Travel Warrior AKA Savvy Traveler

All who know me know that traveling has been a major part of my life. I’ve traveled alone, with someone but either way, I’ve loved doing it. Much of the fun for me has been doing my own research to find the best fares, the best routes, the best accommodation, etc.  A bit time-consuming but fun accompanied by a feeling of having beaten the system. That all has changed now.

It seems airlines can do anything to change routes, quote different prices from one day to the next, charge extra for just about anything, never mind the extra cost or inconvenience. Since there are no alternative options when long distance flying, you’re stuck. Paying the exorbitant price for business or first class is no protection from some of these inconveniences.

I recently had to plan a trip from Grenada to Columbus, Ohio and then from Chicago to Grenada. I was happy to have found a reasonable fare but the connections were impossible, all involving long waiting times between connections. This left the choice of spending eight hours at an airport in the middle of the night    or booking a hotel to sleep for about five hours. At our age sitting in an airport for such a long time is not an option, so hotel it is. Suddenly you now have to add the  cost of the hotel, so that great airfare is meaningless.

Hubby likes window seats, more money; I like aisle seats, more money. If I want more leg room, I must either pay more or be willing to sit at the emergency exit. In addition to all this, the amount of time spent getting the trip organized is hours and hours.
What to do? Much as I don’t want to, I think the next trip I’ll let a travel agent deal with the frustration.

Travel 2023

Some travelers like to use travel agents for all their travel plans, some enjoy doing  their own research and making their own arrangements. I belong to the former group. For the past many years I’ve loved the challenge of finding the most direct, the least expensive ways to get to my destination. That’s all changed now.
Finding the most direct, least expensive way to get to my destination has become  a major hassle, a source of frustration and a time consuming endeavor. Here’s why:

• Airfares are all over the place and change constantly in unpredictable ways
• To do the research, you must pull up several sites - a tedious process
• The airlines will route you in all sorts of ways, none of it making any sense, going north to travel south, going west to travel east, going to small cities nowhere near your destination
• Extra costs are tacked on for minimal comfort, for window seats, minimally  more leg room, etc

Am I ready to go to travel agents? Not quite yet, though I must admit that now when traveling, I have to concentrate on my destination and try to just put up with the challenges of getting there. I still find some satisfaction in getting what I consider a good deal.

Travelling again

The decision to travel is not as simple as it once was but the travel bug eventually bites. We have a grandson’s wedding to attend a year from now, so a trip back to Chicago is a must. As we love our former home, this is always a trip to look forward to.
 
In addition, we have been talking about a river cruise for some time. As we discussed it with friends, several expressed a desire to join us. No decision has been made yet as to which river, but September 2023 has been agreed upon as  the time.
 


​We all agree that in order to travel as hassle free as possible, we have to remain flexible as while covid is still with us (and it will be for some time to come) we have to accept that plans might have to be changed at the last minute. No problem.

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​The different ways we travel

What is the best way to travel? How do you make sure your trip is one to remember for many years to come? Do you take lots of pictures? Do you write a travel diary?

These are all good things to do but much, much more important is to know what style of traveller you are.

Two of my good friends are fortunate enough to be able to travel 1st class all the way. They fly 1st class. They book intimate, specially designed tours for small groups. They stay in 5-star hotels, who book their travel, so every detail of the trip is taken care of.  All they do is show up & enjoy the trip. This may be terrific, but this is definitely not my style of travel.

Another friend has no fixed abode, she travels full time, looks for dance groups, as dancing is her passion, finds amazing accommodations, stays for as long as the visa requirements of a particular country allow, gets involved in volunteering for animal shelters or thrift shops & has incredible adventures. Neither is this my style; I need my nest to go back to after traveling.

Yet another friend goes traveling with specific tour groups offering educational tours, all inclusive but focused on cultural immersion. Me? I like to do my own cultural immersion like going to a grocery store & looking at what people eat & buying some food item I’ve never eaten before.

Another one, decided that after retiring, she would travel the world for 6 months out of the year before choosing a place to settle. She travels by herself, makes all her own arrangements, meets all sorts of fascinating people.
So, my point is there is no correct way to travel. You can choose according to temperament, budget, time, energy, interest, where & how you will travel.

Now, to my way of doing it. I’m an experiential traveler, meaning, I love to explore on my own, go off the beaten path, arrange everything myself, choose places I’ve either visited & want to re-visit or places I’ve not seen before. I do the research for best airfares, most convenient accommodations & most convenient time for us to travel.

