Travel advice to your younger self
Jul 22nd, 2015, 01:38 PM
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Travel advice to your younger self
Three years ago, my husband and I traveled to Europe for the first time. We spent 2 weeks in Italy and loved every minute of it. After that trip we were hooked, and we knew that international travel would be a priority in our lives. Last summer we spent 17 days in Germany, and this summer 17 days in France.
We have made some changes to our lifestyle to make travel possible. We celebrated being empty-nesters this year by moving to a smaller home so that we can be mortgage free in 10 years. My husband and I also now spend 5 days a week at the gym, to make sure that we are physically able to travel.
We are in our 50’s and would like to be able to retire in about 9 years. Until then, it will only be possible to take one, 2½ week trip per year during the summer - I am a teacher and can only travel during school breaks, and my husband’s job limits the number of consecutive days he can take off. After retirement we would really love to be able to spend several weeks a year in other countries
So, my question to all of you who have been traveling for years and have accumulated a wealth of both good and bad decisions…
What advice would you have given your younger self so you could be the best prepared for as much travel as possible?
What are some of the good decisions that you made? What would you do differently?
We have made some changes to our lifestyle to make travel possible. We celebrated being empty-nesters this year by moving to a smaller home so that we can be mortgage free in 10 years. My husband and I also now spend 5 days a week at the gym, to make sure that we are physically able to travel.
We are in our 50’s and would like to be able to retire in about 9 years. Until then, it will only be possible to take one, 2½ week trip per year during the summer - I am a teacher and can only travel during school breaks, and my husband’s job limits the number of consecutive days he can take off. After retirement we would really love to be able to spend several weeks a year in other countries
So, my question to all of you who have been traveling for years and have accumulated a wealth of both good and bad decisions…
What advice would you have given your younger self so you could be the best prepared for as much travel as possible?
What are some of the good decisions that you made? What would you do differently?
Jul 22nd, 2015, 02:22 PM
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I am already impressed by several things - first that you do one country per trip - my younger self jumped around too much - two or three countries in a 2 week trip. And downsizing heading towards a paid off mortgage - also very travel conducive. I'll have to see what advice others give you....you are already making good choices, as everyone is fond of saying these days!
Here is something - put Spain and Greece at the top of the list for "next", oh and Istanbul (you could combine that with Greece) OK, peace out!
Here is something - put Spain and Greece at the top of the list for "next", oh and Istanbul (you could combine that with Greece) OK, peace out!
Jul 22nd, 2015, 02:24 PM
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What advice would you have given your younger self so you could be the best prepared for as much travel as possible?>
have more money than you ever dreamt necessary - even with the low euro you can have sticker shock - esp in Switzerland and Scandinava - Portugal, Greece eof course and southern countries seem a bit moree affordable.
have more money than you ever dreamt necessary - even with the low euro you can have sticker shock - esp in Switzerland and Scandinava - Portugal, Greece eof course and southern countries seem a bit moree affordable.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 02:34 PM
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My advice :
'Qui trop embrasse mal étreint'
But you seem to know that : you spend 17 days in Germany, then France. Don't cram too much in one trip, come back if needed.
I used to try to do too much, less - much less now.
'Qui trop embrasse mal étreint'
But you seem to know that : you spend 17 days in Germany, then France. Don't cram too much in one trip, come back if needed.
I used to try to do too much, less - much less now.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 02:53 PM
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Don't limit yourself to just Europe - lots of the world to see!! So many amazing places to see in Asia - Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Japan are the ones we have done. Don't forget about South America - we had amazing trip to Argentina - and pretty cheap. And definitely save for a safari - we did ours in Tanzania last June and definitely want to do another one in a few years. When I do a non-Europe trip I am always anxious to go back to Europe next, but it is always rewarding to see more of the world
Jul 22nd, 2015, 03:23 PM
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As I plan my next destination, I am very mindful that some trips will likely get harder as I get older, so that is very much a part of my decision making. As examples:
- I am currently very comfortable with itineraries that call for frequent changes of hotel. I don't think I'll want to / be able to do that forever, so trips that are likely to involve long base stays get a lower priority from me for now.
- I think about mobility and fitness issues. I, too, "train" for my trips (
), and for now, I give higher priority to destinations where I would like to hike or that I think might be better navigated with healthy knees (e.g., trying to kneel in Buddhist temples or Muslim mosques).
