We enjoy traveling while we can, because there may come a day when it may not be possible. That will be a sad day…
Coming up soon, we have a short trip in April 2025 to Baja Sur to visit Denver friends who have a home near San Jose del Cabo for a few days. Then, we go to a beachside town north of Cabo san Lucas to spend time with my son, daughter in law and their wonderful family for spring break. We are excited to have the opportunity to go there, even if only for a week.
Coming next is a trip to Italy. Fortunately, flying from Guadalajara, Mexico to Europe has become easier, with excellent flights directly to Madrid or through Mexico City to Rome. We do all the planning and booking because we keep changing our minds about various aspects of our trips. Also, there are some websites that offer unique tours and adventures that most travel agents may not know.
One of our favorite sites is Tourradar.com. They are like the Expedia of tours, working with tour companies that most of us have never heard of. And, because we do not like traveling with a herd of 30 or 40 people, we are almost always able to find a tour for 8-15 people, allowing us to enjoy the company of a smaller group.
Why take a tour? In the past, we traveled by the seat of our pants, flying somewhere, booking hotels, researching the places to visit, etc. The first time I traveled in Europe with my college roommate, we took “Europe on $5 a Day,” and tore out the pages of places we visited as we traveled. The book was about 400 pages long and too heavy to lug around for a ten week trip without removing pages. It was very helpful but that was in 1969 and, as a college graduate, hopping on and off trains (using a $200 Eurail pass for two months) and staying at youth hostels or out of the way hotels in a four-story walkup was an adventure. As a “mature” adult, that would be more work and discomfort than we are willing to endure.
We have always said that we are not cruise people, sharing a voyage with thousands of others, waddling from meal to meal. However, this fall, we are embarking on two cruises, so never say never… I will talk about that trip later.
Our next big trip starts at the end of May for about three weeks. That is usually our limit but when we travel a far distance, we may extend the time to one month. On this trip, we will concentrate on seeing southern Italy.
Although we have visited many parts of Italy over the years, mostly separately, this time we will enjoy areas we have not explored extensively. This trip includes Sicily, the Amalfi coast, a six-day cooking class in a villa between Rome and Naples, and a self-drive trip in Pulgia. More information will follow with the specifics of where we are going. And, all this with only a carry-on bag! We love not being burdened with big bags and checked luggage.
By the way, I found a lightweight, small Bluetooth keyboard and mouse to use with my iPad Mini. I am hoping it will be a game-changer when writing updates along the way. Another great item to have is a mobile hotspot to have WiFi wherever we go. You buy the small device online, purchase the MB you will need through your mobile phone, and then you have access to the internet for your trip. It provides amazing freedom. If you need to purchase more MB, no problem. These are some travel tips we have learned over the years.