I follow Annie at Tuesday 4. Every week there is a theme with 4 questions pertaining to it. They either make me reflect on my attitudes, future desires, or memories of the past. This week takes me backwards time to remember trips we have taken. Hop on over there and join in the fun.
How far have you traveled and where did you go?
The farthest I have traveled is to England
Do you think the hassle of travel is worth the trouble?
Most of the time it is more than worth it. I keep my quart size plastic bag packed at all times so when we travel by plane it is ready to toss in my backpack. I also have a tote I keep packed so I can be ready at the drop of a hat to travel by car. I can throw clothes together in no time and can personally be completely packed in less than an hour. Even though I am the female in our household, I travel much lighter than TheHub.
Are there places you would like to visit or have plans for visiting?
As soon as we I feel comfortable traveling we will fly to Portland and to New York. We also have plans in the not too distant future to visit Sweden.
TheHub is nearing retirement and we are going to rent an RV, take a few trips to see if we like it. If so, we are seriously considering buying one and traveling around the states, which is why we are going to rent first. Who knows? This may be a good idea only as a concept.
What trip was the best you've ever had?
We have had a boatload of really good trips and I hate to rank one as better than the others but two of the most memorable were both beach trips. One was when I was a teen and the other was when my older sons were a young teen and pre-teen
When I was younger we stayed at the same beach place every year. There were a lot of families who also stayed at the same place yearly, so each trip we ran into kids we had met in prior years. When I was 16 or 17, there were about 30 teenagers all within about a 3 year age gap who were there. Some were old acquaintances and some were brand new. There was no end to the beach volleyball, softball, swimming, and snorkeling fun during the day, then at night we would all gather on the beach and talk.
When my older sons were younger we stayed at the same condo facility where a lot of their friend's families stayed. One particular year one of our sons had a yellow rubber dingy meant to hold maybe 5 adults, which meant 12 (or more) young guys. They spent the days paddling much too far out, snorkeling and diving to see what wonders they could find. All the parents sat on the beach talking and watching them have fun. Then the nights were spent with the guys hanging out, crabbing or going to some of the night time fun places. They still talk about what a great time and trip that was.
Those beach trips sound marvellous.
ReplyDeleteI travel light but not as light as my partner. Heading off for two months overseas his luggage weighed only 4 kilos (just under 9 pounds). It was much heavier when he was coming home though.
My thought is if I need something I forgot to pack I can always buy it. Like your partner my return luggage often weighs more than my outgoing bags did.
Delete1. HAHAHA...your post asks me have I ever "reveled." While I know you mean "traveled," I will answer the former. I used to be a bit of a reveler. My youth was spent doing crazy and hilariously funny things, mostly during the summer, because my neighbors and I really only had music, books and each other to keep us amused.
ReplyDelete2. We used to travel all the time (DH was a pilot). I used to love it. But, post 9/11, it became increasingly more difficult/less fun to fly anywhere, particularly with kids in tow. I will NOT go on car trips, and just the thought of being in an RV makes me stabby.
3. I would love to go back to the U.K. In fact, I plan to do so with DD when life settles.
4. I take things from all of my many trips, but the trip on which I met DH definitely sticks in my mind.
Yes, I hate preemptive spelling! Of course I could start proof reading couldn't I?
DeleteMeeting your husband on trip certainly makes it memorable!
It was England for me too! You said very organized. I think an RV trip would be awesome. I think you are right about familiarity. We went to my grandparents cottage growing up. Then my kids went to my dad's cottage for several years. Then after we moved to California we rented a cabin in Mammoth Lakes each summer for a week. We did that for like 18 years.
ReplyDeleteWe did go to the beach every summer.
DeleteOh both trips sound like so much fun, Anne. Such great memories.
ReplyDeleteMy grandparents used to camp on the Illinois River every weekend and we often went down there to visit them. We had some of the best times on the water there.
Water vacations are always great!
Delete1. I thought Taiwan first but, then I remembered San Fransisco is farther than Istanbul. So, it is San Fransisco.
ReplyDelete2. To me it is no hassle at all. Wish I could travel now.
3. Scotland and Ireland
4. My trip to London for 2 weeks and our travels with mom to Spain, Italy and the Mediterrenean coast of Turkey rank the top but, I do not remember a trip that I disliked.
Edit: SF is farther from Istanbul.
DeleteI am like you and don't remember a bad trip, though we did have a few bad days on trips (food poisoning)
DeleteIt all sounds great, esp those beach vacations! We've traveled a lot over the years, probably the furthest is Hawaii, but I loved Europe, Aruba, Mexico and over most of the U.S. And with all of those places, I still say right here in Chicago is the pretties sky line ever, esp at night! Take care
ReplyDeleteWe had a few nice trips to Chicago. It is a beautiful city!