- Although I've been surprised by how easy it can be to travel just about anywhere, there are certain things about traveling in cultures that are very different than my own that I find more stressful than traveling in Western cultures, so I consider that, too. And that can cut various ways -- will I be less stressed in general once retired? Or less able to tolerate stress as I age?
- I prefer to travel solo and independently, but I might not always be able to do that. So trips that would require tours are lower priority for me. Ex: I would love to see the Galápagos, but will wait, because one MUST join a tour for that. But it isn't the ONLY consideration: cost is, too. Will I be better able to afford the kind of photo safari I want in Africa now or later? (How I wish I had the answer book on that! ;-) )
- Similarly, cruises are on the back-burner for me -- they might give me a great way to continue traveling as I age, but for now, I prefer the options to select lodging and dining in the various places I visit, and sometimes, to share public transportation between cities with locals.
Then there's a whole set of considerations based on available time:
- I doubt that I will be able to travel long enough to see all of my personal A-list destinations, so I try to maximize my time in any area I do visit. What that means could mean a lot of different things to different people. For me, it means things like maximizing my ratio of time-on-the-ground to time-in-transit, minimizing the time I lose by crossing borders (which, for me, means getting used to another language, another set of norms, etc.), and minimizing time lost to jet lag, etc.
- I try to select destinations that match my available travel time as well as possible. For now, I'm lucky that my job and the health of those I love lets me take 3 or 4 weeks off at a time. As suggested by the preceding bullet, for me that means planning on a single trip each year. I can imagine that at some point, I will find it hard to take long trips, whether because of things going on with me or things that involve those I love, and so I consider my "ideal" itineraries for various locations when planning trips. So, for example, there are some destinations that I've been putting off until I do two 2-week trips a year....
Too, I try to take into account some of the more predictable changes that are likely to occur in the world. Example: when I decided to go to South Korea last year, one of the things I considered was that the pollution in Seoul is likely to increase over time, not just because Seoul is growing at a very rapid pace, but also because it is in the path of the polluted air from China. In contrast, there are places that I am giving lower priority in the hope that social or political changes will make them more amenable to tourism or more palatable to my value system.
Wow -- I really went on there, didn't I?! I hope you found some value in my response, and I look forward to learning what others suggest. I really like cold's comment!
- I am currently very comfortable with itineraries that call for frequent changes of hotel. I don't think I'll want to / be able to do that forever, so trips that are likely to involve long base stays get a lower priority from me for now.
- I think about mobility and fitness issues. I, too, "train" for my trips (
), and for now, I give higher priority to destinations where I would like to hike or that I think might be better navigated with healthy knees (e.g., trying to kneel in Buddhist temples or Muslim mosques).- Although I've been surprised by how easy it can be to travel just about anywhere, there are certain things about traveling in cultures that are very different than my own that I find more stressful than traveling in Western cultures, so I consider that, too. And that can cut various ways -- will I be less stressed in general once retired? Or less able to tolerate stress as I age?
- I prefer to travel solo and independently, but I might not always be able to do that. So trips that would require tours are lower priority for me. Ex: I would love to see the Galápagos, but will wait, because one MUST join a tour for that. But it isn't the ONLY consideration: cost is, too. Will I be better able to afford the kind of photo safari I want in Africa now or later? (How I wish I had the answer book on that! ;-) )
- Similarly, cruises are on the back-burner for me -- they might give me a great way to continue traveling as I age, but for now, I prefer the options to select lodging and dining in the various places I visit, and sometimes, to share public transportation between cities with locals.
Then there's a whole set of considerations based on available time:
- I doubt that I will be able to travel long enough to see all of my personal A-list destinations, so I try to maximize my time in any area I do visit. What that means could mean a lot of different things to different people. For me, it means things like maximizing my ratio of time-on-the-ground to time-in-transit, minimizing the time I lose by crossing borders (which, for me, means getting used to another language, another set of norms, etc.), and minimizing time lost to jet lag, etc.
- I try to select destinations that match my available travel time as well as possible. For now, I'm lucky that my job and the health of those I love lets me take 3 or 4 weeks off at a time. As suggested by the preceding bullet, for me that means planning on a single trip each year. I can imagine that at some point, I will find it hard to take long trips, whether because of things going on with me or things that involve those I love, and so I consider my "ideal" itineraries for various locations when planning trips. So, for example, there are some destinations that I've been putting off until I do two 2-week trips a year....
