 2 months and when hubster was so damn sick it was 6 months and a cousin went for a weekend to check on it. It is 1250sf, baseboard heaters set at 50 to prevent frozen pipes, pellet stove for heating to comfort when we are there, and we are on city water/sewer so no high mountain issues of well/septic to worry about. We are minimalist there. Upon arrival it is cleaned in 15 minutes and we are 'home'. It is very weird to me still to not really worry about it when we are absent-I can't explain it rationally. We bought it 23y ago as a teardown and we rehabbed it ourselves except for roof/siding/window replacement work. The inside was a hot mess.
DeleteIt is a LOT to think about! We do love it. Should I be alone, I have zero idea what I will do.
I just did a search of townhomes/condos with main level living ingredients and attached garage. Literally nothing on the market that wasn't listed as pending under 30 days on market, that was comparable priced to what I'd get for my house, plus ongoing HOA. I could hire out jobs and stay put. You do really well with your second home.
DeleteThere's a tour of the southern tip of South America, into the Andes, islands of Chile and Argentina, then a cruise to Antarctica that I've been eyeing for ages. It's a dream... But maybe some day. Dreams and plans are good to have, tho, and I hope you get to do one of yours sometime soon.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to log on above.
DeleteCelie, that sounds like an incredible dream vacation. It can happen. I hadn't thought taking my whole family for two weeks to Europe was doable, but we made it happen.
DeleteOutside of Jamaica in July, just a trip to Syracuse a couple times!! I think a vacation home sounds like so much work, I like your idea of going with your sisters and planning for that fun! I wonder if your friends who are in different places would let you visit and use their guest rooms? Lol!
ReplyDeleteI don't have friends in different places really, but my local friend with Florida condo. That was our girls trip last October and was wonderful but poor G had a lot of tasks.
DeleteWe had a bucket list trip to New Zealand and Australia in February and March.I am a bit of a travel (and points and miles) nut, but planning that trip took a lot of time. In June, we are headed to Texas-we have a wedding in San Antonio and also plan to visit Dallas and Houston to see baseball games there. We want to visit every Major League stadium. Our flights were booked with miles and a leftover travel credit from a cancelled flight, so we were spared the recent spike in flight prices. We are also using a combination of hotel award nights and cash for our stays there. We will visit our daughter in Oregon in late September using an Alaska airlines companion pass for one of the tickets. We own a RESALE Hilton timeshare. I would never buy from the hotel company/developer or take out a loan, but we picked up ours during the 2008-11 recession and paid very little cash for our weeks. Our unit is right on the Gulf of Mexico, and even with the annual maintenance fee, it is more affordable than renting a hotel room in a similar location. I spend a lot of time strategizing how to travel cost-effectively. It sounds like you are of a similar mindset, which will serve you well. Of the places which you mentioned, we have only been to Door County, which is beautiful. You might also want to think about Madison, Wisconsin for a getaway. They have an amazing farmer’s market, restaurants in all price ranges, lakes where you can kayak, and a cool Frank Lloyd Wright house available for touring nearby.
ReplyDeleteOne of my nephews had the MLB goal and I think tbis summer he achieves it...turned 50 this month, so was his celebration. Hus son is a massive soccer fan, so eventually they'll get to European games, but so far, they've travelled in the US when there's been international teams hosted in US cities. I've been to Madison a lot, but only as a college student myself, or a parent of a prospective student. My youngest almost went there then decided it was too big for her comfort level.
DeleteI agree with the anonymous commenter above who was against having a vacation home. We had a home in Florida for five years but sold it because we were getting ripped off by the management company and in the end we didn't want to always have to go to the same place. A friend of mine had an apartment in a ski resort and she said they also got fed up of skiing at the same place all the time and for her is was just two lots of housework and maintenance to keep up with, so nope, no second home for me ever again! But I do love the idea of a travel notebook. I'm still wondering if I'll get to India next year but will wait till nearer to Christmas to book "just in case"!
ReplyDeleteIt seems more illness hitting people travelling too, so can see the need to pause before booking. My sisters and I also have had the idea of renting big houses for a month or two in the winter sharing cost by bedroom, and having "guests" join as schedules work. It might come out the same as taxes, insurance, and maintenance fees and have option for different place each year, or skipping some years. I realize it will be hard for me to leave for months or even many weeks, while living alone in this somewhat big house.
DeleteIt’s lovely to read about your potential travel opportunities, planning can be so enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteWe traveled a fair bit a few years ago and for now having two dogs and moving house last year seems to have put any travel on the back burner, but, never say never 🙂
Alison in Devon x
I'm in the dog is priority stage. Its a good thing last year I had four trips before pup really started aging and my son lived here.
DeleteWe visited our holiday town a lot before we bought the caravan there. It was a place we were always happy to return to; we like familiar things so it was perfect for us. It's worked out well for us, and in terms of the use it gets from all of the family, we definitely get our money's worth from the fees.
ReplyDeleteYour plans for trips away in both the short and long term sound wonderful x
It's nice that you have a place that truly feels like home. Its driveable to there too. Here, the country is so big and I'm smack in the middle. Just about anywhere would require flying or 20-24 hours of driving to get to warm weather.
DeleteI’m going to Scotland next month. I fly from Tampa to Washington D.C. to Edinburgh. Originally I only had 61 minutes for the connection but I was able to change it and now have five hours and I’m so glad. I’m thinking of visiting Chicago in September to see the Obama Presidential Center and do some architecture walking tours. Barbara M.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'd need an extra day or two, but Chicago can be a 6 hour drive if I leave very early to avoid rush hours. Will you leave the airport? With five hours, you could take the metro to the National Mall if you were sure you'd get through security and back to your gate in time.
DeleteFun making travel plans, even daydreaming about them.
ReplyDeleteHave you thought about State Park cabins? I know there are some in Minnesota - we're staying in a non-electricity (apparently) one in Crow Wing State Park. We stay in the ones here in Michigan quite a bit - as well as yurts and mini houses at State Parks. It's a wonderful, lower budget way to travel not too far and see some wonderful locations.
I'm not sure how state parks would work with the dog, but there as some daytrip options, many in my area within an hour.
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