Earlier this morning, I was casting about for ideas for how to start this post. I knew what I wanted to write about, in a general sense. Travel, travel planning, our unfolding travel plans. I’d chosen photos and saved them to a folder on my computer, as I do for every post. But I was still in the thinking stage. I knew a beginning would come to me. So I typed a tentative title… “Where are you going?”… as a kind of a place saver. I’d probably change it as the day went on.
This is my usual process. I start with a general idea of what I want to say, I have notes sometimes, and photos always. As I upload my photos they usually begin to act as a rough guide to my narrative. I write a placeholder title. And then I jump in and just start writing.
But this morning as I typed the title, Hubby came in from the kitchen, asked me what I was writing about today, and I read him the title. “Where Are You Going?” We both smiled knowingly. “Where’re ya goin’, Blondie?” Hubby murmured as he headed to the basement to get his ski gear. We both chuckled.
As you can probably tell there’s a story behind that line. And here it is.
Years ago Hubby and I were on a cross-country ski holiday. We’d booked into a small motel a few hours drive from Ottawa. It had a restaurant-bar attached and was owned and recently renovated by two very affable brothers. It was located somewhere between Whitney and Bancroft. Deep in the country. Prime snowmobiling country. Our plan was to ski the numerous snowmobile trails nearby, have a nice supper each night, and relax for three days.
Our first night there, after a long ski, followed by a nap and a hot shower, we ended up in the restaurant for dinner. When we sat down, the waiter, knowing we were guests of the motel, warned us that tonight was the community darts league night. “Oh, fun,” we said. He smiled and added, “It might get a bit smoky and rowdy later.” We weren’t bothered. “I’m from New Brunswick,” I said. “I grew up on smoky and rowdy.”
Thank god we’d eaten our meal before the darts players arrived in full force. We heard the roar of snowmobiles in the parking lot. And soon the place was jumping with snowmobile-suit-clad, booted players, beer in one hand, cigarette in the other (we’re talking pre-smoking ban days) talking and laughing and setting up the games. We drank our wine and watched the action. By now the games were underway and most people had shed their heavy suits. At least the top half.
It didn’t take long, though, for two non-smokers to tire of the fug of smoke, not to mention the crowd, the heat, and the noise. We decided to return to our room to finish our drinks.
I’m serious when I say that there was a total crush of people between us and the exit. Hubby went one way and I the other and we planned to meet at the door. I wended my way through the crowd of dart players, mostly men, standing with beers in hand, the top half of their snowmobile suits tied around their waists.
I was halfway across the room when one such player, snowmobile suit tied at his waist, a beer in each hand, loomed in front of me. Loomed and leered, I might add. He looked all of twenty years old. If that. His damp blonde hair stuck up in clumps, I assumed from his helmet. I stopped. He swayed. Then he grinned. The poor kid was missing two teeth.
“Where’re ya goin’ Blondie?” he slurred. I gestured to the door where Hubby already stood. “Are ya sleddin’?” He meant had I arrived on a snowmobile. “No, we’re skiing.” I replied. He looked a bit quizzical. “What’re ya drinkin’?” I held up my half-finished glass of wine. “Ah, come on. You don’t want to leave so soon. Stay for a beer.” He winked and held up his glass, one of them anyway, and it sloshed a little. I smiled. I can’t remember exactly what I said. That my husband was waiting for me over there… or something. And with a sigh and a sway, he stepped aside.
I was laughing when Hubby and I slipped out the door into the fresh air of the parking lot. “What was that all about? he asked. “I might be almost fifty,” I chortled. “And that kid might be pissed, not even half my age, and missing a couple of teeth. But I still got it!”
Gad. Hubby and I love that story. I apologize if I’ve already told it to you. Which I may well have done. I’m nothing if not repetitive, and overly fond of telling my stories. That was what was so great about teaching. A new crop of listeners each semester. Ha.
But old stories aside, where are you going this year? Are you planning to travel? Maybe you’re planning an overseas trip? A cruise? A few short getaways? Maybe you have a summer cottage at the lake? Or, as we say in New Brunswick, a camp. Which in my experience refers to a less fancy and more rustic dwelling than a cottage. Maybe you’ve planned a camping trip or two, with a tent, or an RV? Or perhaps you plan to stick close to home this year? Take day trips. And just enjoy your home turf.
That’s what we did in 2024. We travelled some, but not far, and not anywhere new. Although old familiar places can be lovely too.
The year started with my extended recovery from Covid which I contracted after we arrived home from a month in Portugal in the fall of 2023. But we did manage to finish January with a five day ski trip to Lac Morency in the Laurentians in Quebec. How is it that life seems so much sweeter when you’ve had a spell of ill health? Our ski trip was divine. We had perfect snow, we skied all our favourite trails , and enjoyed coffee and dinner in our favourite spots.
In March, I flew to New Brunswick by myself. To deal with some issues of Mum’s estate, and to spend time with my sister and with friends. And Hubby and I drove back down for a family wedding at the end of May. That was a great visit. We celebrated with family, I saw old friends that I’d not seen in years, Hubby and I biked the trails in Fredericton, and Hubby and Carolyn and I had an amazing lobster feed.
