If you cruise/travel A WHOLE LOT, why?

[clo]

I am in NO way trying to be judgmental or critical but just curious.  As a little background when we were on our Norwegian coastal cruise in March we met a couple from Australia.  They travel months and months at a time.  Like riding their bikes all over Europe (and, yeah, they were getting on up there I'd say!), storing their bikes in Paris, taking the cruise with us, then taking trains all over that part of the world, then back to Paris and on and on.  I can't even imagine being gone close to that long.  And then I see that thread about the six month ATW Oceania cruise.  I laughed to myself that they would have to pay ME to do that...and I would still whine after about two weeks.  We were in SE Asia, no cruise, for almost a month a few years ago and that was just too long.  Yes,  we have a dog (my avatar) but we get great people who stay in our house with him.  We just love our house also.  It's full of art (lower case and capital A) and all manner of tchotchkes from travel and not.  Most of the walls are ORANGE.  You get the picture.  It's us.  Also I LOVE to cook and have almost anything you can imagine in that regard.  But enough about me 🙂

 

Some of you travel A LOT.  One super long trip or tons and tons of shorter ones and I just wonder why.  Some are still seeing parts of the world they've so far missed - and I have some of those.  But some will do the same itinerary over and over and over.  Or so it seems.  Oh, and we get along great when we travel so it's not that.  So what motivates you to do cruises/travel as much as you do.   And how about a bonus question 🙂  What's the longest you've been gone continuously or what's the most you've traveled in a year.  Thanks all. Cath

[DirtyDawg]

Because it's there.

 

 

And how do you get the photos into the body of your post? It's been hit and miss for me.

Edited July 18, 2019 by DirtyDawg

[Blondilu]

There's no place like home.  But, there is also a great wide somewhere out there.  New places, new adventures.  Why can't I have both?

  

[Shmoo here]

18 minutes ago, clo said:

So what motivates you to do cruises/travel as much as you do.   And how about a bonus question 🙂  What's the longest you've been gone continuously or what's the most you've traveled in a year. 

After spending over 30 years working and raising a family, we're now retired.  While we traveled (some) during those years - mostly family tent-camping trips, and an occasional trip to Walt Disney World (with kids), we planned for our retirement by purchasing a 5th wheel travel trailer and truck.  We now travel pretty much every month.  Either a "short" 4-6 day trip/cruise or a long one.

 

Most recent trip was a 28 night Hawaii/Tahiti cruise.  Last summer we did a 61 day RV caravan trip through Western Canada and Alaska.  That was the longest we've been gone at one time.  Our first river cruise in Europe was 30 days from the day we left home til we got back.

 

There was a 2 months stretch we did several 5-7 night RV trips basically back to back.  With maybe 2-3 days between each of them, and a few directly from one to another.

 

We're about 50/50 with new destinations vs repeat visits.

[Nic6318]

Hi

 

It's not very hard to imagine. Think of all the reasons or issues that make you not want to or not allow you to travel for extended periods of time. Now imagine those weren't issues for you. Then the question is "Why not?". 

 

You can do what you enjoy. If it's travel, you travel. If you like staying at home, you stay at home.

[ldubs]

People's preferences are all over the place (something that some posters on cruise critic don't seem to get, but that is another topic).  Personally, I do not want to travel for more than 15 - 20 days for one trip. That applies to cruises as well as land trips.  I would not enjoy a longer cruise.  I would not enjoy a cruise with many sea days.  I don't want to be on a transatlantic cruise.  I try hard not to do cruises in the Caribbean. Land trips are generally better than cruises.  But cruises are best when we are doing our large family group thing.   Those are just my personal preferences.  I'm certainly not going to be critical of anyone who likes to do things differently than me.  

 

Nice living room.  

[clo]

2 minutes ago, ldubs said:

  I'm certainly not going to be critical of anyone who likes to do things differently than me.

Nor am I. And I pretty much agree with you on your preferences.  But that's all they are, preferences.  And thanks.  I need to do new pix.  That room has WAY more stuff in it now and things have been moved around.

[LoriPhil]

We book 10 -14 day cruises tacked on to multi-day precruise vacations because it’s wonderful to totally relax, be on the water and be pampered.  Love the experiences and memories made, and feel it best to keep on the move now while our bodies and digestion can take it.  

[lenquixote66]

I am disabled. The only form of traveling I can do is being on a cruise. It can be difficult to do that as well but I challenge myself because of the nature of my disability I do not know how much longer I will be able to cruise. We have one in October,one in December and I am hoping to do at least one more after that.

