The Childfree Life

We're staying in Canada this year and doing Newfoundland in July and Montreal in September. We've never been to Newfoundland and we're looking forward to whale and puffin watching, exploring, and live music at all the pubs in St. John's.

^^That sounds amazing, Laces! Newfoundland is on my bucket list, but I haven’t quite managed to make it out there yet. Whale watching is amazing (I’ve done it in Nova Scotia) and puffins are the most adorable little birds (I saw them in Scotland). You’ll have to come back and update us!

Not right now it isn't.

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The admin formerly known as Force10

^^^ Real temp right now in Duluth is -19F. Days like today I don't miss my eight years in MN!

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"There is no bad weather, only bad clothes." - Unknown

It's cold as hell in Michigan, so I think I can survive Duluth if it's still cold as hell at the end of February. I'm not sure how much site seeing we'll get in. I don't know what the playing schedule is. We're staying in an Airbnb close to curling club which is close to downtown so maybe we'll get to experience the night life a bit.

So true - as you've said as long as you don't over extend yourself financially and travel within budget, there's no need to look back at the cost and overall money spent on travel. I think I've only totted up how much I spend on travel when I was doing a household budget one time, and I swiftly put an end to doing that! If I know I can afford it, I just book it. I just think of the amazing time I'll have and that this is my life to live.

If I find I'm trying to talk myself out of spending that much on travelling, I imagine myself in a nursing home when I'm old and the possible regrets I might have; I know if I don't travel when I can and want to I'll regret it. Life and circumstances can change and you just have to do it when you can.

This May it'll be a round trip of Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Bosnia, then New York in October for me - roll on!!

Work to live not the other way around

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Life by design, not default.

That sounds awesome! Croatia is supposed to be beautiful.

Figuring out how much money you've spent travelling is an eye opener. The last time I did it I was closing in on six figures ... and I don't regret any of it.

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Some people meditate. Some people caffeinate and vegetate.

I have no idea what we've spent total. Our first real vacation was a nine-day trip to Scotland, but we lived in England at the time, so that helped things. That was in 1993.

Another significant trip was a 1995 21-day European coach trip, and then we moved back to the US. It was like our farewell tour. I was an international travel newbie, because I remember we paid a reasonable amount for that trip, like it didn't shock me, but we were traveling from England (the trip started in Munich). I remember overhearing some of the stateside vacationers talking about their costs, and it was jaw-dropping to me then.

After that, I can list our trips pretty easily:

2003-London
2007-Ireland
2009-London
2010-Danube river cruise
2012-Alaskan cruise
2015-Prague/Munich
2017-London
2018-Ireland
2018-England (Cotswolds)
2019-England (Suffolk)
2020-Norway/London

One thing I will say...we spend money to get somewhere, but at our age, the souvenirs are pretty done with. If either of us buy anything, it's a hat or a jacket, a pair of shoes or something useful like that.

We found on our last trip, once we got the credit card bill, we were really surprised at how reasonable it was. The exchange rate was good, no doubt, but when you're not buying a tacky pullover from every attraction you visit, it makes a difference.

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"There is no bad weather, only bad clothes." - Unknown

We're talking about going up north for our wedding anniversary in June and then taking another small trip somewhere else after my husband gets back from China in August. We haven't decided where yet.

In 2023, we joked that we should go to New Orleans for our 20 year anniversary and have an actual parade. You can actually do that for like $300 plus the cost of a brass band. We might actually do that.

^^^ That would be really cool.

I've been to/through NO twice, both times very unimpressed, but it wasn't as a tourist. I'd still love to go back, if only to see the tombs.

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"There is no bad weather, only bad clothes." - Unknown