Then Hubby had his bike accident and injured his hand which necessitated his cancelling his June wilderness canoe trip. That was not good for him. He lives for his wilderness trips. We spent a mostly quiet summer at home. Except for one overnight trip to Toronto for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of friends. And Hubby’s eightieth birthday in July.
Glen Rumbold photo.
I travelled down east again in September for my fiftieth high school reunion. That was a blast. For two days I talked and hugged and laughed with old schoolmates. Then I came down with Covid. Again. My sister and I had to cancel our plans to go to Nova Scotia. Then my sister-in-law, my late brother’s wife, died. The only positive aspect was that I was already in New Brunswick when it happened, and I tested negative in time to be able to attend the funeral. It was a pretty momentous two weeks, I will say, bracketed by joy and by sadness.
Then I came home, and Hubby left for his fall canoe trip. His fifty-third year of wilderness canoeing. I was happy for him.
The rest of the year was filled with day trips, drives through the gorgeous fall countryside, and outings with friends. Except for a short trip in November to Mont Tremblant where we met my sister who drove up from New Brunswick. We had three beautiful, but chilly, days of hiking and eating and laughing. Then Hubby and I drove home and prepared for a quiet Christmas and New Years for two.
“So, where are you going this year?” you may well ask.
Well, we have plans, my friends. Okay, maybe not quite plans. Not yet. Dare I say we have the “concepts of a plan.” Ideas, more like. The fodder for discussion over morning tea when the weather is not conducive to skiing. We’ve been reading, and talking, and making notes and talking, and doing research, and talking some more.
January is the perfect month for this. One doesn’t mind being shut in with rain and wind and blowing snow and frigid temperatures when one is happily reading in front of the fire. And stopping to call out some pertinent fact to one’s partner who is reading in the bedroom. We’re kind of working up our enthusiasm and doing background reading before we make decisions and begin the actual planning.
We’ve an itinerary to draw up, destinations and duration of stays to determine, flight bookings to make, car rentals to book, accommodation research and reservations to make. We’re looking at Europe. For a month-long trip. Which we’ve found is the perfect length of time away for us. But right now it’s all a big ball of possibilities. Maybe here. Maybe there. Is it feasible to drive here? Can we fly there, will that be easier? There is lots to decide.
Then there’s the admin. We’ve passports to renew. We’ve to figure out what the heck is going on with the new, soon to be rolled out, ETIAS system in Europe. If it actually does get rolled out this year. I have a list of these kinds of things.
But we’ve tons of time, which is one of the benefits of starting early. We don’t plan to travel until the fall.
One thing we do know, and which was reinforced by our trip to Portugal in 2023, we’re not yet ready to give up self-directed travel. We want to drive as much as possible. We want to do what we want, as much as we want, when we want. And we want to travel this way for as long as we can.
We realize that, at eighty and sixty-eight, our days of driving foreign back roads and navigating stressful situations abroad on our own are probably numbered. But for now we’re pretty confident that we’ve still “got it.” Ha.
Whatever it is.
In the spirit of building excitement for overseas travel, I’ve been reading travel literature.
I ordered from the library Passenger to Teheran by Vita Sackville-West and I am desperately trying to give it a fair go. It’s the tale of Sackville-West’s 1926 journey to Persia to visit her husband, Harold Nicholson, a diplomat, who was posted there. She travelled by way of Egypt, India, and Iraq. And returned through Russia and Poland. I was excited to get into the book. I greatly revere the Bloomsbury group, and thought the book might provide a romantic picture of the world a hundred years ago. But seriously my friends, I found the introduction written by Sackville-West so pretentious both in style and in viewpoint that I ranted to Hubby after every paragraph. “Talk about privilege.” “Talk about verbosity.” “I’ve lost total track of what the heck she’s talking about.” “I’m resigning as chief fan of the Bloomsbury Group in our house.”
Then I shut up. And stopped reading. For my own sake, as well as Hubby’s. I almost returned Passenger to Teheran to the library, but changed my mind and decided to dip into the middle a bit before I do that. Normally I love vintage travel literature. I adored Diana Athill’s A Florence Diary, about her 1947 trip to Florence when she was young.
And now in between dipping into Vita Sackville-West’s turgid prose, I’ve been rereading the Bill Bryson book Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe as a kind of palate cleanser. And it has been the perfect antidote to my frustrations. So far I’ve laughed my way through his exploits in Hammerfest and Oslo, and we’re off to Paris next. After I’ve finished the Bryson book, I may reread the Diana Athill book I own (thanks to my friend Frances) or cast my net wider to explore other examples of travel lit. We’ll see.
That’s it for me today, my friends. Our travel plans for 2025 continue to unfold. I’ll tell you more details in a few weeks.
In the short run, I’m thinking of a shopping trip to Montreal. A new year has begun with respect to the Rule of Five. And I’m excited to plan what this year will bring for me and my closet.