Too, I try to take into account some of the more predictable changes that are likely to occur in the world. Example: when I decided to go to South Korea last year, one of the things I considered was that the pollution in Seoul is likely to increase over time, not just because Seoul is growing at a very rapid pace, but also because it is in the path of the polluted air from China. In contrast, there are places that I am giving lower priority in the hope that social or political changes will make them more amenable to tourism or more palatable to my value system.
Wow -- I really went on there, didn't I?! I hope you found some value in my response, and I look forward to learning what others suggest. I really like cold's comment!
Jul 22nd, 2015, 03:42 PM
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I have done without certain luxury items to be able to travel and have not missed one thing. We don't have hbo or latest gizmo or drive an expensive auto. I am a frugal shopper. An airplane ticket and the promise of a trip were more important. I did not travel as much as I do now because I had elderly parents and spent a lot of vacation days flying back and forth to Philadelphia. I don't regret one of those trips now or then. I would do comp time instead of ot and work holidays in lieu of holiday pay for an extra vacation day.
I also love to travel the USA and have had some great trips by plane and train. I love New England.
My husband and I are getting a bit slower so am doing all the hiking, climbing and adventure trips that we can do now. We love public transportation and find we enjoy our trip more when we don't have to negotiate a map or unfamiliar roads. We both can look and enjoy the ride. We like day tours. We love staying in apartments.
I also love to travel the USA and have had some great trips by plane and train. I love New England.
My husband and I are getting a bit slower so am doing all the hiking, climbing and adventure trips that we can do now. We love public transportation and find we enjoy our trip more when we don't have to negotiate a map or unfamiliar roads. We both can look and enjoy the ride. We like day tours. We love staying in apartments.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 03:58 PM
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Like others here, I am impressed by the wisdom you show now - slow travel, not hopping all over the place.
I have likewise been someone who has spent time in the places I've chosen. Like kja, I look carefully at proportion of time spent in transit to time spent doing what I came for.
Now retired, I have more flexibility in planning trips. Like you, I am aware that I won't always be able to do the things I can now. But be aware that your ideas about what may be more difficult travel may, in fact, be easier. I've spent a lot of my time in Asia, especially SE Asia. While some places require more fitness, (climbing the huge temple steps at Angkor or Borobudur) SE Asia is a place where it is easy and inexpensive to hire a car and driver. So I find I do much more walking in Europe than in SE Asia. But SE Asia can be more challenging in other ways... for one thing it is hot - sometimes "hell hot" as a friend says. And the language issue are different.
I noted that after my retirement trip in November, I have been to all of my must-see places. Yes, there are still places I'd really like to see, but in many ways, I feel like I have more freedom to choose where I want to go next, as I'm not working from a list, just going where I want to go.
Happy planning!
I have likewise been someone who has spent time in the places I've chosen. Like kja, I look carefully at proportion of time spent in transit to time spent doing what I came for.
Now retired, I have more flexibility in planning trips. Like you, I am aware that I won't always be able to do the things I can now. But be aware that your ideas about what may be more difficult travel may, in fact, be easier. I've spent a lot of my time in Asia, especially SE Asia. While some places require more fitness, (climbing the huge temple steps at Angkor or Borobudur) SE Asia is a place where it is easy and inexpensive to hire a car and driver. So I find I do much more walking in Europe than in SE Asia. But SE Asia can be more challenging in other ways... for one thing it is hot - sometimes "hell hot" as a friend says. And the language issue are different.
I noted that after my retirement trip in November, I have been to all of my must-see places. Yes, there are still places I'd really like to see, but in many ways, I feel like I have more freedom to choose where I want to go next, as I'm not working from a list, just going where I want to go.
Happy planning!
Jul 22nd, 2015, 04:19 PM
#13
Learn another language or two. Spanish is useful widely, even back home, and French is spoken in parts of Africa and the middle east.
Don't forget Mexico. Away from the beach resorts there is an exotic and colorful culture undreamed of by many Eurocentric travelers.
Don't forget Mexico. Away from the beach resorts there is an exotic and colorful culture undreamed of by many Eurocentric travelers.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 04:29 PM
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@ colduphere -- Oh, I do want to see that "Travel advice to your older self" thread" -- I am confident that it will hold some gems. But I disagree with your conclusion: I think our answers highlighted DIFFERENT dimensions, each worthy of consideration.
But I disagree with your conclusion: I think our answers highlighted DIFFERENT dimensions, each worthy of consideration.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 04:32 PM
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My advice - go early and go often. I did - my first trip at 19 and more than 100 trips since (but about half were business trips).
