Travel

I traveled a fair amount growing up. When my parents didn't have a lot of money, we regularly went on driving trips all over B.C. My parents are European and in the 70s we went to Europe twice. Went to Ontario a few times to visit relatives. Best trips were a short exchange student trip to Cape Breton in highschool and a ski trip with my best friend to Utah while in college.

I didn't travel again until my older son was 4-yrs-old and my ex and I took him to Disneyland. We adults had never been and seeing it for the first time through a 4-yr-old's eyes was magical. That prompted me to become a travel agent, which resulted in a few more trips, to Disneyland, Florida, Hawaii.

And I love Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

But I never really LOVED traveling until Michael. Part of that is that traveling with my family wasn't all that great and sometimes traumatizing. (Last year was my parents' 50th wedding anniversary and my brother and his wife and my parents all went to Hawaii together and put some pressure on me to go as well. I couldn't think of anything more unhealthy for me; it's almost laughable how clueless they choose to be.) Traveling with my ex was often a trial. It all got kinda ruined for me.

Michael brought the magic back and I fell in love with not just him but exploring new places, not necessarily knowing where you'll go but enjoying each moment to its fullest, feeling such joy you think you'll burst with it all.

I know I want that again but it's been difficult to imagine doing so without sharing it with a special someone. That's so much a part of what made travel great for me. Last year I looked at women's groups who travel and nothing seemed to fit. The man I was dating a while ago got me interested again but that went by the wayside. My son and daughter-in-law are into traveling and that's got me imagining again.

SO I have some dreams and I've decided I'm not gonna wait around anymore to pursue them.

In some ways, it almost doesn't matter at this point whether I fulfill them or not. What matters is that I have them, have something to look forward to. And I can only rely on myself for that.

My current small list of adventures:

• Go sailing. Never have; have always wanted to. It was on my list for last year and I got the plane gliding in but not the sailing once my son's wedding took up so much energy. So I'll look into it again for this summer.
• Go away for a few days with my best friend in May, probably somewhere in B.C., to celebrate 30 years as best friends.
• South Africa in 2008? Possibly East Africa instead/as well. Both South Africa and some East African countries have long been in my dreams. It'll take me a long time to save up for it all but hey, no other real expenses (if my old fridge cooperates). There are all kinds of vacations to look at, some include doing volunteer work, others more about adventure, and quite a few that don't penalize you for going single (and no, they're not 'singles' vacations - no thanks). There's a possibility a girlfriend may be able to go as well - she has a friend and business contacts in SA - so that could determine what I actually do there. But it has to include Cape Town and Robben Island. I figure I can bear the pain and not sleeping for a couple of weeks and the months of physical fallout following will be well worth it.
• Peru in years to come? Dunno. Some interesting excursions there, too.

Writing them down here will perhaps make me them real. :-)