2018 Travel Year in Review - Top 10 Take-Aways

We just wrapped up another great year of travel – spending 106 days out on the road, visiting four different countries, and 6 separate states. With that much road time, we came home with a few lessons learned and some new insights to carry into our 2019 travel adventures. Here are my top ten travel take-aways from 2018.

Lesson #1 – Do more of what scares you - unless you don’t want to - and then don’t

This past year I did two things that really got me outside of my comfort zone. One was doing an electric bike ride through the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area just outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The other was kayaking in the Salish Sea of the the Pacific Northwest, over a mile out to a small island and then back again to San Juan Island. Both activities stretched me, terrified me, and got my knees shaking, but what I learned was, sometimes pushing through your fears is not always the best thing.

For starters, I have never been comfortable on a bike and the day-long tour that went up and down the busy roads of the Red Rocks was just too much for me. I wanted to enjoy it. I wanted to overcome my fears of being on a bike that close to cars. But I just couldn’t do it. I finished, but not with the same exhilaration that I came away with from my kayak paddle.

In the end, I realized that when we are pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zones we still need to feel safe in some way. For me, I knew that the paddle across the open sea was scary, but I had my life jacket on and for the most part, I was safe. I also had more confidence in a kayak than I did on a bike. Looking back, the braver thing would have been to say no to the bike ride altogether.

As I head into my 2019 travels, I will still be looking for ways to stretch my comfort zone - after all, that is one of the greatest gifts of travel - but I will also practice being realistic and allow myself the option to say no to the invitations that might ask me to stretch too far.

And on a side note – I purchased a bike for Christmas and have been practicing each day. So far I have only fallen once and I am getting better with practice. Eventually I think I will be able to bike with confidence anywhere I want to go but for now, I am sticking to the safe, quiet, streets of my neighborhood until I get a little bit more biking prowess.

Lesson #2 – Group travel is not for everyone

And it is especially not for me. If you see me out on the road in 2019, I can assure you it will most likely not be in a group travel setting. Future travels will find me with just a few close travel buddies - mainly Jason and the dogs - forging our own road, in our own unique and quirky ways.

Lesson #3 – Your GPS does sometimes know what it’s talking about

We learned this the hard way when we ignored that voice telling us to get off on another freeway in what seemed like the wrong direction. Instead, we found ourselves sitting on the Autobahn, in the middle of Germany, for over two hours due to a major accident about a mile down the road. How were we to know that the GPS actually knew what it was talking about? When it told us to go the wrong way we were sure we were much smarter. After all, we had a map in hand and the sign at the intersection clearly said to go the way we were going. But in the end, the GPS was the correct one and we were stuck.

On the bright side, it’s not every day that you get to stand in the middle of the Autobahn. And we did get to meet some nice people that day, including a super cute dachshund. And miraculously, despite the magnitude of the accident, the people involved were not seriously hurt. From that point forward we never doubted our GPS, and wherever our travels take us in 2019, we will be listening more carefully to our GPS - even if it gets us completely lost.

Lesson #4 – Bring snacks

Speaking of being stuck on the Autobahn (or anywhere else for that matter) - be sure to have lots of snacks with you at all times.

In some wonderfully magical way, we had decided to stop for a quick potty break right before we got stuck. We had originally planned to stop for lunch later in the day, but my son was hungry, so we bought snacks and lunch things before getting back in the car. Three hours later we were pretty glad we had some food and drinks.

It was a good reminder of other times I have been stuck without sustenance. Like pulling into a village in Scotland with not a single shop open and two hungry kiddos in tow, or driving across the countryside of France when just about everything closes up between lunch and dinner, or the time our car overheated at a rest stop in Nevada and we ended up sitting there for hours playing cards and waiting for it to get cool enough to get back on the road.

Always tuck a little something in your bag and make sure you have water. You won’t regret it. And if you are lucky you will get to share some of your snacks with your fellow travelers and maybe make some new friends. Travel is always full of surprises – and not all of them are good. Having a little nibble in your bag and a full bottle of water can make any sort of situation less stressful and much more enjoyable.

Lesson #5 – Pack less, and then pack even less (except the snacks of course)

I have been on a mission to travel light. This is a result of never (and I mean never) being on the road and thinking that I should have packed more. This year I moved to a carry-on bag measuring 20” x 14” weighing under 20 pounds total. If that doesn’t sound small to you check out this picture.

