Today's subject is one that I've written about before in a few different posts over the years. I come from a long line of Travelers (on my mother's side), people who are constantly picking up and moving all over the place for long trips and visits. My grandparents loved to take epic road trips, visiting Alaska before it was a state, camping all over the USA, and fishing in Canada.
All their children inherited the gene, and they all became intrepid tourists, often caravaning together in one big family parade, exploring whatever routes and states they mapped out carefully and deliberately well ahead of time. I vaguely remember one such trip only in flashes, chasing chipmunks among driftwood on the big dune beaches in Michigan, seeing a Paul Bunyan statue in...someplace. I think I was four.
I'm not as eager a traveller. When I was seventeen, my parents planned an enormous road trip for the month of August in 1976. We were to drive throughout the northwest states (12 in all) and a couple of provinces of Canada. That late spring and early summer, I had contracted several illnesses/infections, culminating in mononucleosis and a particularly bad case of strep. I was barely recovered, unable to swim or hike, but off we went. You can read about it here.
All of our road trips were pretty much geared toward my parents and had zero taken into consideration for the kids. Lots of scenic overlooks and nothing for children or teens to do. And after you've seen one mountain, you've pretty much seen them all, you know?
As an adult, I loved the cheap airfare during the 90s. I could fly out to see friends in Chicago, Maryland, Denver, and Florida. Those were the heady days before September 11; my family could still see me off at the gate! I could wear my shoes through to the plane!
For our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary in July 2006, Rick surprised me and booked a cruise for us to Alaska. It was a beautiful trip with nearly perfect weather. I wrote several posts about it and posted photos as well, if you want to check my archives (July/August 2006). I was awestruck by Alaska's beauty, and I liked the general convenience of being on a cruise.
My favourite trips are always to Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada. It's not a long trip, and we have made so many friends there. We have friendly and lovely accommodations, and we enjoy our wine tastings and stocking our cellar two or three times a year. We always learn something new from our wineries and winemakers. We walk by the lake and by the river, we eat at terrific restaurants, and we always relax and have fun.
I've made many solo road trips as well, sometimes to visit friends in Maryland or Virginia, sometimes to go see things I'm interested in, like the Mary Todd Lincoln House in Lexington, Kentucky, or an art exhibit in Washington, DC. Sometimes I get Rick to take me to see something I'm interested in, like the Abraham Lincoln House and museum in Springfield, Illinois.
I've always wanted to take the time and go to England. And I thought maybe I'd like to go to Ireland, Scotland, France, and Croatia. But we took a chunk of money about six years back and bought our lakehouse instead, and I'm glad we did. It has given us so much pleasure and relaxation. It's like a getaway, a haven every time we pull into the drive.
So it's a tradeoff of sorts, as so many things are in life. I haven't been to Europe, but I've seen over half of this country and a few provinces of Canada. I'm not a world traveller, but I have a place to get away and enjoy a lovely view of a lake. It's all good.
So tell me, where have you been? Which place is your favourite?
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Our 25th wedding anniversary cruise was pretty nice too - I liked being able to see the lovely blue ocean and eat pretty good food without having to go anywhere or cook anything.
ReplyDeleteI did a whirlwind 10 day tour of Europe on my way home from Zambia. My favorite places were Austria and The Netherlands. They were both gorgeous places, but the reason I liked them best was the food & accommodations. Ha! I had my priorities in order. But seriously, the Alps in Austria were amazing. I've always been a mountain & forest kind of person.
I'm sad that I haven't seen more of our country, and at this point I'm not sure I ever will. I always wanted to see the Redwood National Park. I guess it could still happen, but it's hard to foresee at this point.
Bug--Ten days for Europe is still TEN WHOLE DAYS IN EUROPE! How wonderful. There is something to be said for the mountains and forests, both of which I've become more appreciative of as I've gotten older.
DeleteI visited redwoods in California soon after I retired on one of my solo trips. It was, for me, an almost religious experience.
We did not take vacation trips around the country when I was a kid, but we got in the sight-seeing moving from one place to another since my Dad was in the military: Hawaii (which I do not really remember), Massachusetts, New York (upper state near Lake Ontario), Maryland, Louisiana, Texas. The only move I remember much about was from Maryland to Louisiana. The incredible metamorphosis in the landscape from the leafy, lofty trees of the northeast to Spanish moss-covered cypress trees and swampland… was impressive, as was the change in climate from 4 distinct seasons a year to… pretty much only one that was subtropical. We did have one family vacation when I was living in Maryland--- a camping trip to Cape Hatteras in N.C., and I loved it!