In the meantime where are you going this year? Tell us your travel plans for 2025. Or share some of your favourite travel literature so we can do some armchair travel while we wait out the bad weather.
P.S. The book links are affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking my link I will earn a small commission which helps to pay for the blog.
72 thoughts on “Where Are You Going… This Year?”
I’m about to take a trip of a lifetime!
I’ve worked with fabric most of my life and have been quilting for over 40 yrs. 30+ yrs ago I bought my first mola and became fascinated with how beautiful they are. Molas are made by the women of the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama and have a long history as part of their traditional garments.
I’m leaving for Panama in a few days and will be learning the techniques of making molas while visiting the San Blas Islands on a sailboat! This part of my trip is with a very small tour group but then I’ll have several days in Panama City on my own. I’m so excited!
When I get home from Panama I’ll need to start planning where I’m going next. It will probably be much closer to home…
I just looked up “molas” to see if I could find any photos. How beautiful they are! And complex to make it seems. The trip you’ve planned will definitely be your dream trip. I’m excited for you.
Although last year was a big travel year for me, and I’m almost ready to stay put for more than a bit, my 16-year-old g’daughter announced a few months ago that she finally feels ready to take the trip to Paris with me. I’ve been planning for it since she was Six, and she’s been keen to plan with me (over the years, we’ve amassed a small collection of picture books about the city), but fears of homesickness prevailed until fairly recently. . .
For good measure, I’ve talked her mom into going with us — I’ve had to concede lately that I can’t keep up with a teen’s energy, nor do our diurnal rhythms match up very well! So Spring Break 2025, I’m going to show two of my girls a city I love — can’t wait! (but I’m going to have a delayed hibernation for weeks after I get home).
Can’t wait to see where you two decide to go — you always do the best planning! (Also, truly love that story. Where you goin’, Blondie?! Indeed! 😉
Francis – I envy you a possible trip to Paris with your daughter and granddaughter. And your knowing Paris so well.
My grandchildren are still little. (We have been in Marin county for a month helping out my youngest daughter with her 1 and 3 year old.) We return to Edmonton next week – but I wish I could stay longer.
Stu and I always laugh about that night. Blondie, indeed. Ha.
You trip to Paris sounds lovely, Frances. To show a city you know well to others will be fun. I’d love to go to Ireland with my two sisters and have them experience the land of our ancestors as I did a few years ago, but not sure that is doable anymore for various reasons.
Sri Lanka in August for me and my less mobile (84 yr old) husband so it’s a small organised tour. I’m now at the stage where I’m happy to pack a suitcase and let someone else do the faffing around. After all, I am retired 😂
Our plan is, so far, that we’re renting a house between Glasgow and Edinburgh with our student archeologist grandson and will explore his dad’s Scottish roots. Itinerary fairly open now for a 3 week vacation including some city stuff and some highland games. This will be our second trip to Scotland, and we’re just hungry for more, history and hiking.
Oh gosh, we so loved Scotland when we were there, Eva. Especially Edinburgh and the highlands. History and hiking… and maybe a little haggis?
I may be biased but speaking as a scot who hails from the south west its well worth a visit if you are close. try portpatrick, kirkcudbright, or gatehouse of fleet. all beautiful places with nature and history everywhere.
I used to teach the novel Anil’s Ghost by Michael Ondaatje which is set in Sri Lanka. As a result I did lots of background research on their history and culture as well as the political conflicts. It’s a fascinating place. Hope you trip goes well, Krystyna.
I’m taking a solo trip to Spain, an Ignatian Camino between Bilbao and Barcelona in April/May. The Camino itself is 10 days and is a small group led by a guide. It has a spiritual orientation – lots of time for walking meditation and contemplation, staying in monastery guest houses etc. I have a couple of days on each end in the cities. “Solo” because it will be my first major travel w/o my husband. I’m 60 and mindful of Frances’ admonition and efforts to not lose my independent adventure and coping mojo.
I’ve really upped my work in the gym in anticipation and the result of more elevation on the treadmill has been relief from low back pain – greater effort creating surprising results. I want to remember that.
As I said, I’m 60 and can count the months until I retire using only my fingers. I’ve have been reading you since the beginning. Thank you for all I’ve learned from you, other bloggers, and the communities you’ve convened about this next chapter.
You are wise to train before your trip, Kristin. We have friends who did part of the Camino, not sure which part, and they trained all winter. When the weather allowed they set off walking daily with their packs, down their long driveway and along the country road where they lived. Our friend said the neighbours probably though they were running away from home. 🙂
I enjoyed your story of the young, toothless snowmobiler😂. Looking forward to hearing about your travel plans this year. I love all the research and decision-making that goes into trip planning, sometimes I think I enjoy it as much as the actual trip. We have tentative plans to go to Portugal in April but just waiting to finalize our dog sitter (shared duties between my Mom and our oldest son) before booking the flights. I will need to re-read your blog entries from 2023 get some tips from your trip to Portugal, I think we have a very similar travel style.
