For years, I have been asked to share my adventure stories, tips and travel insight with people I know and even some that I don’t. I keep detailed Google Docs on all of our trips for my own records and have ended up sharing many. Hopefully this will be a place that more people like me will be able to find a little nugget that helps take a simple trip up a notch to a memorable adventure. So here goes…..BUT FIRST a little background –
I am neither a writer, nor a travel agent (or photographer for that matter). I am just a wife, mom, nurse and lover of adventure and travel, especially when that helps me (and my family and friends) see more of God’s natural beauty and unique landmarks or historical places. I grew up, like many, making a few trips to the beach and that was the extent of my traveling. And, this was only palatable when I could bring a friend along. Then when I was in high school, my mom started “helping” her friend who owned a travel agency. The next thing I knew she was working there fulltime and taking several “fam” (familiarization) trips a year. Most of these, I did not get to go on. But once, she took me to the newly opened Mall of America because her airfare and hotel were free. My eyes started opening…..
My freshman year in college my stepdad and I took a scuba class. To celebrate our “graduation”, we went to Grand Cayman Island for a long weekend to get some “real” dives in (rather than diving in the stripper pits near Terre Haute, IN). I was quickly hooked on the warm, clear blue-green water so different from the cold, brown Atlantic that was the beach I was used to. Soon after that, my mom and stepdad started cruising anywhere and everywhere. She became a cruise “specialist” and, of course, we all “had” to go along occasionally.
My senior year of college was the time I was able (as a nursing major) to go to Harlaxton – the University of Evansville’s British campus. Frankly, my adventurous spirit went out the window. I was terrified and NOT going! I didn’t want anything to do with being away, out of the country, from family and friends for an entire semester of school, no way, no how! My mother would not take “no” for an answer! She bought my ticket and completed everything without my knowledge. Of course, I quickly figured this out and dug my heels in. She was stronger though. She packed my bags and shipped me off (I literally cried all the way from Robinson, IL to Heathrow and beyond). After 2-3 days of crying as well as not sleeping or eating, I realized that it was actually pretty amazing in that castle! Then I realized I really didn’t want to be at home! My roommate and I traveled EVERY weekend. We slept on trains and in youth hostels. We ate peanut butter and day old bread. We lived on <$50 a weekend that semester (not including our train tickets which we bought before leaving the US) so we could get to as many countries as possible! Here is the list: England (multiple destinations like London, Bath, Stonehenge, Stratford-upon-Avon, Nottingham, Cambridge, Eyam – where they used “social distancing” to isolate the citizens from the bubonic plague, etc etc), Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Russia. Then in December, when it was time to come home, I cried again….the adventure bug was fully ingrained.
Fast forward to our honeymoon, my husband and I were lucky enough to spend 10 days in Hawaii – Honolulu (mostly for Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona) then a few days each on Maui and Kauai. We also took a few adults only Caribbean cruises before kids. After kids, we did Disney multiple times including 3 Disney cruises and spent a lot of time on my childhood beloved beach island, Fripp Island, SC. We were traveling, but not REALLY finding ADVENTURE. During a conversation with an acquaintance when our oldest was about 11 or 12, we were discussing a sort of “bucket list” of places to visit before kids get too old. I was like, “yep, we are going to do ALL that….” until I realized that we only had a very few summers/holidays left to get it “ALL” in.
My mom (who passed away several years prior to this) came out in me. I started looking at places, trips, lists, blogs, prices, reviews, etc, etc, etc. I made a “mental” list of places we “needed” to see, and this list constantly changed (changes, is changing…)
This brings me to this blog. If I can help steer one family into the right vacation spot, tour, restaurant, activity, all this writing will be worth it. I plan to start with how I go about deciding on a destination then generally speaking about how I pick lodging, tours, hikes, restaurants, adventures. After that I will begin with the most current and work my way backward through some (maybe eventually all) of our trips highlighting the good and bad so folks can know our experiences when planning their own adventures. Happy Travels!