Poll:How much do you travel?

[Sunset]

Kim,
Amazing, when we crossed mid May last year, it was calm, some days had 4 foot swells, and one day was so calm you could canoe in the middle of the ocean.

I suppose it's all a guessing game, and I did think how if one had a medical emergency beyond the ship doctor skill, in the middle of the ocean, help is many days away.

 

[Nemo2]

I did think how if one had a medical emergency beyond the ship doctor skill, in the middle of the ocean, help is many days away.

Which is why the ship's doctor kicked me ashore in Malaga last October, when they only suspected I might have had a TIA.

He said , "In a couple days we'll be in mid-Atlantic, and if you do have a full blown stroke then, (which often happens within 4 days of a TIA), we have no facilities to care for you".

 

[braumeister]

He said , "In a couple days we'll be in mid-Atlantic, and if you do have a full blown stroke then, (which often happens within 4 days of a TIA), we have no facilities to care for you".

Don't they have one of these gadgets?

 

[Nemo2]

Don't they have one of these gadgets?

View attachment 31578

"Hey, it's Christmas for the Leviathan."

 

[Rambler]

I can’t say we travel perpetually, but I’ve found we are happiest when we travel a lot. DW complains about long driving days, but is always happy to be away from issues that pop up while we are home (DD using her in some fashion is her biggest complaint). We moved to AZ last year from NorCal, and we are still trying to get the old house sold, so we go back once a month to keep it cleaned, pay a couple bills that in this day and age you’d think you could do online (rural garbage collection), go to DW’s favorite hair salon, pay the gardener, etc. This could be considered travel, or it could be considered anchoring us down. We were planning to head back to NorCal again tomorrow, pick up the RV, and head out for a six week meander. However, our real estate agent has had some buyers spending a lot of time at our place measuring and contemplating, and thinks we’ll have an offer in a day or two, so we are still going, but the RV trip is now postponed, again. Hopefully we’ll be dealing with the movers in a week or ten days, then we can go back one last time for the RV...hit the road, and enjoy for a while. The other thing we did this year, is buy annual passes to Disneyland for me and the DW. She loves it. I love that she’s happy. So we drive 400 miles each way about once a month and visit Mickey and friends for a couple of days. We have missed our springtime chance this year, but in the fall, we may have another chance to try some mountain/lake/riverside camping in our new state. But having had prostate cancer, and getting older, I can’t be too far away from the facilities at night (seems my bladder shrunk when they took out the prostate), so we will probably pick up a second RV, small class B+ or C, or maybe a small trailer...we’ve been talking about it for years, but I hope we finally pull the trigger. All in all, I’d say we probably spend upwards of 40% of our time traveling in some form. If I have my say, it will go up to maybe 60-70%. While it can cost us a bit of money, it seems we are happier, and we aren’t spending money on mindless junk we end up buying when we are home. One thing I will say about international travel, though: I’m done. While I was working, I was on a plane to some far off country 3-4 times a month. I think I have maybe one more place I’d like to see, that I never got to visit, which is Rome. I’d be content as I am now, but DW really wants to go some day. Other than that, I’m happy flying to Hawaii, and that’s about it.

 

[Diver]

We travel perpetually. Back in the states for 3 or 4 weeks in December to visit family. Otherwise, we are full-time vagabonds/perpetual travelers.

We are now about halfway through Year 4. We are currently in Istanbul, headed to Egypt for a month on Thursday (half of that diving the Red Sea). Still so much of the world we have not seen. We want to see as much as we can while we are able, and still have that burning desire. It is different than a vacation, though. We travel at our own speed, sometimes settling somewhere for a month or two, and then sometimes at a quicker pace more like a tourist. The beauty is traveling as we please, where we please, and at our own pace. I am sure we will eventually settle down somewhere, but that is still several years off, fingers crossed!

 

[FIYes]

Kim, we just got back from a transatlantic cruise and our experience was quite different from yours. We left out of Florida and had very calm seas the entire trip. I guess we were on a more southern route. Goes to show that you never know what you will end up with when traveling. This was only our second transatlantic cruise. If our first had been like yours there probably would not have been a second.

 

[Diver]

Kim, we just got back from a transatlantic cruise and our experience was quite different from yours. We left out of Florida and had very calm seas the entire trip. I guess we were on a more southern route. Goes to show that you never know what you will end up with when traveling. This was only our second transatlantic cruise. If our first had been like yours there probably would not have been a second.

You may have been on our transatlantic, NCL Epic to Barcelona leaving Port Canaveral April 27? We also enjoyed very calm seas the entire trip. I have heard that the northern routes can be rough at times.

 

[SheitlQueen]

This year I am finally getting around to enacting my plan of two big trips a year and a couple of small ones worked around the big travels. One big trip down, and the other is coming up in October. Problem is there are so many places to see, it's hard to decide!

 

[Dreamer]

I voted 1 or 2 big trips. This year, I went to Bermuda on a cruise in April, then we did a Viking River Cruise for 8 days on the Rhine river ( we had very good food) and spent 2 extra days in Switzerland and 2 extra days in The Netherlands in May. I am going on a NE/Nova Scotia cruise in September.

My DD's last boss asked her to come back to work and wanted her to start ASAP. So I volunteered to watch my 3 grandchildren for most of this summer in Matthews NC. We are leaving tomorrow to go there for my grandson's 3rd birthday on Friday and then coming back on Monday. We have 2 doctor appts the following week, a dentist cleaning and an echocardiogram. I told her I will be back down on the 9th and can start watching the kids then. They live 400 miles from us. My DH will be there from time to time, but is too antsy to be away from home that long.

I still need to schedule a trip to Ashville NC. My DD and her spouse gave us a gift to a bed and breakfast at Christmas. We will probably do that in the fall.

We flew KLM airlines to Switzerland and back to US from Amsterdam. I was dreading the flight experience after reading so many negative experiences on here. I was very pleasantly surprised. Both of those flights were the best that I have ever had.

I love traveling and hope to be able to keep doing it for quite a long time.

 

[FIYes]

You may have been on our transatlantic, NCL Epic to Barcelona leaving Port Canaveral April 27? We also enjoyed very calm seas the entire trip. I have heard that the northern routes can be rough at times.

Not that cruise...we took RCL to Amsterdam. Even with going to a more northern port we were fortunate not to encounter rough seas.

 

[brett]

We usually have four plans on the go after returning from our winter trip.

Two options for Sept/Oct both of which usually involve Europe. Two options for winter, one always includes Thailand and somewhere else, the other Mexico plus Costa Rica/Panama.

We usually pick one four-six weeks prior to our probable departure. Depends on air fares, what city we are departing from, etc.

The rest are auto trips or last minute AI's or cruises purchased close to departure date and usually for a week or so.