My passion for travel began with my first airline trip in high school to compete in a national speech contest. I lost the competition but loved the adventure. I began to dream of taking my next trip immediately, though it was years before I got to leave my hometown again. Once I did, however, there was no turning back. I still start planning my next trip immediately after returning home. “Always be travelling” is a lifestyle I embrace! My frequent work trips to NYC after college fueled my love for big cities and also presented me with the unique opportunity to meet a certain wild and crazy New Yorker, who became my husband and travel partner–35+ years together exploring the world and still so many more countries to see.
Adulting interfered with any travel as we began raising a family and didn’t have the time nor the money to travel extensively. As soon as the last one left for college, however, we were THE happiest empty nesters, our first European trip determined by the cheapest airfare I could find from Seattle, which just happened to be Barcelona. It was a fabulous trip filled with tapas and Gaudi gawking. Thus, the global travel obsession began in earnest, both for vacations and work, including living in China for a few years for my role at Microsoft and then working in Microsoft offices all over the world, anywhere from Moscow (pre-Ukraine war-MSFT offices closed there now) to Tokyo while vacationing everywhere from Stonehenge to New Zealand. I can work remote in my current role consulting with Microsoft, so my only requirement is strong Wi-Fi. We just wrapped up pet sitting in London for 40+ days and look forward to exploring new countries (and pets!) in a similar fashion via our membership in Trusted Housesitters. Truly the good life for avid travelers like us!
I often wonder why more people don’t love travelling like I do. Recently, I read an article that recommended an icebreaker when you meet someone to ask, “Where are your favorite places to travel?” and, for me, this sounded perfect because I am always interested in hearing travel stories. Maybe a fellow traveler has been somewhere that I should go! Surprisingly, the majority of the time, people respond by saying they rarely travel and, if they do, tend to stay nearby their hometown. Why travel when you have everything you need at home-family, friends, comfortable stuff you’ve collected over the years? I get it but feel sorry more than anything for people who don’t want to travel even if they could. They are missing out on that big, beautiful world out there!
I do strongly feel that the reason the US is where they are right now is because too many people don’t leave their American “bubble” and thus don’t appreciate the US for both the good (clean air and water thanks to regulations, general prosperity, etc.) or recognize the bad (no national healthcare, increasing racism, and intolerance for LGBTQ+). Too often Americans believe that the US is the best at everything. They think that citizens in all those other countries around the globe would move to the US in a heartbeat if they could. Wrong. Every country I’ve visited (25+) has unique beauty and history that their citizens cherish despite whatever challenges they may face. I always come away from a trip to another country with clear comparisons to their way of life vs. ours, both good and bad. Think gas prices are high in the US? Try Europe prices. Don’t think we need government regulations to ensure clean air? Visit China or India where the AQI often hits a very unhealthy 200+ (US average is 37). No country is perfect but it sure is fun exploring each and every one.
I understand not everyone has the time or can afford to travel outside the US. If you can find a job where you can travel for business and they foot the bill, I would highly recommend it. Relocating to another country for your job is even better! I was able to travel across the US and then across the world for my work with Microsoft including living in NYC for six months on a work assignment and relocating to China for two years for a work gig. Not only did they pay for all my living expenses, but I got to really immerse myself in the local culture. When my China assignment ended abruptly a year earlier than was expected, I was sad to repatriate to the US. We still had adventures we wanted to have in China and the Asia-Pacific region. I will never regret that expat experience, even though it was hard to be away from my family during that time.
What’s next on our travel schedule? Our month in London just ended in February, the jet lag is over, and now we are deep into planning our upcoming trip to Florence for two weeks, then on to Milan for a week to catch a Bruce Springsteen concert, and finally to London to see the Mets play two games. London has so much to see and do that I don’t believe we will ever be “done” with London. The more time we spend in London, the more I like it. I think we will explore a long-term pet sit in France soon. We’ve been to Paris a few times and love it, but I would enjoy settling into a smaller city for a few weeks to see what daily French life is like. The next Girls Trip will find us exploring Vienna, a place I have never been, but I hear you can find exquisite coffee there, so I’m looking forward to checking it out. Oh, the places we’ll go!
Here are my travel tips to really embrace the local culture wherever you go:
- Take public transportation not only to get to where you are going quickly but to observe local life. The fashion you will observe on the subways is fascinating.
- Go to places where the locals might go on a day off-try the zoo (I hugged a koala in Sydney), walk in the park (NYC Central Park is my favorite place) or visit a library (British Library in London is magnificent as is NYC Public Library)
- Eat at a local (not a chain) pub/café. Bring your dog-they are allowed in many places like the UK. In Shanghai, we would go to trivia night weekly at the local Irish pub with other expats and had a blast.
- Try the local delicacies if you can-Thom had haggis croquettes at the pub in London. Not my cup of tea but he enjoyed it and it’s not an item you would find in Boise.
- Read the newspapers-yes, they still have those in Europe, Australia, etc.
- If you pet sit, you’ll meet people walking their dogs, who will invariably be friendly and chatty.
- Try a walking tour led by a local, which are usually free (you tip the guide). We’ve used this site: https://www.toursbylocals.com/
- Watch the local news and tv shows-here in the UK the amount of travel/relocation shows speaks volumes about the locals’ desire visit places preferably with lots of sunshine and warmth.
- Shop in the grocery stores even if you are staying at a hotel-great place for room snacks and souvenirs.
We are having the time of our lives travelling all over the world as often as possible. I hope you’ll start planning YOUR next adventure soon. Enjoy the journey!