If you cruise/travel A WHOLE LOT, why?

[clo]

11 hours ago, fyree39 said:

Nothing kitschy

Well, this isn't "tasteful" but yeah something.  This was made from a plastic soda bottle, covered with papier mache IIRC.  We got it at the Hippie Fair in Rio.

 

[Extra Kim]

4 minutes ago, clo said:

So it sounds like almost all your travel is cruises?

Most but not all.

Have done land vaccations to:

Mallorca x2

Azores

Aruba

Mauritius

Rhodes

Turkey x2

UK x2

Florida Keys

Puerto Rico

Grand Bahama

Bulgaria

Cyprus

Crete x2

Thailand

Gran Canaria x4

Tenerife

Netherlands

Poland

Denmark

Finland

Estonia

Latvia

Germany

 

Might have missed some countries.

[clo]

1 minute ago, Extra Kim said:

Most but not all.

 

I should say not 🙂  Those of you in Europe have it a lot easier.  So many wonderful places that don't take 24 hours of traveling to get to.

[sverigecruiser]

27 minutes ago, clo said:

I base that on my late MIL almost 10 years ago paying $5k/mo for an apt. and two meals a day.  No other assistance needed.

 

My late father needed assited living the last years of his life and the total cost was around $1000/months with all meals. The pension he had was enough to cover it so no extra saving was needed.

 

All the tax we pay also give us things when we need them!

[clo]

12 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

All the tax we pay also give us things when we need them!

My husband and I talk about that occasionally.  We Americans sometimes seem to want it all.  Low taxes but great benefits.

[Extra Kim]

24 minutes ago, clo said:

I should say not 🙂  Those of you in Europe have it a lot easier.  So many wonderful places that don't take 24 hours of traveling to get to.

Yes, but we need to add at least two days every time we cruise in the Caribbean.

Mauritius, Thailand, Bahamas, Aruba and Florida Keys are very far from Sweden as well.

[clo]

3 minutes ago, Extra Kim said:

Yes, but we need to add at least two days every time we cruise in the Caribbean.

Mauritius, Thailand, Bahamas, Aruba and Florida Keys are very far from Sweden as well.

We're more European inclined so there's that.

[George C]

I love cruising, have done about 65 cruises, started cruising in 1970’s in my 20’s and single in inside cabins. Got engaged on sovereign of the seas in 1990, honeymooned on SS Norway in 1991, wife loves cruising as much as I do.  Most of our cruises are relaxing Caribbean cruises, love the sun, live music and food and drinks, love packing once and visiting different islands. But have done Europe a couple of times and Hawaii. For last ten cruises we have booked suites , love those perks and will continue booking them as long as it’s in our budget, suite dinning rooms seem to have much better service and food. Most of our other trips is visiting friends and family , visit nyc every year and see broadway plays and eat some really great food. 

[iancal]

This past winter we spent a week on the beach in Koh Lanta, Thailand.   It felt like we were in a mini Sweden.   Just about every person we spoke to was from Sweeden, or Scandanavia.  Lots of little blonde children running about.   The people we spoke to flew over on a non stop to either Krabi or Phuket.    Many of them, like us were repeat visitors year after year.

Edited July 19, 2019 by iancal

[clo]

11 minutes ago, George C said:

visit nyc every year and see broadway plays and eat some really great food. 

That's one of our fave destinations!  

[LoriPhil]

We routinely repeat itineraries, like Alaska (this will be our 9th or 10th Alaska cruise coming up in May) and Southern Caribbean.  To us, it's similar to our land vacations - eg.,  10 days in Hawaii VRBO ...  It just takes 10 cruises to get the same amount of time in the region.  Alaska travel is all about scanning the waters for wildlife or traveling through beautiful  country.  Caribbean is relaxing on the balcony with a book or snorkeling,  Coming back to a repeat port is like coming back to a favorite ship - familiar, with an opportunity to see what's new and what's changed.

[Ombud]

I hate driving .... won't even drive from Walnut Creek to SF and that's just an hour. Trains are fine, ships are cheaper so my preferred mode of travel 

 

As to why I travel: sometimes I need a break. (They aren't on here so I can be blunt): everyone lives here. I mean almost in my house as all kids / grandkids live in my small town outside WC. This morning I have kids sleeping in my livingroom,  family room, guest room, office and that's the norm despite not actually living here (parents have their own houses but in the pass) ... love them but sometimes it's nice to get away and focus on me. I'm selfish

[clo]

17 minutes ago, LoriPhil said:

We routinely repeat itineraries, like Alaska (this will be our 9th or 10th Alaska cruise coming up in May) and Southern Caribbean.  To us, it's similar to our land vacations - eg.,  10 days in Hawaii VRBO ...  It just takes 10 cruises to get the same amount of time in the region.  Alaska travel is all about scanning the waters for wildlife or traveling through beautiful  country.  Caribbean is relaxing on the balcony with a book or snorkeling,  Coming back to a repeat port is like coming back to a favorite ship - familiar, with an opportunity to see what's new and what's changed.

So are your vacations mostly Alaska, Hawaii and Caribbean?  Europe, Latin America, Asia?

