Our Travel History
Introduction
We have enjoyed our travel adventures to many places over the years. While some folks would prefer to trek around Mongolia, we stick with more familiar settings. However, our travel philosophy includes lots of "serendipity", and spending time in places far away from the hotel bar. This trip list doesn't include business travel, even though it is possible to take time off from such drudgery, and see the countryside. Nor do we include household moves or family visits (unless something really stands out).
Money and Travel
It may appear that we have spent a fortune on travel, but actually our independent way of getting around is not expensive at all. While we have often travelled on our own, saving a lot of money, we have now caught the cruising "bug". When you get sticker-shock from some of the cruise prices, remember that similar land arrangements are often far more expensive. Of course there are ways to save money and still enjoy a cruise. For instance, our first "cruise" to Alaska was on the Alaska State Ferry. Other times, if your schedule allows, you can get "last minute" cruise deals. If you are even curious about cruising, do try CruiseCritic, a place to meet other cruisers, and find out about particular ships and ports of call.
Anyway, when we travel (non-cruise), we don't fly First Class (our tailbones are starting to complain about that one). We eat the best food we can find, without paying for the setting (at least, not too often), and we eat and drink the local products. We picnic at least one meal a day, if we can. We don't demand that everything be "just like home". We definitely don't stay at the "Holiday Inns" all over the world.
Some people argue that the money you spend on travel is money gone. Certainly, it is not an investment like the stock market, or your house. However, the experiences (both good and bad) gained from travel are priceless and irreplaceable. Consider this: If you are a baseball fan, do you regret buying those wonderful, but costly, tickets to see your team play? There is no substitute for the memories and experiences first-hand.
Our personal advice is:
Don't wait until you've amassed enough money for your dream
trip, it just won't happen. We both remember traveling with
our families when we were young. In order to save money, our
parents drove us around the U. S., we camped or used a
trailer to save money. Yes, it could be boring,
the car trips were long and hot, camping could be a drag. However,
those memories are priceless, and we saw parts of our nation
that we have never revisited since.
Don't wait until you are too old,
tired, or sick to travel, either. Enjoy it while you can.
Cruising
How did all this cruising start? Well, we had a bad cruise experience early on in our marriage, and swore not to do it again. We relented in 1997, and enjoyed the Star Clipper. Now we have had positive experiences on several great cruises: twice on the "Norwegian Star" in 2003, through the Panama Canal on the Legend of the Seas in 2004, and again through the canal in 2005 on the Pride of America. We took the inaugural cruise on the Pride of Hawai'i, and revisted Alaska in early 2007. We have "caught the bug", and now that we are retired, have plans for a lot more cruising.
Our Travel History
Here is a short history of our travels (listed in reverse chronology) both together, and individually before Sandra and I became an item.
Index of years:
2007
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2006
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2005
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2004
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2003
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2002
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2001
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2000
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1999
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1998
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1997
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1996
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1995
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1994
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1993
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1992
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1991
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1990
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1989
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1988
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1987
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1986
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1985
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1984
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1983
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1982
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1981
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1980
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1979
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1978
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1977
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1976
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1974
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1973
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1972
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1971
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1968
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1967
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1966
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1965
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1964
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1963
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1962
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1950's
Where We Haven't Been, But Want To Go
Australia (now that we've seen NZ)
Cruise of the Baltic
Transylvania (Bob recently read a
book of travels about the area)
Some Places We Would Like to Revisit
Europe, especially Berlin
Canals and Rivers of Europe
Hong Kong
New Zealand
Alaska (any time)
Panama Canal (any time)
Southern Oregon
Canals and Rivers of England (and even Ireland, too)
More Links
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