Now sometimes we do find out we need more things – like when I asked my mom to bring me an extra pair of jeans when we met up in Germany this year because I had packed a little too light - but in general, we can always find that missing item where ever we happen to be traveling. When we traveled to Amsterdam this fall, we found it much colder than the weather reports had predicted and we had fun searching out a winter coat for my husband amidst the fall sales. But despite situations such as these, I can guarantee that when you haul your bag up three flights of stairs, or run to catch that train, you won’t be wishing you had a heavier bag.

And this goes for car travel too. As we prepare to take our tiny travel trailer out this summer, I am already planning how little we can get by with for those months. There is just only so much room once we get the dogs into the car.

If it comes down to that extra pair of shoes or the bag of granola bars remember lesson #4, put the shoes back in the closet and take the snacks. They will give you much more satisfaction. I have actually left shoes in hotel rooms because I couldn’t stand the weight in my bag any longer (I did it again this past fall and you think I would finally learn), but I have never regretted reaching into my bag and finding that one last Cutie orange or package of peanut butter crackers hiding in there. And neither have any of my other fellow travelers. So remember, pack light but always err on the side of snacks.

Lesson #6 – Plan, plan, plan but hold those plans loosely

We spend months mapping out our travel plans and never regret that time, but once we arrive we don’t always follow them too carefully. Instead, we think of our plan like a good recipe. The plan give us the bones to make our travels meaningful, but we don’t get caught up in checking off the items like a grocery list.

We first learned this years ago on a horrible driving day in Ireland trying to see all of the Beara Peninsula in half a day. Instead of an amazing day out in the wilds, we ended up in a big fight, finally parking the car at a view point, trying to regroup. I pulled out the snacks and we just sat and watched the fog on the mountainside float by. As we nibbled and watched, peace was finally restored.

You would think we would remember this, but once again this past year we found ourselves in Germany, catching a train to Oberwesel because it was listed as a must-see destination. Once we arrived things quickly fell apart. My knee was hurting, it was so hot and no one wanted to walk around the town. We quickly jumped back on the train, went back to the town we were staying in, climbed the trail up to the castle on the hill and sat down to enjoy the view.

And remember that lesson about snacks? We stopped at the local grocery stores to get food for a picnic lunch only to find out that all the stores closed on that specific day until 2 pm. Luckily, I had some cheese and bread back in our room along with a chunk of chocolate and one last cutie orange. We enjoyed a simple, but delicious lunch, looking out over the Rhine and dropped all the other plans by the side of the road. So put all that time into planning but then be okay to let them go. This will create some of your best memories. Just don’t forget the snacks.

Lesson #7 – Remember the word “flow”

Travel can be exhausting and often does not go as planned. At times it can even be a little disappointing. I was recently talking with some neighbors who both felt that they had experienced horrible travels in Europe. Their experiences weren’t unique, I too have had some bad travel experiences, but what I have learned is that how we choose to approach those experiences can make all the difference between a good trip or a bad one. And that is where flow comes in.

Try to remember that people are nice and grumpy everywhere. Don’t let one bad attitude ruin your whole experience (and remember this can be your bad attitude or somebody else’s bad attitude). If things aren’t going the way you want, change it up. Stop trying to paddle upstream. Do you want a full day of museum-going or do you just want to sit in a pretty park and read a book? Pick what flows easiest.

When we first started traveling, we would never have dreamed of stepping foot into a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s, but as we have learned to ease up, we have come to realize that sometimes the easiest choice might be the right choice - so why make it so difficult? When visiting Cologne this past fall we only had a short amount of time before our train left and we were both hungry. We wandered around hoping to find something more “German” to eat until we finally realized we were working too hard. We stepped into the McDonald’s next door to the train station and found ourselves eating lunch in a restaurant packed with Germans. Instead of being grumpy about eating crappy food we just enjoyed the experience.

When we finally got to the Rhine, we were so excited to do the ferry ride that takes you past all the amazing castles. We had wanted to do it for years. But on the day it was scheduled, the weather was rainy, windy and cold. We didn’t have another day to switch it up, so we just bundled up and enjoyed the ride. We might have been the only people on the top of the boat that day, but it was still a great experience. Just a lot wetter than we would have imagined.

So as I head into 2019 I am reminding myself to just relax, and go with what flows. I have no doubt that a relaxed attitude will improve the whole trip and make interactions with difficult people easier.