ReplyDeleteThe rest of my itinerant travels were after moving to Spain. In spite of my meager earnings I eked out enough to visit Portugal, France, Germany, Italy, and Greece over the span of several years. I have been to England many, many times due to my former English boyfriend, and later, flatmates and English friends in Madrid. I also got to go there several times to do recordings for our EFL textbooks. And once on a charter flight, an all-expense paid trip to buy clothes in Portobello Rd. for a fleamarket seller in Madrid. That was epic. I needed my passport stamped as I did not have my work permit at the time, so it looked like a good deal when I took off with 4 of my friends in Madrid. Until we almost got arrested and thrown in jail when we came back because the fleamarket seller was using us to get off paying customs duty, lol! Anyway… I have loved everywhere I visited, but have a special fondness for the U.K., especially all the wonderful bookshops and just about everything in London. (If you have never read Helene Hanff’s 84 Charing Cross Road, do treat yourself to that. Pretty sure you will get hooked and go on to some of her other books such as Q’s Legacy, etc.
I think you and Rick were very wise to spend your savings on the lake house. All the trips in the world cannot really compare to having a ‘gettaway’ place where you can kick back and forget all the strife, especially as we get older.
Ortizzle--You've had such a full life! I love to hear your stories.
DeleteYou were a smart young woman to take advantage of your time in Spain and travel the way you did. Young and unfettered--what better time to travel and experience all these things and places?
Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll take a look.
Rick and I are happy with the lakehouse and love having our kids and grands there. We use it as a getaway from everything. Everyone who comes there knows it's a very laid-back place where everyone can relax and do their own thing. And the view is incredibly lovely and restful.
P.S. Totally forgot MEXICO!!! Shame on me, with a Mexican husband. Have been to many parts of Mexico, and fascinated by them all. So different from Spain in many respects, but also so much architecture that is colonial--- much of Mexico City's historic buildings are like being in Madrid again. And the pueblos also bring back a lot of nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteOrtizzle--I guess! I know you enjoy your time there, and I know Mr. O is happy there as well.
DeleteThe lake house sounds like the ideal place for your getaways. I traveled often in my twenties. Some favorites were Israel, Italy and cruising the Caribbean. There wasn't much traveling after I had children. We chose to do things like annual passes to Disney World and other Florida theme parks when the kids were young instead of vacations most years. After we retired we bought a little condo on the Intracoastal in Fort Lauderdale for our getaways. The nice thing is the building is managed by Hilton so it's hotel living when we are there and the bonus - they rent our condo whenever we aren't using it and the profits are split. Passive income is always welcome!
ReplyDeleteMartha--How lovely to have gone to Italy. I married and had my sons in my twenties, so my chance for that sort of travel had to wait. And wait.
DeleteYour condo sounds lovely and luxurious--housekeeping! What a treat. And to make a bit of money on the side? A very nice bonus.
A road trip while recovering from Mono does not sound like fun at all. We rarely traveled when I was a child aside from the occasional trip to Walt Disney World since it was so close.
ReplyDeleteThe Husband and I couldn't afford to really travel until the past 10 years or so, but we were really loving it. Some of our best trips were to Venice, Italy, Costa Rica, Cabo and Napa. We had a fabulous trip to a Lodge in Wyoming that was both down to earth and very luxurious at the same time. Much like you, we've decided to purchase a vacation home instead of traveling now and we're SO thrilled with it.
Suz--Our travels as children were largely to visit other family, such as trips to Gettysburg (my mother's sister), or weekends at my grandparents' cabin on a lake.
DeleteWyoming is such a pretty state. I can well imagine what you mean when you describe the lodge.
I know you'll be happy with your vacation getaway home. It becomes such a haven.
I've been to Canada, the Bahamas and Mexico and most of the states except Hawaii and Alaska. I'm glad I got to see all the places I've been but I'm not fond of traveling or more precisely staying in hotels and motels. RV traveling was the most fun way to travel for me. Probably the New England states were my favorite.
