The hubster and I were late starters when it came to travelling the world.
Unlike many of our peers, we didn’t travel much at all before we were married, let alone visit another country!
We married and settled down quite young (he was 21, I was 23 – shhhh, yes I’m a cradle snatcher) and got straight into the serious task of paying off a mortgage. We were both content to put any travel plans on the back burner until later in life … as far as I’m concerned, that time is NOW!
The hubster however is a different story, as you will see …
How Many Countries Have You Visited?
So apart from a couple of trips to New Zealand (that’s number 1), we didn’t do much in the way of travelling.
(The one exception? We went caravanning around Australia in 2001 when our kids were small and that was FANTASTIC! We’d both love to do it again as grey nomads, but as neither of us has gone grey yet, it might be a few years before that happens …)
One of the joys of reaching middle age (for us anyway) is that, with the mortgage under control, and our kids all grown up, we’ve been able to fulfil some of those travel dreams.
We started by taking the family on a cruise of the South Pacific in 2009, stopping in New Caledonia (2) and Vanuatu (3).
Later that same year I had the opportunity to travel to Manila in the Philippines (4) for a conference, and broke my trip on the way home with an overnight stay in Hong Kong, which is part of China (5), so gained a couple of extra stamps in my passport.
At the beginning of 2012, our family embarked on a two week cruise to New Zealand – it was the first time our kids had been to the land of the long white cloud.
I returned to New Caledonia and Vanuatu in 2014, when I did another South Pacific cruise, this time with some girlfriends.
By this stage I’d been well and truly bitten by the travel bug so it was with great excitement that the hubster and I began planning a trip to Europe in 2015 to mark our 25th wedding anniversary. My travel dreams were coming true!
Silver Wedding Trip to Europe
We started in Italy (6) and stayed in Venice, before cruising the Mediterranean for two weeks. Over that time we docked in:
- Split, Croatia (7)
- Santorini, Greece (8)
- Mykonos, Greece
- Dubrovnik, Croatia
- Ancona, Italy.
Back in Venice after a week, we took a bus across the top of the “boot” to the port of La Spezia, where we boarded another cruise ship, and visited:
- Marseille, France (9)
- Palma de Mallorca, Spain (10)
- Valetta, Malta (11)
- Messina, Italy
- Salerno, Italy
- and back to La Spezia.
We then flew to England (12) and spent several days exploring London and surrounds.
Finally it was time to head home, but first we had a stop over in Singapore (13 – is Singapore a country in its own right? I couldn’t work it out!) for a few days.
It was indeed the trip of a lifetime, but the trouble is, it just whet my appetite for more! However the hubster is feeling quite satisfied with our journeys, and is of the opinion that we’ve been now, and shouldn’t that be enough? Um, NO!
How Can I Achieve my Travel Dreams
So for my 50th birthday, I requested an overseas holiday to celebrate: and we spent a magical week in Bali (14 – Indonesia).
And now I sit here and my calendar is bare. There are no jaunts to foreign shores in the works, and I’m feeling quite desolate (first world problems, I know).
I love looking out the plane window at a totally different landscape, but that’s just the start of it.
What I enjoy most, is exploring a new place WITH my beloved Bear, and spending quality time together – seriously, it wouldn’t be any fun without him.
I’m writing this post for three reasons:
- Because I love reflecting on our travels so far;
- Just putting it out there – because you never know what could happen (travel agencies, hotel chains, cruise lines – I’m open to sponsorship opportunities and would love to highlight your brand to my middle aged following!); and
- I want your suggestions for my dilemma …
How I can get this hubster of mine to change his mind, so my travel dreams can come true?! (And no, leaving the hubster behind is NOT an option!)