Should We Stay or Should We Go - Our Travel Journal

  As in regular life, when travelling things can go wrong - and at times - drastically wrong.  Recently, we had a travel day that challenged us - physically, mentally, and required us to dig deep to find extra patience. It was in January.  We were taking some back-to-back cruises - one of which left us with a day between the end of one cruise and the start of another.  As we were in Miami we thought we would rent a car and use that time to explore the upper Keys and the Everglades.  All went well until the next morning when it was time to drop off our rental car and head back to the port. What we didn’t know was there was a marathon that was happening in that area of Miami and was ending in a park right by the bridge leading over to the cruise ports. Challenge One Our first challenge came when we were trying to make our way back to the car rental centre. Many streets were closed for the marathon - and closures were happening in a very fluid manner. Streets were ...

Here’s a fun travel quiz for this lazy Sunday morning. Which Travel Style Matches My Personality? Which Travel Style Matches My Personality? See My Result I am an explorer. What about you? I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

One of my most favourite places I've been to was a beautiful little town in the Czech Republic. Our day in Český Krumlov felt like we were stepping onto the pages of a fairytale. It was a picture-perfect town complete with cobblestone streets, medieval buildings, a winding river, and a castle on a hill. After arriving in the port of Linz, Austria, (while on our river cruise) we boarded buses  and within  about 20 minutes we crossed the border into the Czech Republic. We travelled a little farther until we reached a magical little town on a bend of the  Vltava River - a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

  Today I'm sharing  a macro photo I took while walking in a moisture drenched forest.  One of my favourite things to do is to hike through a forest, taking in all the sights, smells, and sounds.

  Photo by Alex Azabache on Unsplash Life has a way of making us think that there will always be more time. More time to take the trip. More time to book the flight. More time to finally say, “this is the year we go.” And yet, somehow, “later” never quite arrives. I’ve seen it so many times -  and if I’m being honest, I’ve felt it too. We tell ourselves we’ll travel when things settle down. When work slows. When the house projects are done. When the timing is better, the money flows easier, or the calendar looks less full. There's always a reason to wait for a better time. Because just when one busy season ends, another one begins. Just when things feel manageable, something unexpected shows up. And before we know it, another year has passed - filled with good intentions, but very few stamped passports. The truth is, there will never be a perfect time to travel. Waiting is costing us more than taking the trip ever would. Travel doesn’t have to mean something extravaga...

Photo by Element5 Digital on Unsplash Some people are true planners when it comes to travel. My brother and sister-in-law are a perfect example. They can tell you, without hesitation, where they’ll be going two or even three years from now. Not just the destination, but the route, how they’ll get there, and all the details along the way. At any given time, they have several trips already lined up. It’s impressive! It's something I admire. I sometimes wish I could have everything planned out and organized that way. However, that’s just not how we travel. We tend to take a much more flexible approach. We do have a running list of places we’d love to see, but instead of planning years in advance, we tend to let timing and budget guide our decisions. More often than not, it starts with seeing what’s available. We keep an eye on seat sales, travel deals, and destinations where accommodations are reasonably priced. When something comes up at a good value - and it happens to match a place...

  Moraine Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada This is the most beautiful place I've ever seen.

We retired at the end of 2019, and it still feels a little surreal to say that out loud. After years of planning and talking about “someday,” we finally reached the point where someday became now. So, we celebrated the best way we know how - by traveling. At the beginning of January, we set off on our retirement trip, and one of our stops was the beautiful city of San Francisco . We had been there once before, but only for a couple of days, and it just wasn’t enough. This time, we gave ourselves a few extra days to really enjoy it.  Settling In We stayed at Hotel Riu Plaza Fisherman's Wharf, and it turned out to be the perfect choice for us. Close to everything, but just far enough away to be quiet at the end of a busy day. When it comes to accommodations, we’re pretty simple: clean, comfortable, updated, and good value. That’s it. This place checked all the boxes. We didn’t take advantage of most of the amenities (we were hardly in the room), but the outdoor seating areas w...

  Many years ago we were traveling through Alberta and British Columbia.  We came across this beautiful piece of pottery.  It was simple, but so different. Two spouts, one body, connected by a handle.   It is representative of the First Nations and Inuit population of Canada, and the meaning behind the vessel really spoke to us. The Wedding Vase A wedding vase is a symbolic piece of pottery, traditionally used to represent the joining of two people. The design usually features two spouts connected to a single chamber, often with a handle linking them. In many traditions, during a wedding ceremony, each person drinks from one spout at the same time. The idea is simple: two individuals sharing from the same source, in balance and cooperation. If one person drinks too quickly or without regard for the other, it doesn’t quite work - so it’s a bit of a gentle metaphor for how a partnership should function. While versions of wedding vases are often associated with dif...

Over the years, we’ve really come to enjoy traveling with our boys. It was always a lot of fun when they were younger, but now that they’re in their late 20s and early 30s, it feels even more enjoyable. It’s definitely different than it used to be. When they were kids, we were the ones doing most of the planning and setting the pace. We made sure everything ran smoothly, and there was always quite a bit to think about. It was busy, but it was also a very special time. Now, things have shifted. Traveling together feels much more relaxed. The responsibility is shared, decisions are made together, and everyone brings something a little different to the experience. There’s an ease to it now that we really appreciate. One of my favourite parts is hearing their perspectives. They see the world differently than we do, and that has added so much to our travels. They’ll notice things we might have walked right past, or suggest something we wouldn’t have thought to do. It’s been fun to step back...