We loved Portugal, Denise. Except for Sintra which was so hot and crowded we just sat in the shaded park to eat our packed lunch and caught the next train back to Lisbon. We covered a lot of territory because we drive everywhere, and we loved everything. Do check out my 2023 travel posts for more details. 🙂
How do you people afford all this travel?
Yes I am envious. I add up the costs and reality hits.
But I do live in a beautiful place thank god.
I wanted to add that we all need to consider the impact all this travel is having on the environment and the affect on places that are now overrun with tourists.
As wealthy privileged baby boomers become obsessed with travel many younger people are thinking twice about the global ramifications . They also can’t afford it with the soaring cost of living but also they see what is happening to our world.
Still travel is fun and exciting so, I see the temptation.
It’s a dilemma.
It is a dilemma, Dee. But I can safely say that although we qualify as Baby Boomers we’re not wealthy and we’re not “obsessed” with travel. We do love to see new places and meet new people. But we try to keep our environmental footprint as small as we can, short of staying at home.
As for cost, well, we spent many, many years skiing near home, like the trip I mentioned in the post, or driving to the east coast and spending time with family or renting a cottage, as well as camping trips near home, to other provinces, and as far out west as Saskatoon. So big trips which involve air travel are fairly new to us. But, as Hubby says, that was our plan since we were first together, we saved and invested every cent we could so we could travel when we stopped working.
But I will agree that we are certainly privileged. Privileged to be able to afford to travel. Privileged to have worked in a profession with a stable pension scheme to which we contributed. Privileged to live in a safe place and with free health care. And privileged at our age to still have curiosity about the world and a desire to learn about the people in the places we visit.
We are planning three trips this year! We fly to Mexico the day after tomorrow. While our house here is undergoing renovations, we’ll spend two weeks visiting and doing a bit of travel with friends who are permanent residents. They live in a typical Mexican town far from the typical tourist locales. Then Armenia and possibly Georgia in early June and an Alaskan cruise in August.
How wonderful to be able to stay with a friend in Mexico. I must admit that the idea of staying in an all-inclusive resort leaves me cold. I know next to nothing about Armenia, that isn’t historical, but we met a young German girl in Italy in 2008 and she said that Georgia was the best place she ever visited. Enjoy it all, Elaine. 🙂
Hi Sue, we won’t be travelling this year (we had two trips last year, both cruises, spending time before and after in the embarkation and disembarkation countries), but in February 2026 we’ll go on a cruise from Auckland to Sydney with a few days in Auckland beforehand, then a bit longer in Australia at the end.
By the way, in case you are interested, here is an article about new longer train routes in Europe; food for thought perhaps. It’s something we’re keeping in mind for future trips.
https://thepointsguy.com/news/european-train-trips/
We’ve been to both Auckland and Sydney and they are lovely cities. Auckland especially. I know it’s a ways away, but I hope you have fun. Thanks for the link. 🙂
Love the Blondie story! You still “got it” obviously!
We’ve not travelled much in the last few years due to covid, lockdowns and various health issues but hope to at least manage to visit our three children and all our grandchildren in their three different states in Australia.
I would love to be as organized as you with planning trips. We are terrible at it. Mind you it has made for some interesting adventures not to mention some good stories to tell. A lot of our trips have been to link up with family in their various parts of the world which is always great.
I will look forward to hearing of your plans in future posts.
I can thank Hubby for the kick in the pants to start getting organized. I’m good at doing it once we get started, but I’m a terrible procrastinator. Or do I mean I’m a good procrastinator? Ha. I’d love to hear of those Australian trips you’re taking. We covered a lot of your country the two times we were there on extended trips and loved it.
Well I wonder where you will decide to go ? We usually opted for fly drive holidays too . Sometimes it wasn’t practical , say on safaris & sometimes the driving conditions were quite dangerous , like India but other than that the freedom of our own wheels suited us best . I like the idea of railway travel & we use them in the UK sometimes but on long journeys the movement of the speeding train sends me to sleep . I slept my way from Singapore to Bangkok one time & I’d be even worse these days . Our long distance travel is over now but I’m always interested in other people’s adventures especially yours . You do the things we used to do – except for the skiing & fishing !
So , where are we planning ? Well after all our years of dog walking in beautiful scenery we are having a change . We have always loved history & interesting townscapes . Before dogs we visited old towns & cities , soaking up the history , reading up as we went , but dogs hate that . The UK has many interesting small cities & towns with wonderful old buildings which most tourists don’t reach . We are joining charities like The National Trust which preserve & maintain these buildings ( nice cafes too !) then we’ll be all set . So the anoraks & walking boots are being put aside & I’ll get my decent coats out . Edinburgh soon , by train .
Good to hear you have still got what it takes Blondie 🤣
I am imagining you and Max getting the rug out of the boot of your car and unpacking your picnic at National Trust estates all over the country. You are wearing tweeds, of course and wellies ala Queen Elizabeth.
