It made me want summer.
So naturally, that 
got me to thinking about vacation... and this past week, I've had traveling on the brain. I pulled out my travel scrapbooks and looked at pictures from London and Paris and Australia. I flipped through the pages of my Starr Tours catalog to see if there were any good trips coming up. I even put up a Facebook poll asking for vacation suggestions.
got me to thinking about vacation... and this past week, I've had traveling on the brain. I pulled out my travel scrapbooks and looked at pictures from London and Paris and Australia. I flipped through the pages of my Starr Tours catalog to see if there were any good trips coming up. I even put up a Facebook poll asking for vacation suggestions. It's been 4 years since I went on my last BIG vacation - and by big, I mean "leaving the country for 3 weeks" big. For the past few years, I've spent my summers looking for a new job, working summer school, and taking little day trips or weekend trips (mostly to the beach)... but no REAL vacations. I'm ready for another big adventure.
Last summer, I really wanted to go on vacation, but I didn't have anyone to go with.
(Sidenote: when your friends get married and have kids, they take family vacations to Disneyworld, and there are no more drunken weekends in Wildwood. Sigh.) I decided to carpe my diem and go on a solo vacation for the first time. I went to a lovely little lake town an hour away (a suggestion from a co-worker), and I stayed in a bed & breakfast (something I've always wanted to do). 
On the surface, it was the perfect vacation. The B&B was awesome: comfy room, delicious breakfasts, wraparound porch with a view of the beach. The houses in the town were amazing, the beach was clean, and the lake in the center of town was scenic. But after the first day, I was itching for company. I'm a social creature. I can go shopping alone or go to the movies alone, but going on vacation alone? I'm glad I did it once, but now I know that it's not for me.So now it's almost March, and I'm planning ahead. I really want to travel this summer, but I really don't want to travel alone. I have to start thinking about my options, put some money aside, and possibly find someone to travel with. I've got time, but I definitely don't want to leave it until the last minute.
Who needs money? Your last vacation PAID you to go somewhere and it was one of your best memories as I recall you telling me.
ReplyDeleteJust look for ways to go that would offer free passage. I am looking into the possibility of short work on a cargo ship to get to Europe or as an organ carrier (vis a vie Bart Simpson).
There are also some really weird things that you could try like Couch Crashing or Hostels. Movies like SAW aside, they aren't that bad, especially when you think about the cash that save. Many places I saw overseas got me free invites to stay on someones couch if I wanted to visit for a few days. Naturally you return the favor if they want to visit the USA (also because you get to know these people and they become naturally trusted friends). If you can line up three houses, you have 9 day vacation and many places to visit (ie 3 houses in 3 nearby cities that are large or filled with stuff you want to see or do gets you a lot of things to do).
Obviously it goes without saying that schmoozing and buying lunch or a nice dinner as a means of saying thank you goes a long way towards a revite or referral to other towns. I've got a few saved up for some places in other cities in Colombia already as well as the UK.
Carpe it and don't stand around waiting for Diem to show!!! ;p
I'm not sure which vacation you're referring to, but I've never been paid to go anywhere. That would be nice, though :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, thanks for the suggestions, but money isn't my main issue right now. I think you missed the point of this post, lol. My point was that a) I don't know where to go and b) I don't feel like traveling alone. So I need to figure out where to go and who to go with... or where to go and who to visit while I'm there...