Planning ahead - way ahead
Wednesday, July 17, 2024 at 08:46AM
If all goes according to plan, at this time next year I will be just finishing a two week boat-bike trip from Passau, Germany to the Iron Gates in Romania along the Danube River. Yes, it is a year away. This is not the only trip planned. This fall my friend Heidi and I will do a road trip to Glacier Park and Banff. And in January we will head to Argentina and Chili to hike and cruise Southern Patagonia. And I have my eyes open for a possible trip somewhere interesting this November or December. I ask myself if I am wise to plan travel so far out in the future. What if the politics in a country that is to be visited turn violent? What if I should experience a health or financial issue in the next few months? What if Heidi comes to her senses and decides she doesn’t want to travel with me? Yes, I do buy travel insurance for these distant, somewhat costly journeys, but should I really be booking this far out? It is perhaps my experience last summer that motivated me to reserve an early spot on these organized tours. Both Venice and Yosemite were jam-packed with tourists when we visited in 2023. Scoping out the websites of a couple of my favorite travel companies, Road Scholar and Boat Bike Tours, I found that specific dates for many of their tours fill quickly. I often get a discount for early booking. Newspapers report that despite all the whining about inflation, the US is currently experiencing record-breaking numbers of people flying and driving on vacations. National parks are requiring reservations to travel on certain roads (or even enter the park). Venice is starting to charge a day tourist fee to reduce the number of visitors and no longer allows cruise ships to dock in the heart of the city. I just want to be at the head of the queue by booking early. Perhaps as you read this, you are asking yourself “Do retired people actually need vacations?” Well, “need” is a tricky word. Do I need a break from a stressful job? No, I love my volunteer work. Do I have young children I would like to see have an adventure? Not anymore. Have I not experienced much of the world and would like to explore other places and cultures? I’ve been to over 60 countries, so not really. I “need” these vacations for the same reason people need other hobbies or recreational opportunities like woodworking, golf, or bing-watching worthless streaming series. They give me pleasure - something both to look forward to as well as to remember. In planning my retirement, I purposely chose to live in a small, inexpensive home, drive a modest car, drink cheap wine, and eat out only a couple times a week. I simply economize where and when I can so I can spend my discretionary income on travel. (Even when traveling by myself, I tend to be more of a Motel 6 rather than Hilton kind of spender.) One reality of being well into one’s eighth decade of taking up space on Earth is that no one is guaranteed that their physical or mental health will last. Aches and pains, memory lapses, contemporaries disabled or dead, all are warning signs that I may not be able to bike along the Danube River five years from now. If I am going to hike Torres del Paines, I gotta do it NOW. So “do it while you can” is my new motto. Perhaps it should be everyone’s. Life doesn’t give you many guarantees.
Reader Comments (4)
Good for you! Traveling is such a fabulous thing to do, now that we have the time. I am soooooo jealous! My husband and I have gone on a few trips overseas, but I always wish we could do more. We miss seeing you at Kiwanis. #njoy your travlls.
Hi Jaci,
Nice to get your comment. Thanks for mentioning Kiwanis - I now have a reference for how I know you! I've been gone from the club for about 10 years. I am active in a Rotary club here in Burnsville however.
Hope you get some traveling in.
Doug
I love following your travels! We've always loved traveling but when we retired 17 years ago, we increased our number of trips per year! We were able to travel during low peak times so it didn't cost as much. Our theory is that we need to make memories now so that when we are unable to travel, we will have plenty of photos to look at and lots of memories to relive. We want to live with no regrets about not doing the things we wanted to do together.
Hi Pat,
I think we share some of the same values regarding why we travel. I enjoy reading your travel experiences as well. I hope I can still travel after being retired for 17 years! Oh, and I think from reading your posts, you are even more frugal than I am!
Doug