Monday, 17 August 2015
McKinney Falls State Park — Austin, Texas
So, no one has said anything to us yet about being nuts … but at this stage only a few people know of our plans to travel aboard a ship for six months. The statement — likely in the form of a question — is bound to come … and it will probably be accompanied by a look of incredulity. We’re used to it :-)
I realize a voyage of this length is not everyone’s cup of tea. That’s perfectly OK. We, on the other hand, love the idea … really, we do.
It’s not that I didn’t consider a DIY trip around the world. I did — but it didn’t take me long to scrap that idea as being too planning-intensive.
There is something to be said for not having to figure out the logistics of getting from point A to point B to point C … for not having to book a multitude of accommodations along the way … for not having to pack and unpack for each interim move within an extended trip. And just think — no long flights in airline seats with minimal legroom … no long security checkpoints snaking through an airport … no long delays or missed connections to deal with en route!
Cabin 6090 … home-away-from-home for six months. Our accommodations won’t be overly spacious … shouldn’t be a problem, though … we’re used to living in a compact space.
Six months at sea may sound like a long time. But the itinerary is fairly port-intensive, and if past experience is anything to go by, the time is going to pass in the blink-of-an-eye.
By my count, 118 of the 180 days will see us exploring mostly new-to-us places on land. That’s 2/3rds of the itinerary … and it compares quite favorably to some of the shorter RTW itineraries out there where ports and days at sea are split nearly 50/50. The 62 sea days on our itinerary mostly follow long strings of port calls, and are necessary to get us around a globe that is covered 70% by water. Could there have been even more ports on our itinerary? Possibly! But believe me, the days at sea will be much appreciated … not just to rest our bodies, but also to give our brains some time to digest our new experiences.
Perhaps Mui and I have some gypsy blood in us and that’s why we enjoy long periods of travel away from home! Or maybe it’s that we’ve been traveling in some form since we packed our bags to move to the US 33 years ago … and it has just become second nature to us. Whatever the reason … we love the idea of this six-month voyage we will be embarking upon. And I hope to use some of the 62 days at sea to catch up on posts for this blog to bring readers along with us virtually — fingers crossed!
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I can't imagine doing a round the world trip on my own any more. I have three friends who have done it, but they are big time adventurers, and they did in when they were single. Lots of backpacking, and lots of fun stories, but it holds no interest for me any more at this stage of life. On the other hand, a round the world cruise sounds just wonderful. We were away from family and friends for more than 3 months when we traveled south in the MoHo and I know how incredibly fast the time can go when you are seeing so much. Besides, there is always connection in one form or another it seems these days. Gypsy blood for sure, you two!
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