Enjoy Edinburgh. 🙂
We’re still in the contemplation stage – I had some (relatively minor) knee surgery last week, and since we weren’t certain about how long recovery would take, we’re been holding off on committing to anything. But our first trip will be to Paris – I’m dying to see the restored Notre Dame, there’s a Suzanne Valadon exhibit at the Pompidou, and I need to do a little restocking at City Pharma, so that’s one itinerary. Then early fall there’s what sounds like a splendid Cezanne exhibit in Aix, and I’ve been longing to explore that part of France. Christmas markets with my newly widowed friend – she is anxious to get back on that horse, and a few days in London pre-Christmas to meet up with friends who are passing through. But we still have to decide what to do for our 35th wedding anniversary at the beginning of June (this usually gets combined with husband’s birthday at the end of May to make a longer party). Maybe a canal boat through French wine country? Someplace not ridiculously crowded in Italy? Decisions, decisions.
And aren’t they lovely decisions to be making? It’s wonderful to be close to all those various places. We are so far from everywhere here. Even in our own country. Ha.
Not travelling at all. We welcomed a new little puppy into our lives 3 days ago and it seems he and we, will get joy from walking coastlines and bushtracks, as well as lifetime companionship.
I also agree with Dee about the environmental and societal threat to significant areas with overt tourism. Venice immediately springs to mind but also Japan and closer to home, a beautiful island off our own island’s coast that is being visited to death by tourists. Governments will continue to welcome tourists for the money but perhaps the responsibility lies with us to think of future generations, fossil fuels, and climate change. Planes and ships don’t move on clean air. Just a thought…
Wondering which island you are talking about. Perhaps Hornby?
Everyone thinks well it is just little old me but the little old mes add up.
But I also want to travel abit so can’t be too critical. 😌
You are right, of course. I agree with cities like Venice making rules about cruise ships. The size of those things is out of this world. And you are also right about us all being cognizant of our own responsibility. I just read how much energy AI takes to operate. I can’t remember the specifics, but it’s astounding. And everything adds up. That’s one reason I’ve been banging on about clothes consumption for the past few years.
while i agree with the environmental issues re travelling I think it so important for people, particularly when we are young, to see the world and get to know how other people live. many of the worlds problems are caused by a lack of understanding of others.
i try to be environmentally friendly wherever possible, and have well and truly bought into limiting my purchases, particularly clothes, but I strongly believe the positive aspects of travel far outweigh the negative.
I agree, Noreen. I think that one cannot judge every traveller the same. What we do in other areas of our lives counts as part of our total footprint.
I leave in 2 days for an around the world trip with 3 friends. All self-directed travel for 4 months. Quick stop in Mexico then on to New Zealand, Australia, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Morocco always heading west until we reach home in the U.S. again. Each of us is responsible for researching and planning a country. I have Australia where we will be spending almost 6 weeks. Looking forward to hearing where you decide to go this year.
Sounds glorious!
That does sound wonderful, Carol. Happy planning. 🙂
i live in australia and it has some beautiful places, particularly beaches. depending on your interests some of the following might be worth looking at:
byron bay
melbourne and the great ocean road
noosa
the whitsunday islands
cable beach and broome
wilderness areas in tasmania particularly wine glass bay and cradle mountain
the problem with australia is the distance flights are relatively cheap. have a lovely time
Oh my… totally agree with those picks, Noreen. All of them. Especially Cable Beach and Broome. We spent almost a week in a cabin in a caravan park in Broome. Heavenly. One thing we loved about Australia was the variety of lovely accommodations that were not North American-style hotels.
Love hearing about your trips, Sue (both local and abroad). That Blondie story was very well told and I could see myself in such a place. I remember working a charity bingo in Kingston many many years ago when I was a student – just such a smoke-filled room. I also worked with an avid snowmobiler at a very rugged job I did when I was a student. I always thought snowmobilers were out for the Darwin Award with their antics…
I’m from the opposite place in that I travelled so much as a young woman (alone) and lived and worked abroad (Washington, Asia, Australia, etc.). It was very formative and I always think the value in it was in teaching me how to be alone in every sense of the word, which is a powerful thing and has prepped me for old age in a way.
Now I have the opportunity to travel for work, but even that I skipped last year (two trips to Paris – didn’t have the desire and since I could attend my meetings online…), and of course my relationship with a European. I enjoy travelling to my beloved Italian home, mostly because I stay in a family home there, but otherwise I find travel awful these days: from the flights to the crush of overtourism to the globalized shops that have depleted the place of its soul, etc. Even going outside sometimes feels grim. I know I’m so privileged and it’s wacky for me to be complaining, but I do feel so very sad about it all and I feel the moral dilemma too that others have raised.
Your post has prompted me to think about what would really make me happy this year in travel. Honestly, I wish I had someone to go on a wilderness canoe trip with. Would hubby like a porter? 😉
Hubby would love a porter. Ha. I agree about airports and the crowds and the shops where so much is the same. Ickk. We hold our breath until we land, get our rental car, and as Stu says, “get the hell out of Dodge.”
