"You must go on adventures to find out where you belong."
—Sue Fitzmaurice
Sitting high on top of Buda overlooking the Danube in Budapest. I started traveling last year and I can’t wait to hit the road again.
After ten years of raising my children alone it was time to hit the road. My daughter started college in the fall of 2019, and my son headed out to California at the beginning of March 2020. A week later, I was going on a bucket list trip starting in Iceland that Covid squashed. Three years later I'm thrilled to be planning this exciting expedition again! First stop Iceland, where I'll make a date with a guide named Thor, who'll take me into the wilderness during the new moon in search of the Aurora Borealis. Then a week in Spain, driving from Barcelona to Valencia, and then to Holland in time for the tulips. I'm so excited. I've waited decades for this experience. If you have any tips please share with me!
My artist friend, Andi, and I took the train from Paris to Chartres to walk the Labyrinth. Ask me about my surprising mystical experience next time we’re together!
Traveling is magical. It expands our perspective and introduces us to new cultures, customs, people, architecture, languages, climates, land formations, and food. We can't help but grow into greater versions of ourselves. We gain compassion and connectedness for and with people we would never have known. I take thousands of pictures to use as reference. All the spectacular scenery inspires my artwork.
I had the most amazing trip last year, spending a week visiting friends in Paris, then five days visiting my daughter in Prague, then traveling through Salzburg, Vienna, and Budapest. I learned a lot by planning that trip, and I nailed it! My friend Freya helped me plan and joined me in Prague through the end of the excursion. Since it was so successful, I'm sharing some wisdom with you for designing one of your bucket list trips. Do the research. Lots of research and collect a list of great restaurants, nightclubs, music venues, cocktail bars, places to get great oysters, cool boutique hotels, museums, hot neighborhoods, good shopping, hikes, day trips, natural wonders, etc. Freya and I used an app called TripMaster, an excellent tool for planning a multi-destination adventure. Ask all your friends for recommendations. Do this in advance to protect your valuable vacation time from having to look things up on your phone.
Here are SEVEN tips for booking a fantastic vacation:
Roll with the punches. Not everything will go as planned; sometimes, that's where the most remarkable magic happens.
Make reservations for transportation and lodging as soon as it becomes available. Trip Master is great for this, allowing detailed views of every available hotel in any location.
Plan one thing a day; a boat ride to orient yourself when you first arrive, a class, a museum visit, or a garden visit, and a dinner reservation for most evenings.
Learn the local greetings and simple phrases like; thank you, where's the bathroom, how much is this, do you have it in pink, and check, please.
Find the best season or time of year to go to your destination. I prefer off-peak most of the time. Places are less crowded so it's more pleasant, and you can get reservations and tickets more easily.
Pack comfortable shoes. You can get cool ones from Sorel or get insoles. You are going to walk a lot! Wearing comfortable shoes can make the entire experience more enjoyable or miserable. You get to choose!
Make sure to splurge on a few things like seat upgrades on airlines or trains, one or two nights in a luxury hotel, a Michelin-star restaurant, etc. There's a reason they get the star. You want to experience it. You only live once, and you can't take it with you.
Freya and I sipping a Kir Royal and enjoying a scrumptious dinner in Salzburg, Austria after a hectic day of traveling.
Be present, be curious, have fun, relax, and enjoy the ride. It's a beautiful world out there. So gain some amazing experience points and have an adventure!
Travel safe, happy trails,
Love,
Leslie