ReplyDeleteJean--I'd still like to see New England, specifically parts of Massachussetts, and of course Maine for lobster, fresh from the sea. I don't mind staying in hotels and motels at all. RV travelling is not for me. I think if I ever go to the Bahamas, I'd go in the dead of winter so as to escape the cold here.
DeleteI was blessed in that my parents also thought traveling was a wonderful way to raise kids. My dad always had a lot of vacation time, and, boy, did my parents make good use of it. We went to Canada few times. Up and down the Eastern Seaboard; my love of New England started then. Also went every year to Chincoteague, Virginia. Trip on my own to England. Trip to Asia with my great uncle when I was in college; Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, day trip into China. It was phenomenal; such beautiful cultures. We were part of a small tour group but had freedom to do our own thing, and my uncle encouraged it. Like my parents, he was a huge fan of travel, especially learning to do things on your own to gain confidence, etc. One day I took a cab and visited this shrine, by myself, in Hong Kong. It doesn’t sound like a big deal but I think it was....I try and remember that when my kids tell me they are doing something or going somewhere by themselves, and I think, oh my god, are you serious? I try and have faith in them, just like Uncle Francis had in me.
ReplyDeleteMy next big trip (after the Jersey shore next summer) is to a town in Scotland called Wigtown. Not sure if you’ve ever heard of it. Town is full of bookstores. The place we’re going to is called The Open Book; is a used book store. Ground floor is the store; upstairs is an apartment, which is actually an Airbnb. You rent the apartment for a week and then get to run the bookstore. Set your own theme, manage it, etc. (The owners live nearby.) I signed up when I got divorced a few years ago. Had been in a horrible situation w/my kids. We barely went anywhere; my biggest worry was keeping us alive, to be honest. I told myself that when I finally got us out, we were going to travel and do something fun, just like I did as a kid. We had been unable to do things for so long. So, I signed up for the bookstore. Huge waiting list; I am scheduled for January 2023!! And I can hardly wait; we’re going to Scotland, then Ireland (home of my ancestors), with a stop in London on the way home.
Thank you for the trip down memory lane...this made me happy, to think of past adventures and future ones as well.
Elle--Oh, how exciting! I hope you'll do a guest post (or series!) here at the Dept. when you run The Open Book. What an outstanding and thrilling enterprise!
DeleteYou've had some extraordinary travels in your life. And you've learned so much from them. You've really let travel inform your life, and in the best way.
I'm glad to have sparked some happiness in your day.
Dee--Oh, that's too bad about the house in Fernandina Beach! Do you still look every now and then, just in case?
ReplyDeleteI've never seen New England at all, and I'd still like to someday, maybe.
There was little travel as a child other than local camping trips. My dad loved a road trip; I think I've inherited that. My first big trip was to England in 1975 to visit the pen pal I'd been introduced to 9 yrs previously. We are still connected. I've been to visit her twice and she's been here twice. Their visits have taught me to appreciate the local offerings. Her third visit was scheduled for this past summer and sadly postponed due to the pandemic. We spent our 60th birthdays together in Portugal in 2016. I've been to most of the western states including a trip to Disneyland when my son was 5 yrs old. Travel in the US was often connected to rodeos. The most memorable US trip was a tour including Nashville to see a George Jones tribute concert in 2013. There were 2 resort holidays, one to Mexico and one to Jamaica for my son's wedding. I was fortunate to visit an uncle in Australia in the 90's. A second memorable trip was to Nova Scotia 15 yrs ago during the Celtic Colors music festival. A few years ago, a friend joined me on a road trip through southern Alberta/Saskatchewan. There's so much to see in our own backyard. Next on the list - a St. Lawrence River cruise and a trip to the nation's capital in Ottawa. I've also donned a holiday state of mind and vacationed on my front porch!
ReplyDeleteMona--I love that you and your longtime pen pal are travel companions. What a great way to vacation and see sights!
DeleteIf you like rodeos, I assume you've followed or seen the Calgary Stampede at some point. We ended up following it unwittingly during our big Northwestern US trip, and it made lodgings very hard to find.
How awesome to have been to Australia, too! I am envious.
I've been to several states. As for other countries, I briefly visited Mexico with my sister a few years ago, and it was horrible and I'm sure it is because of where we went, as she is one of those "let's go to Mexico and get ___ cheaper" and I hated every second.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I adore where I've been in Canada, I and we LOVE Ireland and Puerto Rico. I suspect that my traveling years are over though, since it's unlikely we will recover enough to have that kind of disposable income. At least we can take day trips or long weekends nearby!