In Italy in 2018 we stayed in San Lazzaro, on the plateau above the Amalfi Coast. That was lovely, with ocean views and a small village which was quiet and friendly. But below us along the ocean was hot and crowded. We hiked the “Path of the Gods” from Bomerano to Positano and it was wonderful until we descended to Positano and were stuck in a kind of snaking line of tourists who strolled down the main street lined with expensive shops. What with the narrow street, the people, the awnings protecting everyone from the sun, and the racks of expensive goods which lined the street we saw nothing and couldn’t wait to get out of there.
You really do have to find the off the beaten track towns. They are few and far between in Italy these days. I cry cry cry when I visit Venice and Florence these days. Venice has been long gone but almost all of the old shops in Florence are gone now and residents and families are fleeing the centre. It’s all tourist apartments. My partner said the only positive aspect of this was that at the beginning of COVID he had the supermarket by his home all to himself, since the tourists lined up to buy bottled water and wine were gone..:)
I’ll tell you a story sort of like yours about the young snowmobiler. My husband and I hardly ever go to bars, but we stopped in one of his old haunts in a nearby town. He saw an old friend of his from high school and introduced me as his new wife. The guy was chatting and proceeded to ask if we were going to have children. My husband was 40 years old at the time, and I was, pause here, 52! I know the bar was not brightly lit, but come on! I just replied, “Oh you think so??” I got quite a chuckle out of that! We have only travelled to New England recently the last 4 years to see my sister. Twice a year. Mandatory visit, won’t go into details. But I am trying to talk him into a cruise because he now hates driving, and heaven forbid I drive! Have any of your friends recommended any cruises? I want to stay away from Viking. I hope you plan to travel to somewhere exotic. I can live vicariously through you!
That’s a great story, Linda. I do not have any cruise information. Some friends have taken river cruises in Europe. And one friend did a cruise over Christmas which stopped in Morocco and Algiers and I’m not sure where else. It sounded interesting. They are history buffs and except for the days they were ill they enjoyed it.
We’re off to the USA again. We did New Brunswick and Chicago last summer, both were visiting relatives (my nephew married a Canadian girl and had 3 kids!).
However, the Chicago lot were poorly, so apart from helping with the gardening & some housework, we were mostly entertaining ourselves. Hopefully this time they’re all healthy – we’re hoping to have a bit more fun! 😉
We also had a week in northern France in June, for the 80th anniversary of D-Day, which was fabulous and emotional. Hubby’s mum and dad actually met when he was injured after the D-Day landings – with marriage and 6 kids later, the rest is history. 😁
2023 was our big post retirement trip, following the rugby World Cup in France in our motorhome. It was fabulous, 2 months full of lovely towns and cities – and 4k miles!
2026 is the next big adventure, where we’re going to Australia and New Zealand. I’m trying to persuade hubby to go for 2 months, as it’s such a long journey from the UK.
We’re lucky to live in southern England, so getting to Europe is simple and quick.
Your France trips sound so interesting, Fiona. I agree with you about the need for at least two months to see New Zealand and Australia. We were gone for three months on both our trips. One week in the Cook Islands Five weeks in New Zealand which is very drivable. We drove from top to bottom and loved it. And six weeks for Australia. In Australia we saw Tasmania and Victoria and the east coast with a detour to Coober Pedy and Alice Springs for an outback adventure. But we left the west and the north for our second trip.
Very curious about your next trip,Blondie ;)!
I love to hear both your planning and travel stories,and so many lovely plans in comments,as well
I would be very happy to be able to travel at least to Vienna ( I’ve had to refuse a wonderful invitation to visit London with my son and DIL last autumn,but it is as it is) and Italy,by car,short visits. I plan to have some repairs at my seaside apartment during the spring- I could take my mother with me,so it will be possible
So, mostly armchair travel for me this year,no big plans
I’m all ears!
Dottoressa
I’m sorry you couldn’t go to London to visit your son and daughter-in-law. That would have been lovely. Good luck with the seaside renovations. 🙂
We are at the moment enjoying a two week stay in Kihei, Maui. It had been a regular choice of ours to come in January to help with the winter blues. Covid paused this for us and then a knee replacement. This year we are back and we are thinking it could be our last time as my Hubby is 83 and I am 80 and we tend to find travelling more and more stressful. Many years ago in Kihei we met a lovely young man by the name of Aaron who was living on the streets. Each year we found him and had some great conversations and blessed him with some financial help. This year we wondered if he would still be around. Even in a paradise like Maui, living on the streets is a hard life. Well, we found him again and we were able to help him fix a string on his guitar and buy him a breakfast burrito. Things like this warm our hearts. September hopefully could be a trip to see my sister in England.
We have never been to Hawaii. I hear it is lovely. September in England will be lovely too. 🙂
My daughter makes all the plans and we have started a new tradition to spend Christmas week in Hawaii. She is happy to reserve an Air B&B condo, and make the plane and car reservations. Last year we went to Kauai which was more stressful for several reasons. This year we went to Kailua Kona on the Big Island and had a good time. I am 85, and lost my husband almost 2 years ago. He and I traveled to many wonderful places, and we enjoyed cruises as well. We live on the Calif. coast, she in Santa Barbara, and me in Oxnard which are lovely areas.
