On the road again
Is it fair to say we are eager to finally be on the road again when technically we haven’t left it? We detoured back to the US to visit family over Christmas, which was wonderful, but also a whirlwind. Because it took so much time, energy, patience, and resoluteness to leave San Francisco to travel full time, it almost felt like a cop out to already be back. We have so many countries and cities to explore that being back in our country of original felt too familiar and safe. But spending time with family is super critical to us, so we didn’t question our decision to switch gears for a few weeks. Our daughter graciously allowed us to use her address as a home base to change some of our gear and swap out things that weren’t working for items that would be a better fit, including our luggage! When we are in foreign countries, we have to factor in how long we will be there and whether something we specifically need to have shipped can be delivered in the finite amount of time we’ll be in that location. Shipping costs can be very high and we may need to make substitutions.
We’ve only just begun our lives as full-time travelers, but already we are enjoying jetting to a new city or country, settling into each new Airbnb, and discovering its unique idiosyncrasies. Part of the thrill is landing in a location we’ve never been before and making friends with it and getting to know its bones. It takes a few days, but we do a walkthrough of what’s nearby, get some groceries, and establish a few routines—usually tied to coffee—and get in a liberal dose of formal sightseeing and tours.
We see some of the most popular sites because we don’t want to visit Paris and not visit the Louvre. It would be a shame to not be able to speak about the well-known places, but we also want to take time to discover the places that are tucked away from the masses. It’s an imperfect balance, but we’re trying to get better at it.
Outside of exploring new parts of the world where we’ve never been—starting with Athens, Greece—we’re thrilled that we’re on the road full time and the adventures can come one after another and not merely once or twice a year.