[clo]

5 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said:

The only form of traveling I can do is being on a cruise.

We've done a number of trips with a land-based tour operator and they're very upfront that they can't handle any handicapped.  Best of luck to you.

[lenquixote66]

10 minutes ago, clo said:

We've done a number of trips with a land-based tour operator and they're very upfront that they can't handle any handicapped.  Best of luck to you.

I was doing land tours until 2016 but now my time on a bus is limited.

[clo]

1 hour ago, DirtyDawg said:

And how do you get the photos into the body of your post? It's been hit and miss for me.

I just copy and post.  I've actually found this site easier than some.

[clo]

1 hour ago, Shmoo here said:

After spending over 30 years working and raising a family, we're now retired.  While we traveled (some) during those years - mostly family tent-camping trips, and an occasional trip to Walt Disney World (with kids), we planned for our retirement by purchasing a 5th wheel travel trailer and truck.  We now travel pretty much every month.  Either a "short" 4-6 day trip/cruise or a long one.

 

Most recent trip was a 28 night Hawaii/Tahiti cruise.  Last summer we did a 61 day RV caravan trip through Western Canada and Alaska.  That was the longest we've been gone at one time.  Our first river cruise in Europe was 30 days from the day we left home til we got back.

 

There was a 2 months stretch we did several 5-7 night RV trips basically back to back.  With maybe 2-3 days between each of them, and a few directly from one to another.

 

We're about 50/50 with new destinations vs repeat visits.

We are/were kinda like you.  We had a nice class A motorhome that we enjoyed although we mostly were always on the Left Coast.  We sold it when our IRA lost 40% of its value in '08 and we modified our lifestyle.  Since then we do two or maybe three international trips of about a couple of weeks.  Then we do trips around here.  Up to Seattle where we have a little condo plus daughter and her family.  Sometimes down to San Francisco.  NYC every couple of years which we adore.  Vancouver, BC,  Going to Vegas to see Jimmy Buffet in October.  I find that if we travel any place more often than every couple of months I feel it's too much.

 

Thanks for taking the time and making the effort to share your story.  I love it.

[clo]

1 hour ago, Blondilu said:

There's no place like home.  But, there is also a great wide somewhere out there.  New places, new adventures.  Why can't I have both?

  

You certainly can.  Do you travel a lot?

[clo]

55 minutes ago, LoriPhil said:

10 -14 day cruises tacked on to multi-day precruise vacations 

Like.  We're spending a few days in Rio and Buenos Aires at the beginning and end.  That's what we'll do next spring.  A week long Norwegian coastal cruise and various adventures pre and post.  I don't really 'get' going to the same area time after time. I hope someone here talks about it.  I do have to say that we're more port oriented although in the past we did do two TAs but again with pre and post.

[cruisemom42]

I travel as much as I do because I have wanderlust and I come from a family that has always valued travel. My parents traveled and took me with them from an early age. Not extended amounts of time per trip, but long enough. Once we spent a month in the British Isles, another summer we took a month visiting various southern European countries (Italy, France, Spain). And cruises, from early on. I will never quite forgive them going to Egypt and the Middle East without me. (I was about 12!!) I've since visited Egypt four times on my own.

 

I can't be away from work for extended periods, but I travel ex-US about 3 times/year on average, for 10-14 days.

 

There's a big difference between the type of travel where you are in a new place every few days (rather exhausting after about 2 weeks) and the kind where you settle somewhere for a little while. Once I retire I plan to spend about 3 months out of each year in Italy.

Edited July 19, 2019 by cruisemom42

[navybankerteacher]

 We happen to like where we live and enjoy the people and activities - so we travel to see particular places, to get short escapes from winter, to see people we are close to but do not live near.  Very long cruises do not fit, but trans-Atlantic’s are great ways to get to or from traveling, or seeing family, in Europe;  two week or so winter Caribbean trips are good escapes;  sadly, the market from New York is virtually owned by NCL and Royal Caribbean (whose ships do not appeal to us) so going by ship is no longer much of an option.  

 

So, while we travel a fair amount, cruising has become a much less significant part of it.

[iancal]

We do two trips a year, 2 months each in duration.  If it was up to me it would be 3 or 4 months but DW prefers 2 so that is what we do.  Plus trips in between.   AI at Xmas with family.  We typically watch out for last minute AI's to Cuba or last minute Carib. cruises in early December.  And road trips to the west coast.   Most of our travel is spontaneous, often book ended by a open jaw air ticket or one ways.