I love your blog, Sue, and also like Bill Bryson travel stories, so amusing.
Had to say “hello” to you, Joan. Hope you see this. I live very near to you in Ventura, California. I, too, lost my husband a little over two years. He was 74 years old. Glad to read of your Hawaii travels with your daughter. What a blessing!
It must be fun to travel with your daughter. Hope the fires down there are not anywhere near you. I tend to be fuzzy about American geography.
We are heading to Arizona for two months the end of January. We will use the rental house as home base for day trips to the surrounding area.
My hubby and I have loved the self drive vacations we have done in Scandinavia and Europe and the US. Two years ago we drove from International Falls, MN to Quebec City and down through New York, Massachusetts, and over to Niagara Falls.
Last year we planned to head west across Canada to Vancouver, but the fires in Jasper National Park put a damper on that. We would like to try again this year, but I’m a bit concerned that Americans may not be welcome since Trump thinks he can turn Canada into the 51st US state. When we travel to Europe we often say we are Canadian since many countries don’t care for US politics. We can’t do that in Canada when we have a South Dakota license plate!
I’ll jump in here, if I may. While traveling in Egypt, we had Americans ask us for Canadian pins to wear while they visited ancient sites. So, I know what you speak of.
As you would expect, Trump’s comments are not well received by Canadians. We are appalled! Having said that, I would not think you would experience any negativity from Canadians. I hope the same for us as we are vacationing with family in Florida soon. We will keep our opinions to ourselves and try not to sound like Canadians. It’s sad how one man ‘s comments can make the best of neighbours, hesitant to cross borders.
Why do you worry that other countries and their citizens don’t care for American politics and you fake your citizenship? I find this incredulous as a US citizen.
You sound like reasonable nice polite Americans. For that reason Canadians will have no problem with you. It is the unreasonable, obnoxious Maga Americans we can’t stand.
I think you will find, Kate, that Canadians will welcome you. We mostly tend to separate the individual from the country’s politics. Now your soon-to-be President might not be as welcome as you, though. 🙂
I agree with you, Sue. I think Canadians will separate individual Americans from their politics, as long as they leave them at home. I was disturbed a few years ago to run into a group of men wearing MAGA hats at the Château Frontenac in Quebec City, which I found sad and disturbing. I saw a young woman walking along the street in the Glebe (!) the other day in one of those hats and I felt sick to my stomach. She may not be mature enough to understand the problem…
I’m looking forward to hearing more details of your plans as they develop. I’ve made note of the Athill and Bryson books that you mentioned. I would like to read them.
We have a short trip to Bonaire in March to get away from cold weather, watch birds and do a little walking/hiking. The airline just cancelled 3 of the four flights in the trip and we now have a trying flight schedule, with many more hours on the flight there and an overnight in Newark, NJ. I’m finding it very frustrating. It’s not the weather, obviously.
We are trying to decide on a destination for a long trip in the fall, but we are all over the place. Japan, Europe? We haven’t decided.
In the summer, we will hang out at our island home off of the MA coast and it is always a mix of projects (house and yard), walks, bike rides, beach time. I like that there isn’t a huge list of “must see” places and I can relax and read. Also, I love the ocean and always want to be close to it. Summer is my main time for that.
I’m smiling when I think of Blondie and how you and your husband must have laughed over it.
I’ve never been to Japan, but a lady who used to read this blog has been there a couple of times and I enjoy her Instagram posts. Japan looks really interesting. We like to stay home mostly during the summer as well. Gardening (for Hubby), cycling, sitting on the deck watching the river flow by (for me) and just enjoying where we live occupies most of our summer.
Not much planned for 2025 I’m afraid:( the usual June trip to PEI to open the house for our summer renters and having new aluminum beach stairs put in @7,000.00 that’s dent in a nice holiday lol. Then back home to Ottawa until August. Back to PEI second week of August this time with tout le gang in tow for a week and a bit of frolic by the sea to celebrate granny’s 70th. They then head back as schools in the French board start a week earlier. We get to have an adult vacay for September, maybe entertain some friends…we are never without those asking to visit! Then close up and return to Ontario. 2026 is our 50th anniversary year and we are thinking of Europe. I’d love to go to Ireland or France. Perhaps a river cruise to the latter. Hubby might go for the river cruise if it’s in wine country…so far he’s vetoed Scotland ( not my bag either) any cruise in the Caribbean, and for the next four years.. south of the border ( agreed…see ya Vegas) He spent his career travelling and has never been keen on it in his retirement other than to his beach on the Island. Never thought about the environmental impact of travel but Passage de Perles also alluded to it in a blog post ( I think ) last year. So there’s that to consider.
Excited to hear about your plans!!
I can imagine that your summer home on PEI is very popular with your family and friends. We love PEI and spent ten summers in a row renting a friend’s cottage there before we could tear ourselves away.