Bridget--Doing anything "on the cheap" is often tiresome and tedious if it is the theme and challenge of the trip. Poor you; it had to have been an endurance test of a trip.
DeleteLike you, I've been happy with my travels in Canada. I'd love to see Ireland. Puerto Rico has never been on my radar, but I know many people who love it there and go back yearly.
Travel does take disposable income--and elastic disposable income at that. Early in our marriage we had none at all. Thank goodness for being happy at home and the occasional day trip, as you say. And for the travelling we did when we could.
We have been to Europe twice (Ted more often, he has family in England) and I adore France especially. I have been to Toronto, but not a lot more of Canada. We were hoping to go to Vancouver in June, but of course that was cancelled by COVID. I’ve been to Alaska, and so has Maya, but Ted hasn’t been yet. We’ve been to Hawaii. I’ve been to Mexico and maybe 1/2 of the states in the U.S. I think I would like to go to Ireland, but gosh, at the same time, I’d like to go back to France. We hope to go to St. Catherine’s in Ontario someday, is that close to Niagara on the Lake at all?
ReplyDeleteJ--Vancouver is lovely. I very much enjoyed reading your posts about your latest trip to France, and I'd like to see Ireland perhaps someday,too.
DeleteSt Catherine's is moments away from Niagara-on-the-Lake, practically next door! Why are you interested in going there? Family? We've got some friends there. It's so close that you can be there in 15-20 minutes and taste some gorgeous wines, have a terrific meal, and see a great play (if it's Shaw Festival Season).
Imagine if we could meet up--the four of us--in NotL someday. What fun!
Well, Ted is a HUGE fan of the rock band, Rush. Their drummer was from St. Catherines, and died last year. There is talk of some kind of memorial being built for him at some point. Also, coincidentally, I have a dear friend who moved from San Francisco to Lewiston, NY a few years ago, to care for her MIL in St. Catherines. So we have a place to stay and people to visit. Knowing that it is close to your favorite place means that if we can indeed make a trip happen, we could indeed meet up for some wine and visiting! What fun that would be! I hope it happens, but one step at a time. They have to build the memorial, and of course, we have to get COVID under control so we can travel, and so the Canadians will allow us in their lovely country.
DeleteJ--What a nice thing to look forward to, however amorphous it may be. As you said, the border has to be open, too, an event we are impatiently waiting for.
DeleteMy trip of a lifetime was Africa, Zimbabwe, when our daughter was stationed there. I have been around the States a lot, though, and especially remember the beauty of the southwest and the glory of the Florida Keys in the midst of a Canadian winter. I think the best USA trip we did, though, was the Blue Ridge Parkway from top to bottom, in the spring with the roof of the car open. Enchantment.
ReplyDeleteMary--You've seen some lovely parts of the USA, indeed. The Blue Ridge Parkway is scenic paradise, and was a favourite of my parents in their retirement.
DeleteI know you're well-travelled and enjoy it so much. Escaping winters is a bonus.
It would be difficult for me to pick a single favorite place, but I can speak to two types of favorite places:
ReplyDelete1) My trips to Iran, Iraqi Kurdistan, and Afghanistan have been wonderful in so many ways. Beautiful scenery, friendly people, great food, and lots of treasures to discover (architecture, ruins, bazaars, etc.). But what makes them extra special is the juxtaposition between what the average person thinks about the countries from the western news media and what the country is actually like. I have friends who were stationed in Afghanistan and Iraq and never got to see any of the marvelous things that these countries have to offer, and it makes me sad that so few people get to see this.
2) Antarctica. You know how much I love it and how I keep going back. There are so many magical experiences to be had: wandering through penguin colonies; seeing whales pop up around the ship; visiting a hundred-year-old hut that explorers built before venturing to the South Pole; kayaking in between giant icebergs and porpoising penguins; camping on the ice; etc.
And for both of these answers, the people you meet on these sorts of trips are usually very friendly and fascinating, leading to lifelong friendships.
Mikey--I honestly don't know how you can keep straight all the incredible places you have travelled. I am in awe reading of your adventures, and I love getting phone calls from such exotic places. It's the best.
