Long distance driving holiday

[Alan]

We made it to our daughter in Santa Monica easy enough by lunchtime and have been chilling out. We don't normally drive as much as this but my doctor visits put us back a week. We are back on schedule now. Couple of days here then make our way slowly up the coast to Oregon where we have a place booked on May 9th

 

[ohyes]

I want your wife to plan a trip for DH and me. This sounds so incredible....looking forward to lots and lots of photos. Have fun; be safe.....and I know you will do both.

 

[gardenfun]

Anxious to hear what you and your wife think of Brookings , Alan. Thinking of moving there with my honey in the next year or so.


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[Alan]

Anxious to hear what you and your wife think of Brookings , Alan. Thinking of moving there with my honey in the next year or so.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

We will be there for a week, Rainbow Rock Condominiums, I'll let you know how we like it.

 

[Bamaman]

Thanks to Mr Market this is the 6th year of doing these very long vacations since retiring. Next year will hopefully be the UK and Europe, last year was Australia and New Zealand

Alan:
We hit 4 countries in Europe (starting in Budapest), took a deep Caribbean cruise and went to Vegas/Hawaii/San Francisco for February.

My wife is expected to have mobility issues in her future, and we're seeing the world while it's possible. We have been doing North American travel every other year, and will be seeing more of this continent as we get a little older.

 

[Alan]

Alan:
We hit 4 countries in Europe (starting in Budapest), took a deep Caribbean cruise and went to Vegas/Hawaii/San Francisco for February.

We really wanted to hit Australia and take a cruise around New Zealand, but the airfare went sky high (over $2K) last week.

I've found a great airfare on Norwegian Air Shuttle to Copenhagen where we can catch a Baltic cruise to St. Petersburg and back. Then fly to Oslo for $70 each and take the Norway in an Nutshell train trip to the Fjord ferry to Bergen.

My wife is expected to have mobility issues in the future, and we're seeing the world while it's possible.

That sounds great. Do it while you can. We have known too many friends and relatives (including both sets of parents) where one or other of the couple becomes unable to travel (or dies) shortly after retiring.

 

[chris2008]

We might pass you unknowingly, as we will drive south on 101 around 10th.
Have fun and enjoy!

 

[Alan]

We might pass you unknowingly, as we will drive south on 101 around 10th.
Have fun and enjoy!

Cool, I'll look for a car with the sign chris2008 across the top of the windshield, and honk my horn

 

[MichaelB]

We are back on schedule now. Couple of days here then make our way slowly up the coast to Oregon where we have a place booked on May 9th

That's more like it. Those 700+ mile days were tiring me out, and I'm just reading about your trip.

 

[Alan]

That's more like it. Those 700+ mile days were tiring me out, and I'm just reading about your trip.

With 2 drivers it's not that bad, particularly at the start of a holiday when the excitement level is still high.

 

[Alan]

First hike of the vacation. DD took us to Topanga State Park where we did a 6.4 mile circular hike up to Eagle Rock. Great practice for what we hope to do lots more of in the coming months. Got to try out the new hiking app on my iPhone, Gaia GPS, worked great. I have brought along our 2011 Garmin handheld GPS that has served us well for 4 years, but it is already very dated and it is very expensive to buy the sims with the maps we need for the States and countries we visit. Also left our old camera behind, using the phone camera for the first time.

Attached photos are of DD and her old Dad. (Eagle Rock is behind us)

 

[Alan]

oops, failed to load 2 attachments from the iPad, so here is the 2nd, of DD on top of Eagle Rock.

 

[Dreamer]

Nice looking father and daughter picture. I am sure that it felt great to be hiking, after the 2 days in the car.

 

[Alan]

Nice looking father and daughter picture. I am sure that it felt great to be hiking, after the 2 days in the car.

It most certainly did feel good. Tomorrow we go with her and her SO for breakfast and to visit their new offices in the morning then we leave and start driving up the Pacific Coast highway.

 

[Marc]

Alan, you are a few years ahead of us doing a very similar trip. Can I ask what you budgeted for the six months of travel? Are you going to keep track of expenses?

thanks,

Marc

 

[Alan]

Alan, you are a few years ahead of us doing a very similar trip. Can I ask what you budgeted for the six months of travel? Are you going to keep track of expenses?

thanks,

Marc

At risk of being drummed out of the er.org membership I confess that I didn't budget for this holiday and am not tracking expenses.

I can tell you that the cost of all the booked accommodation including the Alaska cruise and trip to Denali NP is $21k. I won't be keeping track of gas, meals, other short stay hotels etc. Target budget for the entire year's living expenses including vacations, not including taxes, is $114k. which is $5k higher than last year's actual expenses which included 5 months in Australia including a week in Vanuatu, a 2 week cruise to New Zealand and business class airfare.

As you might guess we have not had any problem switching from saving to spending when we retired, but we are still LBOM.

 

[REWahoo]

... we are still LBOM.

"Living Big, Oh My!"

Good on ya!

 

[Alan]

"Living Big, Oh My!"

Good on ya!

Yes indeed

 

[Aiming_4_55]

Hi Alan - great road trip. I'll be waving on PCH by Santa Monica. I drive it daily for a few more years.

 

[Alan]

Hi Alan - great road trip. I'll be waving on PCH by Santa Monica. I drive it daily for a few more years.

That is so cool

There was a lot of traffic there this afternoon on our way back from Eagle Rock.

 

[BTravlin]

I'd highly recommend taking a day to see the Tetons as well. It is a must see since you will be in the neighborhood anyway. And, since you like hiking, check out the Jenny Lake Trail. You can do a hike of roughly 7 miles all the round or about 5 miles starting at the trailhead to the falls and back. You can also hike to the top of the falls where you will be at the entrance to Cascade Canyon with a fantastic view out over the Teton valley. You can also take a shuttle boat round trip from the visitor area to the falls if you're hiked out by then. Enjoy!

Jenny Lake Trailhead map

 

[Alan]

Thanks, I agree about the Tetons and the Jenny Lake trail. We spent a week there in 2012.

So much to see and do.....

 

[Bestwifeever]

Great photos, Alan. Your DD looks so happy to be with you and vice versa.

 

[Alan]

Great photos, Alan. Your DD looks so happy to be with you and vice versa.

Thanks, we had a good couple of days with her, and this morning she showed us around the brand new campus of her new offices. It was a bit like a visit to Disneyworld, what an awesome place to work. (she is a software engineer at an internet fantasy e-games company).

After the visit we drove up the coast and spent the day at Santa Barbara, checked in and walked over 5 miles along the beach and around the town center. Lovely place.

 

[Dreamer]

Great photo! You look like a fun couple.