[clo]

2 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I hate driving .... won't even drive from Walnut Creek to SF and that's just an hour. Trains are fine, ships are cheaper so my preferred mode of travel 

 

As to why I travel: sometimes I need a break. (They aren't on here so I can be blunt): everyone lives here. I mean almost in my house as all kids / grandkids live in my small town outside WC. This morning I have kids sleeping in my livingroom,  family room, guest room, office and that's the norm despite not actually living here (parents have their own houses but in the pass) ... love them but sometimes it's nice to get away and focus on me. I'm selfish

Holey moley!  I guess you need to get away.  And maybe leave a note next time asking them to call before they come to see you?  Do you mostly cruise?  Does BART go to SF?  Whew, it's make me grumpy just thinking about that.  Bless you 😉

[Ombud]

8 minutes ago, clo said:

Holey moley!  I guess you need to get away.  And maybe leave a note next time asking them to call before they come to see you?  Do you mostly cruise?  Does BART go to SF?  Whew, it's make me grumpy just thinking about that.  Bless you 😉

Umm ... ummm normally that's just every M /T/Th for 2 of them (no busses to where they live & have to get to school / sports. Dtr works). F/Sa for another and babysitting his dog while he's at SFSU. W for another. I get Sundays off 

 

Yes, Bart to SF, SFO. Relaxing for me

[clo]

2 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I get Sundays off 

I don't suppose you get paid?  Or maybe they pay for the cruise 🙂

[Ombud]

That said, we have a tight knit age-in-place network here so I'm not really complaining. Just trying to explain why I travel 3× a year (as 1 replaces my water heater that just broke today)

Edited July 19, 2019 by Ombud

[slidergirl]

2 hours ago, clo said:

Well, this isn't "tasteful" but yeah something.  This was made from a plastic soda bottle, covered with papier mache IIRC.  We got it at the Hippie Fair in Rio.

 

to me, that isn't "kitchy" or "cheesy".  It is something unique that isn't a piece of the typical tourist junk.  Kind of nice that it is "recycled" art.  And, it would be a good conversation starter!

[navybankerteacher]

2 hours ago, clo said:

That's one of our fave destinations!  

Ours too - a 45 minute train ride away, and overnight room in midtown at club just $125 - no fun getting back to GCT for train home after theatre. Having grown up in NYC as well as spending entire post-Navy career there, I could never migrate to sunbelt; plus we have about ten months of the best weather in the US.

[clo]

1 minute ago, slidergirl said:

to me, that isn't "kitchy" or "cheesy".  It is something unique that isn't a piece of the typical tourist junk.  Kind of nice that it is "recycled" art.  And, it would be a good conversation starter!

Thanks, kiddo 🙂  That's what we look for.  So much stuff is Hecho en China.  "She" actually sits on a little table with some of the "Rio Collection."

[clo]

2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

plus we have about ten months of the best weather in the US.

LOL.  We may have to disagree there.  I hate most all of the East Coast summers.  You can keep that humidity.  We began maybe ten years ago house exchanging with someone in NYC.  Her apartment is at CPW and 101st on the 11th floor looking out at the park.  A block and a half from subway.  Sheer heaven.  I'm super jealous that you're that close.

[navybankerteacher]

26 minutes ago, clo said:

LOL.  We may have to disagree there.  I hate most all of the East Coast summers.  You can keep that humidity.  We began maybe ten years ago house exchanging with someone in NYC.  Her apartment is at CPW and 101st on the 11th floor looking out at the park.  A block and a half from subway.  Sheer heaven.  I'm super jealous that you're that close.

That’s why I only claimed 10 months: there is well under 30 days uncomfortable summer weather and about the same number of  uncomfortable winter weather days -  which leaves the rest of the year to enjoy seasons changing.

[clo]

6 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

That’s why I only claimed 10 months: there is well under 30 days uncomfortable summer weather and about the same number of  uncomfortable winter weather days -  which leaves the rest of the year to enjoy seasons changing.

Kinda cruise-related 🙂  We had completed a house exchange on Cape Cod and returned to NYC for 4th of July.  We brought back lobster.  Our friends took us and others out for fireworks in Long Island Sound and I made lobster rolls.

[cruisemom42]

34 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

That’s why I only claimed 10 months: there is well under 30 days uncomfortable summer weather and about the same number of  uncomfortable winter weather days -  which leaves the rest of the year to enjoy seasons changing.

 

Depends on your perspective (and history) I suppose. The 4 years I spent in upper Westchester County were the coldest ones of my life. We moved there in the fall of 1995, just in time for the snowiest winter season on record in NY (1995-96), by the way. I think I wore multiple pairs of tights/socks/thermal underwear from late October through mid-April....

 

[clo]

2 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Depends on your perspective (and history) I suppose.

Until a year ago we had lived at Lake Tahoe for over ten years.  We could get multiple feet of snow overnight.  But it was a 'dry cold' 🙂  I've said I'd rather it be 17 and snowing than 37 and raining.  But I certainly see plenty of people here who clearly want to get away from winter whereas we like to go to winter.  It would be boring if we all liked the same thing.