Who are you?
Who are you? It has been our experience that the failure to fully understand that question causes more travel angst than any other question you will face in planning a great trip. In that question I am asking you to carefully examine who you are. When I ask, “Who are you?” I’m not trying to be obtuse. The question isn't an Indiana Jones search for the Holy Grail type of question, but a request for you to analyze your interests, your personality, and the current condition of your health. But no doubt about it --- it is “the big question” around which the success of the entire trip pivots. It’s the big question.
When I answer the same question --- and the answer changes year after year --- I know, for example, I’m not going barhopping in London. So, I don’t plan on going barhopping in London, and I don’t go dancing, and I don’t do lots of other things. I know that tells you a lot about our trips, and about me. And if you raise eyebrows about my not dancing --- you should see what’s her name dance. Again, I digress.
But this is all about you. So, are you plural? If so check below: Going Together.
When you consider both your age and health in planning the trip, be totally realistic. Basically, Europe is not user friendly. Now what do I mean by that? At the same time independent travel should not seem so daunting or cause such hesitation that you abandon the opportunity to experience the wonders of independent travel. Open the door and pass through. There is essentially only one problem in traveling independently and that is a lack of preparation. Every year millions enjoy independent travel because they have prepared. Go for it.
What did I mean by user friendly?
Look at these steps:
No, those steps do not lead to your apartment, but they are not uncommon, and in fact they may very well take you to a castle or a secret garden or a private ocean-pounding cove that will prove to be the highlight of the trip.
I think this is called a sidebar but look at those steps again. In our big suitcase we always carry folding walking sticks ---and no, walking sticks are not canes. Fred Astaire carries a cane; we carry walking sticks.
Another word about your age and general health. Tour groups will make certain that you never encounter steps like the ones above, or like the cobbled stone street below but if you can climb those steps and walk that street with a song in your heart then you just need to tighten your boots, and step into new adventures. We can only repeat the old saw about the path less traveled.
One more look at the pictures. I write very little about “shoes”, but that the word “boots” comes up much more often. Going to the theatre or the opera shoes are smart looking, but most days your feet should be snuggled up in good boots, that is, comfortable waterproof boots. As a young women Deed learned how to say “blisters” in 7 languages.
A little more about “walking” and “boots”. As an independent traveler you can easily expect to walk 4-8 hours a day either in the cities or from village to village. Today, our walking limit is about 4 hours a day, and it’s frequently the kind of walking where I’m looking for a bench and a cool drink. Preparation. Are you prepared? So go buy your boots now and begin a walking routine.
TIP! How much should you expect to pay for a good pair of boots? Good question. You will hear more than once that I’m on the frugal side (this will come up time and again) and generally it’s true but there are exceptions. Here are the exceptions where money is never the issue: boots, rain gear, backpack, socks, and cheese. On these items the only consideration is quality.
Your interests should be a major building block in putting together the itinerary and answering the big question. At one time I defined myself as “urban cool”, but at my age any village over 10,000 people is defined as a metropolitan colossus and is to be avoided at all costs. I don’t think anyone over 30, maybe 35, is allowed in London.
Start to build the trip around your interests AND disinterests.
You may want to adjust your mindset in thinking about cities. In the United States no one takes a 2-week vacation to Toledo, Detroit, or Cleveland or almost any other American city. Americans go from cities, not to cities. In Europe people go to Paris, Prague, and Copenhagen because they are historic, romantic, and energized. Certainly, Americans have cities that are attractive options, but they are few in number and the stay is seldom more than 3 nights.
It always seems to come back to that guy who said, “Know Thyself”. There is no bad itinerary if it matches your interests. Build your trip around food, music, hiking, culture, gardens, theatre, architecture, or tiny toy soldiers. We like fields of sheep--- don’t go there.
What do I mean by “personal traits”? I am now at the age I hate noise (London Underground or today’s notion of music), and I avoid huge unwieldy crowds, and late nights are no longer fun. From that brief list of personal traits, you logically should expect to find me in some small coastal village in Spain, or in the foothills of Sicily, but not at Trafalgar Square in the noise of central London. And you would be smack on.
Who are you traveling with? This is important. To make the trip successful everyone needs to dip their oars together. Shared experiences are a lifetime of cozy memories and need to be shared, so your travel companions should at least have a similar set of interests and temperaments that compliment yours.
Finally, consult and evaluate your travel experiences. At my age there is more clarity and less need to play mind games making it so much easier to find all the real joys that life has to offer.