DeleteMy husband and I have talked about downsizing to a small place and getting ourselves an RV to travel the US. I doubt if we'll ever do it though. Loved reading about your trips :)
ReplyDeleteSe plan on taking a couple of trips this late spring/summer to see if we like it. After that we will make a decision
DeleteOne of our best trips was a long road trip in which we saw Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Yellowstone National Park and the Grand Tetons. All of it was breathtaking scenery and we just had an awesome time. Not that we are retired we look forward to finally taking a trip over to Europe.
ReplyDeleteI have driven from Portland to Birmingham once, but it was a hurried trip. TheHub was not with me for that trip and we decided we both want to do it together at a leisurely pace.
DeleteThat was a fun post! I travelled as a child and as a young adult. These days, I like to just stay at home!
ReplyDeleteI do like to travel and have a few specifics on my wish list. Sweden is one and Portugal is the other.
DeleteFrom my work travelling, I got to be an expert packer. My sister would not believe that DH, my youngest, and I each got by with just a carryon size suit case for Europe, Of course it helped that it was summer and we had access to a washing machine. I know we will do a lot of travelling once hubs retires, even US road trips sound exotic right now.
ReplyDeleteGoing anywhere sounds great right now!
DeleteMy in-laws had an RV and used it a lot for both local and long distance trips. However, watching the hassle that it was convinced my husband that it's something he doesn't want to do. However, I'd be willing to try it if he ever changes his mind.
ReplyDeleteThat is why we want to rent one and take a few trips just to see if we like it or not.
DeleteAs you know, I love to travel so this post is right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteThe farthest I've been is Copenhagen, Denmark - it was the final stop in a TransAtlantic cruise with ports in the Azores (beautiful), Le Havre (too far from Paris), Southampton (had a great day there), Rotterdam (Keukenhof Garden visit) and finally Copenhagen...where it poured rain on our canal tour. From there we flew back to London for 3 days before heading home.
Is the hassle worth it? Well, we always say you can't get there from here (no matter where there is), because there are no direct flights except in the winter to resort islands. So I always have to assume at least a day to get somewhere and a day to get back when flying. I've learned to amuse myself in airports quite easily though it is much nicer when I've a travelling companion or two. I've definitely learned to pack lighter as the years go by and like you, there are two plastic bags with travel items, one for carry-on and one in my suitcase.
Bucket list - so many places. I still haven't made it to Newfoundland here in Canada, and I'd like to visit Alaska and Reykjavik, Iceland at some point, and then there are places I want to return to.
Every trip is definitely memorable, but one of the best most recent trips was the four days friends and I spent in New Orleans after a cruise. The cruise was okay, but NOLA was fantastic...another place I want to return to.
Take care, stay well!
We are a fairly easy car trip from New Orleans and have been many times. It is a fun place to go and there is so much more to the city than the French Quarters.
DeleteI miss traveling. Looking forward to doing it again. Think we'll be doing a lot of day trips in the car once we're fully vaccinated (half way there now). Good idea to rent an RV and see how you like it -- that way you can also rent a couple of different types to see which one suits you better. Sounds like a fun adventure. :-)
ReplyDeleteI miss traveling too! We thought we might try 3 different types of rv's to see if one suits us, or to see if we just don't like it at all.
DeleteI was the only female in my household too and packed WAAAAAYYY less stuff than the males, especially my husband. And your vacations sound lovely. Actually my son and I were just talking this morning about how we'd take our camper every weekend and go about 90 minutes away to a national park where the men would go fishing and the kids had the whole campsite full of fishermen's kids to play with. He said he has wonderful memories of those times. I think so often you don't have to spend a lot of money to have a great time. If the kids have "mates" all is well with the world!
ReplyDeleteYou are right about the kids. As long as they have friends to hang with they are great.
DeleteI was totally agoraphobic until I married Ron. He was a traveler and we went from coast to coast during our marriage. It got me over my fear of bridges, left turns and express ways. Sadly his death left me back in the house.
ReplyDeleteYour previous travels and your planned travels all sound great. I travel light, too.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Might as well be in the pick up and go brigade! I am ready to go somewhere_____anywhere!
DeleteYour beach vacations sound wonderful! Our favorites with kids so far have been skiing, & a couple of trips to Hawaii where we just hung out at the beach & enjoyed the weather & water.
ReplyDeleteMy husband & I have had some fabulous adult trips, but have wanted to go to Italy together, and both planned trips have been foiled. One because I found out I was pregnant, and the other because of COVID. One day!
I travel a lot for work(or, more accurately, did pre-COVID), and it makes me less likely to want to travel far for personal trips. The jet lag gets old quickly!
I am not a big fan of jet lag at all, but getting away is well worth it. My parents used to go to Europe during the summer, rent a cottage or apartment for a month or 6 weeks, buy a Eurorail pass and just explore.
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ReplyDelete