After days of extreme cold and snow, the thaw is just starting here. How fine it is to hear of travel plans! I think it is a human urge, the need to wander. On a grey day I think of hot Greek sunshine, blue sea and cold beer, the smell of meat grilling and the sight of a crisp salad. Or wide streets just waiting for me to stroll along, musing and window-shopping. Hot coffee in a pavement cafe. May your travel dreams come safely true.
Oh that sounds like a good dream, Annie. We’ve never been to Greece, but the idea of somewhere with an ocean view, a cold beer and a lovely meal being prepared is enticing. We’ve spent many a gorgeous evening on a rented deck with a glass of wine somewhere in the world.
Hi Sue,
Very interested to hear your plans and to read the comments of others. We will be exploring Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia by doing a self guided walk (which also includes some bus and train trips). We will also be meeting up with friends to walk the Camino del Norte in Spain.
Really looking forward to this trip which has been in the planning stages for such a long time. Yes, it is such a privilege to travel and your thoughts regarding this really resonated. Thank you
That sounds like a wonderful trip and must have taken lots of planning, Genevieve. Deciding what our trip priorities are, then piecing together flights, accommodations, other transportation, and activities is a bit like planning a whole course for us. Finding inspiration and ideas, followed by research, followed by designing specific activities, timelines, etc etc. And you always have to be ready to pivot if circumstances require it. We leave the specific activities until we are on the ground. That would be a bit too much planning for us. Some days I just want to sit with a book and a cup of tea. 🙂
February and early March travel for us to Vienna (5 days) and then Abu Dhabi where our daughter and family have lived for almost 3 years. After 2 weeks there, home again.
We have family from the US planning to spend 4 months in Ottawa, as they are experiencing some angst due to the political environment. We will probably visit them sometime.
Home from April to End of October, as we operate an old fashioned B & B on Lake Huron, and will enjoy our many returning guests and some new folks, too. Vicarious travel!!
That sounds like a well-rounded year, Jenny. If you like, give me a shout when you are in Ottawa and if I’m in town we can have coffee. 🙂
Power returned to my Southern California location. I am safe from fires and can finally post my comment written days ago…
Hello, Sue, and a belated Happy New Year. I returned last weekend from a week-long trip to Costa Rica with my two sons and their families. I had taken a biology trip there with students about 15 years ago. We rented a home and stayed near the beautiful Manuel Antonio Nat’l. Park. My six grandkids loved it. It was an absolutely fabulous time with my family. That might do it for international travel for this year. Plenty of domestic road trips coming up, though. Looking at Israel in 2026 with friends and South Korea in 2027 with family.
I am looking into solo travel…rather timidly, I admit. I see that some of your readers are experienced. I enjoyed reading their comments. Still contemplating…
Looking forward to hearing of your plans. Your travel style seems to take you to the heart of the country and the people. Always my aim, as well.
As always, thanks for initiating these thoughts about the rich blessing of travel.
We visited Costa Rica in 2014. Our first trip after Hubby’s heart surgery and recovery. We visited Manual Antonio Park as well. We stayed at a small resort outside of Quepos for a week and then rented a car and drove inland up into the cloud forest for a week. Not our typical trip, but we enjoyed it. Good for you to start thinking of solo travel. Frances is the expert on that. I have travelled solo to cities in Canada but those trips were to visit family. Small steps maybe.
Lovely to see Broome on your post
We are in Perth Western Australia
This year we are preparing to drive to the east coast, there are a number of bike trails we would like to enjoy
We are still in the planning stage, love this stage as much as the trip itself
The anticipation!!!
The first time we went to Australia we saw Tasmania, most of Victoria, South Australia, and then went to CoberPedy and Alice Springs by bus before flying to Cains and driving down the east coast. We started planning our return immediately when we arrived home. Five years later (I had to save up to be able to take a leave of absence from my job) we started in Sydney and the Blue Mountains, then flew into Perth, rented a care and drove south to Esperance, then up into gold country to Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, before heading to the coast and driving north to Exmouth and then onto Broome. Man… that was a long straight drive. But wonderful. We didn’t make it to Darwin because of a death in the family which cut our trip short by three weeks. Hopefully we’ll get there next time. Enjoy your planning… and your trip, Jeanette. You have a country that is beautiful, varied, and very big. Like us. 😉
t’s a great reminder that the best trips aren’t just about ticking places off a list but truly immersing yourself in the moment and creating memories.
Your question, ‘Where are you going this year?’ really got me thinking about my own travel goals. I appreciate how you’ve encouraged readers to reflect on what they want from their travels, whether it’s adventure, relaxation, or simply reconnecting with loved ones in a new setting. It’s such a refreshing approach, especially in a time when travel can sometimes feel rushed or overly curated for social media.
The idea of balancing exploration with rest really resonated with me. So often, we try to cram too much into a single trip, but your perspective reminds us that sometimes the best experiences come from slowing down and appreciating what’s right in front of us.
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