Wednesday, September 8, 2010

We could do these!

We're getting ready for our trip to Maine. We leave Friday morning, and I have loose ends to take care of: (1) Putting together an executor's binder, just in case - it's been on my computer for ages but I've finally printed it out; (2) Making sure I have all our Maine travel details in a folder - we're going without a car and using public transportation instead, spending six days on a schooner and then seven days on an island; (3) Cleaning out the refrigerator - we're doing a home exchange with the couple who owns the island house; (4) Thinking about how I'll get six days worth of clothing into one carry-on bag - we'll be on a sailboat with no washer and dryer; (5) Getting ready to clean up the front porch and the back deck to welcome our home exchange partners.

I was interrupted by my own curiosity about future trip possibilities. After exploring multiple websites, I found two on Exploritas. I've read the itineraries to my husband Art, and he agrees that these two are what we're looking for, for places we've talked about visiting: (1) Journey of a Lifetime: Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Next spring, maybe. And (2) Trans-Siberian Railway from Beijing to Moscow. The following spring, maybe. These trips cost more than our usual ones, but they motivate me to be frugal, to take fewer trips, closer to home, using timeshares or home exchanges.

Between the time I quit my job in June, and next January, we'll have taken eight trips. I must have been travel starved. By January I should be ready to stay home more of the time, so we'll be able to save for the big ones.

I hope.


9 comments:

Linda said...

Sounds like excellent planning to me.

Linda Reeder said...

Home sharing - a great idea. Ihave no idea how we would arrange that. But then we don't like to stay in one place very long when we travel. After four major trips in four years, we have stayed closer to home, trying to replenish our savings before going abroad again. We do travel to Colorado three times a year to see the kids.

Linda Myers said...

Linda R, check out www.homelink-usa.com and www.couchsurfing.org.

Teresa Evangeline said...

Sounds like great fun. May I ask, which island in Maine?

Linda Myers said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Linda Myers said...

Peaks Island, accessible by ferry from Portland.

See the schooner at www.schoonerheritage.com.

Arkansas Patti said...

Now that is how to do retirement. What a neat trip and Maine is such a beautiful state. A schooner?? how really wonderful.
Enjoy and take a bunch of pictures.

DJan said...

Since I traveled so much in my work life, I got that all out of my system, I guess, since even traveling to the East Coast a few weeks back caused me to miss my routine here. But I'm glad you are getting all these trips behind you. I wish I had been a photographer earlier in my travels, but I still have massive amounts of pictures anyway. I sometimes go through them looking for a particular one. Yours will grace your blog in the future, I'm sure.

Deb Shucka said...

Traveling mercies. I hope you have a wonderful time. Looking forward to hearing about your adventures.