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How to travel as we age
Topic Started: Feb 17 2010, 05:53 AM (591 Views)
Deleted User
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Thanx for starting this topic, Alan.

John and I have just returned from a cruise. We loved New Zealand and Australia, but hated the regimentation of the cruise and the tours we took while on it.

When we were younger, we used to take the cheapest charter flight to a destination we wanted to see, making hotel reservations only for the first and last nights, rent a car (if we would be moving from city to city, but often just took trains) and just wander for the two or 3 weeks of our vacation, packing and repacking each time the desire to move on struck us, carrying our heavy suitcases up long flights of stairs at B&Bs. Between us, we used to be reasonably proficient in 6 languages, so if visiting a museum, we could often take whatever "tour" was being given when we got there without having to wait for an English language tour.

We physically can no longer handle moving all that luggage, which has increased in size and weight just as we have angry054 and we are no longer fluent enough to take on the spot tours in other languages.

I can remember vignettes, so to speak, from villages in rural Spain and Turkey that happened 40 years ago, usually involving interaction with locals, but I can't even recall from a previous big ship cruise 4 years ago actually being in Norway as it all went by too fast. In Demark, I can clearly remember DH and I chucking tours, and after walking to a botanical garden that wasn't on any tour, stopping by a cafe and having a delightful conversation with a young couple from Syria on their honeymoon that were sitting at the next table. I remember almost 40 years ago, learning that the Philadelphia Flyers won the Stanley Cup while we were in Madrid, and dancing and singing in the Plaza de Mayor at 3 am with a mixed crowd of Americans and Spainards we met in the bars.

I guess what I am trying to explain is how much we loathe tours because IMHO, the best part of travel is interacting with the people you meet under "ordinary" circumstances, and now that we have many of the infirmities of age, we no longer see a way to allow that to occur. Tours keep you pretty much away from any locals, and I hate having to be back on the bus by 1 pm, etc. and then there are my chemical sensitivities.....

We simply are not interested in any more "If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Belgium" type holidays. We'd rather stay home.

So - any thoughts on the best way to travel for people like us?
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Deleted User
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I knew about the NZ conncection with Gallipoli, but what is the connection with "Crete, Cios, and Corfu are all islands with an historical NZ involvement .... as are Tunisia, and Libya".
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Kahu
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I should have added Greece to the list too, but all contacts with the Greek islands date from the retreat from Greece during WWII, island hopping, and living and fighting and staying hidden by the local population for the full war duration. See the link to 'Ned and Katina' ..... NZers as fellow islanders are particularly welcome there. In Croatia, many escaping POWs through Europe stayed fighting for Tito's partisans too and that gave an edge for the NZEF facing off Tito at Trieste. Tunisa and Libya ..... we've heard all sorts of tales from there because again through WWII involvement. Google Long Range Desert Group (LRDG) and that'll give you some idea too. I took you the National Memorial with the carillon in Wellington, and we past the memorial to Crete but you didn't seem to understand. I didn't elaborate at the time because that would mean we'd get into an argument over a certain place in the middle east which I'd promisd not to bring up.
Edited by Kahu, Apr 4 2010, 12:23 PM.
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erka
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Kahu: In Feb., a couple from Nelson, NZ contacted us about an exchange. We couldn't take advantage of the offer but indicated they are welcome to stay with us there's no takers for the swap. They were unable to arrange an exchange so they will be staying with us then of June/July. It will be interesting as we stayed in Nelson for 5/6 days.

This summer I will re-live my earlier travels - car trip (and camping) with the dog only. My spouse doesn't like "roughing it".
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