My 1st go to for airfares, has been Cheapoair for many years. Though on occasion, I’ve found airline fares comparable, most of the time, Cheapoair offers the best prices, best connections & their customer support service is good. They’ve been around a long time, know their business, have flexible add-ons for hotel & car rental, offer travel insurance, so they get my business almost all the time. This is strictly a personal choice, there are many other companies you can investigate/use.

​For accommodation, I always stay away from hotel chains or any fancy hotels. They’re pretty much the same the world over. I want to be where ordinary people live, want to see where they shop, ride the bus or train they ride. Either a local hostelry or Airbnb is my choice. Since I’m a retired Realtor & have always been curious about how people arrange their living spaces, renting Airbnb gives me a chance to see what a typical apartment looks like, what appliances they use, what type of furniture, etc. Again, this is strictly a personal choice & if it feels too adventurous to you, do what feels comfortable.

Tours are great but I try to avoid them. I love to just wander around aimlessly, duck into a grocery store to see what people eat, go into a temple or church, a clothing store or bookstore. If a place is completely unfamiliar to me & I don’t speak the language, I might take a tour just to get an idea of the place. Getting lost doesn’t bother me, most people are very helpful to tourists. I’m reminded of a trip to Brussels where 3 of us wanted to go to the museum, got lost getting there, were directed & found it, got lost coming back to the hotel , after receiving 3 or 4 contradictory directions, foot sore, we just gave up & took a taxi.
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The main thing is to just get out there & travel as much as you can. There’s no other experience to compare to what you see & learn while travelling if you keep an open mind & realize that there are so many ways to do it, no excuse will do to not just pick up and go. There’s nothing sadder that listening to an older person expressing regret at not having travelled while they could.

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Here’s a really different way to enjoy retirement. I met my friend Maureen LoBue several years ago when she was living in Grenada. ​I was amazed by her story & have followed her travels ever since. Not everyone could do this but if you could, wouldn’t it be a fun way to be retired?

A nomad, how cool is that?   

Six years ago my life took an unpredicted turn and I found myself starting a whole new life that would prove to be not just unpredictable, but adventurous! I became a nomad; a person with absolutely no possessions except what can be carried in a suitcase, a person with no base to return to, a person with no clear plan, a person with total freedom.
 
“How cool is that?”, you ask. Well, at times it is pretty darn cool. And at times it’s pretty darn uncertain and maybe even a bit nerve wracking. While it sounds like a continual joy ride, it does have its ups and downs.
 
This lifestyle requires some organizational skills for sure. I keep a document to track my dates, destinations, travel, housing, and costs. I spend a lot of time researching my future homes. Two priorities top the list of my home decision; crime rate & cost of living. If a destination passes both of those, I look more closely.
 
On the upside, this is the most fun I've ever had. In 6 years I have lived in 24 different countries and counting. I love to learn about cultures so I live locally, I volunteer, and I get involved in social and dance groups. By the time I arrive at a new home, I typically have some of that already set up. I always have my housing set up before I arrive. On the downside occasionally I’ve arrived to discover my new home is not exactly what I expected. This is where flexibility comes in, a definite requirement of the lifestyle.
 
On the upside, I have met so many incredibly great people and have been able to stay connected with a number of them. I now have friends from all over the world. Some have come to visit me in other countries. On the downside, I can't do long-term social commitments.
 
On the upside, I get a lot of new hair styles. On the downside, that’s because I don’t have a regular hair stylist! I also don’t have a regular doctor or dentist. As a US visitor, I am usually restricted to a 3 month stay in a country, not enough time to establish those.
 
On the upside I can literally choose where in the world I want to explore next. On the downside, I do not have a stable base to return to. I cannot collect things to take back home. I cannot buy things to put in storage. I commonly do not have my home destinations set up more than 6 - 9 months ahead. That is a level of insecurity that many people would struggle with.
 
On the upside, I do not have a mailing address at my homes since I’m living there temporarily so I don’t ever get junk mail! But on the downside, I also don't ever order anything online.
 
On the upside I travel at least every 3 months (and often a short trip or two in between) so I accumulate a lot of airline miles that help with travel expenses. On the downside, I travel a lot...and airline travel in particular is not a fun part of my lifestyle!
 
People often ask if I’m enjoying my holiday. My answer is, “I’m not on holiday, I live here.” Wherever my house or apt is, with my little treasures to make it mine, this is home. And I love it, with all its ups and downs. It is cool, indeed.
 
You can find out more and follow my stories on my website at www.nomaddancer.com.

​Warm Regards,
​Maureen
Posted November 2018 

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