 

Why?  We enjoy it.  Lots of places on our bucket list.   We leave for the winter.  Florida, AZ does not appeal so we either go to SE Asia/Australia or Costa Rica/Panama/Mexico.   We watch for last minute cruises while on longer trips.    Travel can be hard.   Sometimes we like to pick up a last minute cruise as a bit of a break.   Sept/Oct is often Greece, Turkey, Italy, etc.  This year we hope to get to either Israel  or  Morocco on our way home from Cyprus.  Depends on how much is left and what the flight options are.  We have a ticket to Athens, and a flight home from London.  We can get to London easily from where ever  we end up.  We typically book accommodation 3 or 4 days in advance.  If we like somewhere, we stay longer.  Our minimum stay is typically days.  Winter trips to Thailand we stay 6-8 days in several preferred spots.

 

We did lots of cruising in the past but we find ourselves doing far less in retirement.  We both have bucket lists.  Cruises are relaxing but in most instances we want to spend more time in port and in the surrounding area.  So land travel it is.  The last exception was a South American cruise that we booked in the middle of a two month trip to South America and Panama.

 

At the end of the day...why stay home when there are so many interesting places to go, interesting things to see, and interesting people to meet?  We are doing it  while we have the health and the desire to do it.  We could drop dead tomorrow so we just make the best of it and move forward.

 

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by iancal

[clo]

12 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

I travel as much as I do because I have wanderlust and I come from a family that has always valued travel. My parents traveled and took me with them from an early age. Not extended amounts of time per trip, but long enough. Once we spent a month in the British Isles, another summer we took a month visiting various southern European countries (Italy, France, Spain). And cruises, from early on. I will never quite forgive them going to Egypt and the Middle East without me. (I was about 12!!) I've since visited Egypt four times on my own.

 

I can't be away from work for extended periods, but I travel ex-US about 3 times/year on average, for 10-14 days.

 

There's a big difference between the type of travel where you are in a new place every few days (rather exhausting after about 2 weeks) and the kind where you settle somewhere for a little while. Once I retire I plan to spend about 3 months out of each year in Italy.

I've been enjoying your posts and this one also.

[clo]

7 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

to get short escapes from winter,

We used to live at Lake Tahoe, until last year, and we like cold so getting away from cold never motivated us.  We like to get away from heat, i.e, a road trip  up the NorCal, Oregon Coast into WA where it's 60F and foggy.  LOVE it.

 

9 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

sadly, the market from New York is virtually owned by NCL

Were you part of a convo about Chase Sapphire Reserve?  We're in Reno so we always have to go somewhere else to travel pretty much anywhere.  Our upcoming 60k point bonus will be nice.

[CruiserBruce]

We travel a lot, because we can, and enjoy it to the max. We make sure we take care of others who need our help, as much as we can. There is a huge, huge world out there, we would like to see much, much more of it. Love, absolutely crave, seeing new places, both domestic and outside the US, and meeting new places. Travel doesn't hurt you...it broadens you. Why not?

[clo]

15 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

We travel a lot, because we can, and enjoy it to the max. We make sure we take care of others who need our help, as much as we can. There is a huge, huge world out there, we would like to see much, much more of it. Love, absolutely crave, seeing new places, both domestic and outside the US, and meeting new places. Travel doesn't hurt you...it broadens you. Why not?

So do you cruise mostly or land also?  I honestly can't imagine cruise only - physical limitations excepted of course - there's just so much world out there.

[CruiserBruce]

Just now, clo said:

So do you cruise mostly or land also?  I honestly can't imagine cruise only - physical limitations excepted of course - there's just so much world out there.

We cruise about every 15 months or so. We have done MANY land tours as well...at least 15 or 20 trips to Europe..Australia, New Zealand by land... not counting cruise visits. We love both. Cruising gives us ideas and sparks our interest in some areas for land visits. 

 

We are EXTREMELY fortunate...we know. We can, both physically and financially...we thank God or whomever. And will continue as long as possible.

[clo]

19 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

We make sure we take care of others who need our help, as much as we can.

And yes.  THAT absolutely.  I don't think we could spend the way we do if we weren't doing that.  And also putting aside money for assisted living, easily $100k/yr.  (We chose not to get LTC insurance.)

[clo]

4 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

.Australia, New Zealand by land..

I may have to consult with you 🙂  That's the only continent I haven't visited...and I worked for QANTAS in SF!  We ARE very fortunate, aren't we?