My advice for the first couple of trips would have been spend longer at fewer places (they were nothing like some of the crazy itineraries I see here - but still would have enjoyed it more traveling slower). Also - it's better to go alone than with a casual friend - who may not handle the problem that arise during any trip - or be looking for a "mommy".
My advice for the first couple of trips would have been spend longer at fewer places (they were nothing like some of the crazy itineraries I see here - but still would have enjoyed it more traveling slower). Also - it's better to go alone than with a casual friend - who may not handle the problem that arise during any trip - or be looking for a "mommy".
Jul 22nd, 2015, 04:44 PM
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Here is our history.
In about 1995 we had our sights set on retiring early, so we could travel more. We planned on a 1999 retirement, when I would be 52 & my wife would be 50. We started to travel in Europe annually around 1977. Since '77 and prior to retiring in 99, we did the normal 3-4 week trips, and moving around "too much". During all these trips, we found out that we enjoyed France & Italy the most - but we started out in the late 70s & early 80s going to Germany & the UK mainly.
In '97 we decided to stay in a gite in the Dordogne region of France for 1 week. We loved it. We went to farmer's markets, local groceries and meat markets, and cooked about half of our dinners at the gite (we're "foodies", and dinners are our evening's entertainment). The 2 bedroom gite cost us around $400 for a week in '97, and today it is around $520 a week in June & Sept.
When 1999 came and we verified that the "stack of money" was high enough - we both retired. In June that first year in we went to Provence in France and stayed in 2 different gites for 2 weeks each. In Sept that same year, we returned to Provence and stayed in 2 more gites for 4 weeks, then went to Tuscany and "mooched" off of friends who had recently purchased an apartment in Tuscany.
Every year since '99 we've returned to France and stayed in Gites. We normally stay for 2 weeks in one place before we move on to the next gite. We usually do this twice a year in June & Sept when gites are less expensive than they are in July & Aug. Each trip is 4-6 weeks. Staying in Gites allows us to keep the costs down (weekly cost is about the same as 2-3 nights in a hotel, plus we can cook in the gite instead of dining in restaurants). We've stayed in 4-5 bedroom gites, and many gites with private swimming pools (we needed them this past June/July because of the heatwave in France). Gites have dishwashers, full kitchens, washing machines, sometimes a dryer. One of the best features of a gite and staying there for 2 weeks at a time, is that it kinda forces us to "slow down". We love having many "down days" where we never leave the gite and just read a book all day, lay by the pool, go for a local walk, or into town for the farmer's market or groceries. Often, we'll do an "overnight" to another city/destination that is too far away for a day trip. In June this year we went to Albi from our gite near Carcassonne, and in Sept this year we're doing an overnight to Troyes from our gite near Nancy. We will have stayed in 59 gites for a total of 97 weeks by the end of this year.
Stu Dudley
In about 1995 we had our sights set on retiring early, so we could travel more. We planned on a 1999 retirement, when I would be 52 & my wife would be 50. We started to travel in Europe annually around 1977. Since '77 and prior to retiring in 99, we did the normal 3-4 week trips, and moving around "too much". During all these trips, we found out that we enjoyed France & Italy the most - but we started out in the late 70s & early 80s going to Germany & the UK mainly.
In '97 we decided to stay in a gite in the Dordogne region of France for 1 week. We loved it. We went to farmer's markets, local groceries and meat markets, and cooked about half of our dinners at the gite (we're "foodies", and dinners are our evening's entertainment). The 2 bedroom gite cost us around $400 for a week in '97, and today it is around $520 a week in June & Sept.
When 1999 came and we verified that the "stack of money" was high enough - we both retired. In June that first year in we went to Provence in France and stayed in 2 different gites for 2 weeks each. In Sept that same year, we returned to Provence and stayed in 2 more gites for 4 weeks, then went to Tuscany and "mooched" off of friends who had recently purchased an apartment in Tuscany.