DeleteI do feel grateful for the fact that you are such an open-minded and kind traveler, a fine ambassador of the United States when we need one so desperately. You are always sensitive to the cultures of the people wherever you are, and you truly want to learn about the places you go. You want to be immersed there, not merely an American looking to cross the place off your list while looking for an Applebee's and a Starbucks.
It's terrific.
I've enjoyed traveling though never managed trips to Europe I always wanted to make, especially to Paris and Scotland. My first memorable trip was by train to Wisconsin during WWII when I was elementary school age. I'd like to travel more on Amtrack. Other driving trips coincided with relocating when I was Jr Hi age and I was in four different schools that year as we were in different states across the country as far west as Arizona before stopping to live in the south a few years as we were heading back to Ohio. My high school class took our senior trip in a school bus after graduation to New Orleans, east to Florida Atlantic coast, around through that state to the Gulf. When I was still single I enjoyed a couple weeks in Quito, Ecuador visiting my brother who was associated with a satellite tracking station, forerunner to NASA. My return flight had unscheduled stops (as Ecuadorian airlines could do plus having unpredictable flight schedules) in Peru, Jamaica where I made a point of briefly deplaning just so I could say I'd been there. We drove around the Quito area some, including to a location where I stood with one foot on one side of the equator, simultaneously with the other foot on the opposite side of equator. Years later after I wed, my husband was primarily interested in travel only in the U.S. He had a private pilots license so a few years we flew some in short cross country flights including from Columbus to Cleveland, and a most memorable one to Mass., where our route memorably took us over NYC. He had taken me flying on our first date, at night, over Columbus. Through the years we took numerous driving trips including one fall up the east coast to Maine, Niagara Falls, Canada, other driving trips west including our first trip to the Grand Canyon to take the mule trip into the Canyon. Years later we moved west to Arizona and drove many weekend trips all over and to adjacent states. Ultimately we moved to California continuing our driving trips up the coast to Washington, various national parks through the years, short trips a couple times just across the border into Mexico but he didn't want to go further inland. We took our children on many driving trips in the mountains, seashore, wild animal parks, zoos, ocean creature exhibits, but in retrospect should have designed even more stops specifically for them. We preferred to stay in motels with or adjacent to restaurants or a national park's cabins. We wanted to be in a car to be able to access roads off the beaten track, so to speak, a large unit might not allow. I was more accustomed to "roughing it", or rural life, fishing, hunting, and could have adapted to camping, other modes, than my husband was, but I didn't mind not having to bother with cooking, meal planning, cleaning up, etc.
ReplyDeleteJoared--How exciting (and convenient!) to have a spouse with a pilot's license. And to go flying on a first date!
DeleteRoad trips were a national pastime, I think, for a lot of families. And just think, now they have cars/vans complete with video screens. Kids don't play car games like Counting Cows or License Plate Bingo. Heck, they don't even have to look out the windows at all. A little sad, really.
I'd still like to see Grand Canyon, but no mule trip for me. I'm happy just to look.
Didn't realize I'd written so much -- could have used a few paragraphs.
ReplyDeleteWell, Ive got to get to Niagra on the lake
ReplyDeletekathy b--It's well worth the trip.
DeleteAs a kid, our family of three spent the last two weeks of July at Stone Harbor, NJ. That was pretty much it. So, I had a lot to make up as an adult, and I must admit, I suffer from wanderlust, which is making this shutdown particularly hard. Ghana, Kenya rank as two of my favorite places, probably because we went with mission groups and really got to know some locals while there. Iceland is pretty high on the places I want to go back to...the Galapagos was wonderful. Europe...can't beat it. Still have a few countries that I need to see, but walking the back roads of Tuscany was magical. Wish I was a photographer then. Niagara on the Lake was one of those places we trekked to a lot when we lived in Buffalo...love that place!.....and the FingerLakes of NY. Maybe one of the reasons I love to travel so much is the fact that I really am not particularly fond of living in western KY and find interest in just about anywhere else!!!!
ReplyDeletesteph--I'd love to go to Iceland, too. And the Galapagos would be such a thrill. There aren't too many places I'd say no to, actually. You've been to some awesome places on the globe, for sure. My son and daughter-in-love went to the Finger Lakes in NY for vacation and greatly enjoyed the area. Their pictures were beautiful.
DeleteIt IS difficult during this pandemic knowing that travel is off the table. What a very strange and frustrating time it is.