A Travel Tutorial (of sorts)

Sometimes people wonder how I manage to travel as I do, and ask me what my secret is. Others claim I'm "lucky", as if my travels happen by magic, without any effort on my part. I can assure you that a lot of effort (at times, blood, sweat and tears) goes into planning and executing my travels, but it's always worth it in the end. And no, I'm not wealthy, or even well-off. I am 73 years old and I still work part-time to fund my travels. In my everyday life, I live frugally, and I travel the same way. When I started traveling in 2006, I had little savings and used my credit card more than usual that year. The main thing was deciding to go somewhere - Italy - to book a flight, and to arrange lodging. At that time,  it was more of a challenge to get things squared away, and I relied completely on guide books to choose where to stay. I won't go into all that was involved in making that trip work; instead I'll talk about what I learned from it. 

I learned that I could travel on my own and feel safe, find inexpensive lodging, figure out train and bus schedules, communicate well enough to be understood, and eat well without spending a lot at restaurants. I was easily able to use public transportation,  which was also inexpensive. Suddenly I was entering a new world of possibility. From that maiden voyage, I developed a strong desire to travel more, to explore another culture, language and people as much as possible. And I've continued that journey nearly every year since 2006, until covid derailed my traveling life.

For several years early on in my travels,  I had a housesitting gig, for several months at a time, in the countryside near Rome, which eliminated lodging expenses. (If that appeals to you, look into it!) After that I started renting apartments in Florence, and discovered I could rent them for a rate similar to that of apartments at home. (In other words, not that expensive.) To manage long stays in Italy financially, I acquired several online jobs to earn an income while living abroad.

In 2019, I rented an apartment in Bologna for 6 weeks, then traveled around for several more, visiting Italian friends. That trip was particularly outstanding, in that I visited numerous interesting and beautiful places within a relatively short time, often accompanied by Italian friends. It set a standard that I wanted to replicate in the future. But then covid came along and stopped me in my tracks. I stopped traveling completely from 2019 until now. 

Planning my travels this year was difficult, as I feared I had lost much of the confidence and momentum I'd  built up from planning and traveling yearly. I'd also experienced a devastating loss that had broken my spirit. Niggling fears and anxiety made me wonder if I would be able to manage as well as I had before. And the fear of getting ill while abroad was another concern. And yet, I made ambitious plans, adding France to the mix, along with the desire to learn French well enough to communicate basic needs effectively. I felt the need to be near the sea, to explore the Cote d'Azur in France and Liguria in Italy. I pushed through the worries and packed my bags.

Since I hadn't traveled for four years, I'd saved a considerable amount of money that could be used on nicer lodging - apartments with full kitchens and washing machines, instead of the lower-priced studio apartments or 2-star hotel rooms I'd relied on in the past. My flight was covered by a voucher from a canceled trip in 2020, so overall, this year's travel plans were easily affordable.

As it has turned out, my travels this year have been absolutely stellar, reinforcing the traveling moxie I've devloped over the years. Every little thing has worked out, none of my fears materialized, and many wonderful surprises have shown up along the way. I'm so very thankful I was able to move past the troublesome (and needless) worries that could easily have prevented me from enjoying the wonderful moments I've been able to experience. 

It seems I'm rambling, so I'll cut to the chase. There is no magic answer or advice to give to those who would like to travel as I do (and are physically and financially able to do so). It's basically a matter of choice: choose a place you'd like to visit, do some (or a lot of) research, plan an itinerary, book your flight and lodging, and GO!  It will be scary, and it will be exhilarating. You will learn along the way what works best for you and your confidence and skill at traveling will grow from your experiences.  Be bold - the world awaits you!