I have been traveling independently since the summer after I graduated university, when I took a two-month budget solo trip across Europe.
I had not originally planned to travel alone. When the friend from high school who was planning to join me backed out of the trip, I decided to read up, double down and commit to solo travel.
That summer, an uncle's generous gift of airline miles combined with residual savings from my gig as a Sunday school teacher bought a Eurail pass, an Eagle Creek backpack off the sale rack, and all the baguettes, bananas and drinkable yogurt I could dream of consuming.
When my huge checked backpack arrived at the hostel in Warsaw three days after I did, I realized my true necessities could fit in the small pack I'd brought into the airplane cabin. I've been a carry-on traveler ever since, rubber-banding clothes and ripping relevant pages from guidebooks to achieve maximum density while minimizing weight.
I continued making experiences abroad a priority during years that were lean on time and funds (Argentina and a funded trip to China as a medical student; Cuba, Peru, Kenya and a partially-funded trip to Indonesia during residency.)
When I met my wife, I shared my dream of traveling as a family once our future kids reached a reasonable age (in retrospect, this was naive and presumptuous given the number of friends I have who've struggled with infertility).
One of my objectives in attempting to cut back at work was to permit us to travel for 3-4 weeks at a time when the kids were out of school.
Now we are in the precise window I'd been waiting for, the kids are age 10 and 12, yet travel is off the menu for at least the next couple of years. What now?
I've been reassessing the original intent of family travel:
- Share an extraordinary experience that will bind us to one another over time as paths naturally diverge.
- Instill a sense of aptitude in solving problems while navigating a new language or culture.
- Cultivate an outsider identity, along with permission to deviate from the majority opinion and think critically.
- Foster empathy, curiosity and engagement with strangers instead of fear, isolation and withdrawal.
Not one of those objectives requires travel outside of the US. Most might be accomplished within a short local drive or bike ride.
I'll just have to be more creative in learning to pivot to transmitting these values at a local level.
Any suggestions?
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Hey CD,
I go camping.
The kids really appreciate home and simple basics after those trips.
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Wonderful suggestion, Dr. MB. We unfortunately had to scrap our spring break plans to road trip to Zion, Antelope Canyon, and the Grand Canyon last week.
One of my summer plans was a “dirtbag dad” weekend taking the kids car camping with some gear a friend offered to lend us. My wife is more of a motel camper, a compromise I am more than happy to make in exchange for a lifetime with her.
All are on the table for the summer depending on whether the national and state parks reopen!
I concur with Dr. MB ! Your idea of “dirtbag dad” weekends sounds rather intriguing; have you considered renting/borrowing a pop-up camper for a weekend? Crossing my fingers that camping resumes before school starts!
Author
A pop-up camper sounds like a great compromise between a motel and tent, Mrs T – thanks for the suggestion. We had a big summer trip planned, and per our usual M.O., had envisioned it frequently so that something we looked forward to for a long time would be all the sweeter when we finally experienced it. That approach unfortunately cuts both ways, making it harder on the kids to forego what we had planned.
If state and national parks reopen, we can still squeeze in several weeks of camping and hopefully redeem the summer. I’ll cross my fingers, too!
We’re in the same boat. Or at least we were supposed to be — I don’t think we’ll be taking that 30-day cruise to China this fall, after all.
I don’t know that travel has been delayed for at least a couple years, though. I figure it’s likely we won’t be traveling next fall and winter like we did over the last 6 months, but some form of domestic travel could definitely be in the cards, and I could see us globetrotting again by the fall of 2021.
Cheers!
-PoF
Author
Agree that domestic travel/camping is probably our best chance to redeem the summer, PoF.
May your autumn 2021 prediction come true. For those willing to risk it, lots of amazing deals with flexible rescheduling coming through on Scott’s Cheap Flights lately. We are not pulling that trigger, but there is a risk/reward arbitrage to be had for those with large cojones.
I agree with PoF. International travel may not be the same for a long while, but there’s a lot of travel to be done in the states. Our country is vast and diverse. Your kids will love exploring!
Author
We need to become rock climbers so that we can have a unifying theme to our southwestern travel like the Stealth Wealth Family!
You are right, my friend, there is a abundant beauty to behold here at home. I’d just always planned to save it for when I could no longer handle the longer flights and more austere environments.
Appreciate your stopping by, Dawn!
I agree with Dawn and POF. I’m actually starting to read Scott’s cheap flights emails with an eager eye to March 2021….wondering if that’s maybe a month or two too soon, but that’s the time frame I’m thinking about.
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I’ll probably hold off a bit longer than that, based on our level of comfort with risk.
We have RT tix for a couples trip to Portugal in late October, for what is supposed to be our first official empty nester vacation. I am 50:50, at this point, whether we go or not.
We had talked about a 25th Anniversary trip to France ?? in 2021 for several years, dating back to a previous trip to Paris in 2014. I am not jumping on tickets yet but am optimistic that we will go.
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I genuinely hope the situation improves to the point where those milestone trips can be completed as planned, Vagabond. My optimism fluctuates on a daily basis at this point.