Lesson #8 – Allow time for the unexpected to actually find you

This goes hand in hand with lesson #6 and #7. Plan but then leave room for the unexpected. Go with the flow and allow yourself to be surprised (not judgy or disappointed) about what pops up into your travel itinerary. But this magic happens best when you don’t overbook your travel plans.

One night in Amsterdam we had some extra time before our canal cruise. We walked around the pretty streets and finally sat down outside a corner bar to have a drink. An American expat came outside, and we had a great conversation about his work and life in Amsterdam.

While visiting my sister in Utah, Jason saw on Instagram that one of our favorite bands, Davina and the Vagabonds, was playing that night in Salt Lake City. We bought tickets and enjoyed a spectacular show in a small intimate setting.

While camping in Zion’s National Park we happened upon friends and relatives also staying in the same place. We were able to go out on a lovely walk with Jason’s extended family and have a long, leisurely lunch with friends from the Pacific Northwest that we had not seen in over two years. If we had planned too much into those days, we would not have been able to enjoy those experiences. So, as we start getting ready for 2019 I remind myself - plan, plan, plan and then build in extra time to get bored. Because that is where the magic happens.

Lesson #9 – Don’t pay much attention to your first impressions

Remember us sitting on that freeway in Germany? That night, when we finally pulled into the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, we were tired and a little on the grumpy side. We were staying in the old town which required us to park outside the city walls and walk to our hotel (remember the lesson about packing light?).

After wandering for some time, we could not figure out how to get into the little inn. Finally, my son walked into the corner grocery store and asked if they knew where the hotel entrance was located. To our surprise, the guy motioned for us to come with him. We wandered in past the grocery store aisles to the back of the store where he opened up a door and took us into the section of the building that was his guesthouse. We followed him, in the dark, up a million flights of stairs, until he opened up two rooms for us. In the dark light and with our jaded attitudes, it looked shabby, the room was hot and all I could smell was the strange packaged grocery store smell of cardboard boxes, veges, and refrigeration.

Much to my surprise, upon waking, everything changed. We were refreshed, the view out our window was beyond charming, and when we climbed the ladder type stairs up to the upstairs breakfast room tucked into the alcoves, we felt like we were in some fairy tale. Our host was beyond kind and made sure our trip was wonderful. It was a good lesson that first impressions aren’t always the best.

When we arrived in Hallstatt, Austria we were immediately overwhelmed by all the tourists in the town. It felt more like the main street of Disneyland than a small village up in the mountains. We had dreamed of visiting the town but our first impression was to run in the opposite direction. To catch our breath we turned down a small alley and found the most charming little restaurant right on the water. We sat and enjoyed a leisurely lunch, watching the swans and the beauty of the lake. It helped put everything back in perspective. It was still not exactly the experience we imagined but we adjusted our own attitudes and had a wonderful time anyway.

I have learned that good travelers put judgment aside and allow the charms of the location to slowly rise to the surface. I will be sure to carry this with me into 2019 as we plan to head into some new areas, and being budget travelers, I know there will be some lackluster bedrooms in our future.

Lesson #10 – All travel is not equal - but it is still travel

As I reflected back on those 106 days of being on the road, I was reminded that not all of it fell into the category of exciting travel. Mixed into the Europe travel and our great road trips was also a trip to help my sister recover from surgery. There were quick overnights to L.A. and San Diego. And there was a wonderful visit from my son and his partner for three weeks in December and a couple of quick visits from our daughter.

Don’t be fooled that only big travel adventures count as travel. Anytime we step out of our routine and pay attention to our surroundings in a new way we experience travel. My sister and I had so much fun despite her recovery. And those quick day trips and simple overnights were enough to be a reset button and bring us home recovered and ready to get back to work. And whenever we have visitors from out of town, we get to experience our own cities and towns as tourists, enjoying things that we might not do regularly.

To me, the definition of travel is something that takes us out of our daily routines, invites a new way of seeing, confronts us with the many differences in our world, and expands our horizons. You don’t have to hop on a plane to a far-off destination to make that happen (although that is fun too).

Become a tourist in your own town. Go visit a beloved relative and spend a few days laughing and reminiscing. Turn off the phone, make something good to eat, close the blinds and watch a movie or read a good book. Shake up the routine and you will be surprised what gifts you receive. Don’t underestimate the power of travel in all its forms.

So as 2018 wraps up, and 2019 begins, I am looking forward to some of the big trips we have planned this year, but I am also looking forward to the little adventures close to home. And if you see me on the road, be sure to say hi. I promise to share my snacks with you.