Traveling in 2018 (The Year Of The Dog).

A TIME FOR TRAVELING

I have designated 2018, “the year of the dog”, as a time for traveling.  This year, 2017, was was my year to get a few issues sorted out.  My wife and I have traveled a little but only to see our kids and do family things like going to the beach.  Now there are only two months left in the year.  With the holiday season approaching it appears that travel is out of the question before the end of the year.  So, it is time to start planning for “the year of the dog” .

GETTING AWAY

Traveling for me is way to escape.  The problem with staying close to home is you get intertwined in the lives of friends and family.  Don’t get me wrong I love my family and friends and appreciate them very much.  But, there is a point at which love and support can change into something that controls your life.  It seems everyone has some issue in their life that needs to be resolved.

When I am traveling I feel unencumbered and free to be myself.  I would like stay on the road at least six months a year.  However, my wife does not have the same love of travel as me.  Actually, I think she would never step foot on a plane without encouragement. The good part is when we do travel together we always have a good time and bring back great memories.

WHERE AND WHEN TO GO

Since I have designated 2018 as a year for traveling, the next step is to decide where, when and how to go.  In the past we have created our own itineraries. Once that was done we just caught a plane to the first place on our trip and free lanced it from there.  It gives you a lot of freedom to change your itinerary and schedule from day to day.

That is difficult to do with an organized tour.  Although you may get more bang for your buck with a tour group, my wife and I prefer to stay in places longer to get a better feel for the local culture.  We love meeting new people and hearing about their lives.  We love art and historic places too.  But that is not our primary focus.  We much prefer to immerse ourselves in the local culture.  So, touring with a group probably won’t happen.  But, I am checking them out.

PLANNED TRIPS

Unfortunately,  we are not far along in the planning of where to immerse ourselves next.   The only trips we have scheduled for next year are two weeks in February at Hutchinson Island, Florida, near Ft. Pierce and four days in May in Manhattan, Kansas for our grandson Jeff’s college graduation. The rest of the year is wide open.

MAKING THE DECISION

I have looked at traveling to Southeast Asia, South America, Central America, Eastern Europe and other places.  And, I have researched round the world, transatlantic and shorter cruises.  Going somewhere new is always enticing but so is revisiting places that have stuck in your mind.  As you can see I am struggling  about  where to go and what to do next.  I will figure it out.  That is part of the fun.

There are some good travel blogs that provide a wealth of information from folks who make their living traveling and writing about it.  One of my favorites is The Solitary Wanderer by Aleah Phils.  There are others like travelFreak  by Jeremy Scott Foster and An Epic Education by Jason ( don’t know his last name).

I have read that you should pick somewhere you have not been or ever thought of going for the most rewarding experience.  For me that would be sub-Saharan African.  One reason I am hesitant to do that is Alaska never appealed to me.  I have been there and it still does not appeal to me.  Maybe India is in my future.

One thing I do know is that I need to get busy and make plans.  If I don’t other things will surely fill my calendar.  They always do.