Every year since '99 we've returned to France and stayed in Gites. We normally stay for 2 weeks in one place before we move on to the next gite. We usually do this twice a year in June & Sept when gites are less expensive than they are in July & Aug. Each trip is 4-6 weeks. Staying in Gites allows us to keep the costs down (weekly cost is about the same as 2-3 nights in a hotel, plus we can cook in the gite instead of dining in restaurants). We've stayed in 4-5 bedroom gites, and many gites with private swimming pools (we needed them this past June/July because of the heatwave in France). Gites have dishwashers, full kitchens, washing machines, sometimes a dryer. One of the best features of a gite and staying there for 2 weeks at a time, is that it kinda forces us to "slow down". We love having many "down days" where we never leave the gite and just read a book all day, lay by the pool, go for a local walk, or into town for the farmer's market or groceries. Often, we'll do an "overnight" to another city/destination that is too far away for a day trip. In June this year we went to Albi from our gite near Carcassonne, and in Sept this year we're doing an overnight to Troyes from our gite near Nancy. We will have stayed in 59 gites for a total of 97 weeks by the end of this year.
Stu Dudley
Jul 22nd, 2015, 06:10 PM
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Oh my goodness, thank you to everyone who replied! I truly appreciate all of the thought and time you put into your responses. There are lots of things I hadn't considered.
I have intentionally taken "baby steps" in my approach to travel, as my husband was very wary of leaving the U.S. five years ago, so I planned two trips to Canada, before I suggested we broaden our scope and go to Europe.
This year we rented a car for the first time ( a little scary for us before the trip, but we loved it once we got it) and spent a third of our trip to France exploring the Dordogne (by the way thanks Stu Dudley, I read many of your posts prior to going). I have thought about going to Asia, but Mr.Javachip hasn't warmed to the idea...yet. He can't give me any specific reasons why he is not comfortable with the idea, just that it seems too different / difficult.
I have wondered about the gites /apt. renting. My husband works in the food industry so we wander through many markets and wish we could just grab some of that fresh fish and take it home with us. Museums are not high on our list, but we truly enjoy getting to know the local people in the really small towns we have stay in, either talking (or gesturing at the laundromat or sitting at a cafe.
I knew I would get some good advice here.
I have intentionally taken "baby steps" in my approach to travel, as my husband was very wary of leaving the U.S. five years ago, so I planned two trips to Canada, before I suggested we broaden our scope and go to Europe.
This year we rented a car for the first time ( a little scary for us before the trip, but we loved it once we got it) and spent a third of our trip to France exploring the Dordogne (by the way thanks Stu Dudley, I read many of your posts prior to going). I have thought about going to Asia, but Mr.Javachip hasn't warmed to the idea...yet. He can't give me any specific reasons why he is not comfortable with the idea, just that it seems too different / difficult.
I have wondered about the gites /apt. renting. My husband works in the food industry so we wander through many markets and wish we could just grab some of that fresh fish and take it home with us. Museums are not high on our list, but we truly enjoy getting to know the local people in the really small towns we have stay in, either talking (or gesturing
at the laundromat or sitting at a cafe. I knew I would get some good advice here.
Jul 22nd, 2015, 07:07 PM
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"a little scary for us before the trip"
Every trip I've ever taken has involved a bit of a stretch for me -- some took little steps, some big steps, all enough to give me pause in advance, and none enough to be worth worrying about in retrospect. Quite in contrast, I've always been extraordinarily pleased that I crossed those somewhat scary threshholds!
One thing you might consider is to think through your "worst case" scenarios: what are you back-up options? your alternatives? and really, how bad could it be?!? (Or, to put that differently, what are you willing to undergo for a REALLY good story??)
Every trip I've ever taken has involved a bit of a stretch for me -- some took little steps, some big steps, all enough to give me pause in advance, and none enough to be worth worrying about in retrospect. Quite in contrast, I've always been extraordinarily pleased that I crossed those somewhat scary threshholds!
One thing you might consider is to think through your "worst case" scenarios: what are you back-up options? your alternatives? and really, how bad could it be?!? (Or, to put that differently, what are you willing to undergo for a REALLY good story??)
Jul 23rd, 2015, 06:16 AM
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Plan your trips but not too much, leave time to experience the city or area you are in.
Rent apartments if possible, visit local markets , eat what the locals eat.
Travel on off days once you retire, Tuesday/Wednesday.
Use public transportation when even possible.
Try to learn one or two words in the language of the area you are visiting, Please / Thank you come to mind.
Go with the flow, if want you planned for the day does not work out due to weather or something else, do worry about it, just do something else.
Travel and ENJOY
Rent apartments if possible, visit local markets , eat what the locals eat.
Travel on off days once you retire, Tuesday/Wednesday.
Use public transportation when even possible.
Try to learn one or two words in the language of the area you are visiting, Please / Thank you come to mind.
Go with the flow, if want you planned for the day does not work out due to weather or something else, do worry about it, just do something else.
Travel and ENJOY
