Pre-RTW Miami Plans … ✔

Sunday, 21 February 2016
Maverick Ranch RV Park — Lajitas, Texas

It’s been a busy winter for us … traveling in the motorhome to see new-to-us parts of the US.  We’ve been exploring Texas — heading further south and further west from our RV pad in Port Aransas — except for the week we left the country on a Caribbean cruise to celebrate Mui’s birthday.  (You can read about it here, if interested … total of three posts.)

I’ve been spending free time during the road trip researching ports of call on our RTW itinerary.  I made some headway, but there is certainly still a lot of work ahead of me.  In the meantime, it’s been quiet on the blog … nothing exciting to write about.  Until today.

Actually, I don’t know that exciting is the right description for today’s topic.  But it sure gives me a sense of relief to know that not only have we decided on the dates for our pre-RTW Miami stay, but that we’ve taken care of a few of the associated logistics, too.

We’ve been waffling for months between staying a week in Miami … or staying two weeks … or staying just a couple of days.  Well, today we decided to cut way back on our pre-voyage stay.  O is already giving us a day by putting us up in Miami the night before we embark Insignia on 6 January.  So, we’re adding just one additional day, making it a two-night stay.  Nice as it would have been to do some sightseeing in and around Miami, we will likely have too many last minute things to do at home before such a momentous trip to be off gallivanting in Florida.  We’ll do that another time.

We took time off from sightseeing this morning to handle some of the logistics associated with our decision.  The flight to Miami on 4 January is booked — one-way award tickets from IAH to MIA … the July 6 return date doesn’t open for ticketing until August.  We picked an early morning flight so that we can make the most of the day in Miami.  Living in a motorhome, that means we need to put our “condo on wheels” in storage the day before we fly out.  With that in mind, a hotel at IAH for 3 January was the next thing we took care of — ‘Pricelined’ a room as usual and got the Hyatt Place this time.

Feeling good about today’s accomplishments.  We’ll deal with the rest of the pre- and post-voyage logistics at a later date … time to go have lunch at the Starlight Theater in the Terlingua Ghost Town.

© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.

Happy New Year

Friday, 1 January 2016
Gulf Waters RV Resort — Port Aransas, Texas

370 … that’s the number of sleeps we have before we embark Insignia on 6 January 2017 for our 180-day RTW voyage.  Sounds like a lot doesn’t it?  But I guarantee it isn’t.  Between our travel plans for 2016 and all the prep to get ready for the RTW, the days are bound to fly … as they have since we booked this special voyage 155 days ago.

371 days from today we will be on Insignia for the first of 180 sleeps.

Happy 2016 everyone!  Hope it is a fantastic one for one and all.

© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.

First Change ... Probably Not the Last One

Saturday, 14 November 2015
Aboard NCL Jade — Port of Houston, Texas

Still not writing a whole lot on the blog.  That’s likely to change in 2016 when I start working on the RTW plans more diligently.

We returned to the US today by way of a TransAtlantic cruise from Barcelona to Houston.  In fact, we’re still on NCL Jade, awaiting clearance to disembark so we can go pick up our “condo on wheels.”  You might ask what’s so urgent that I am posting to the RTW blog now … before I even get home.  Nothing.  But I do have some news, and I do have some time to kill … so pourquoi pas … why not?

Our Itinerary … in Text

Sunday, 11 October 2015
İzmİr, Turkey

I’m still in İzmir, Turkey — annual family visit.  Mui is in Switzerland at the moment — with his mom and sister … a quick getaway as part of his family visit.  I’ve been doing some local daytrip-sightseeing with my family — most recently to Chios [Sakız], a Greek island that is a short ferry ride from the Turkish resort town of Çeşme … more on that in this teaser I wrote for the Two to Travel blog.

Trial Run Successful

Sunday, 4 October 2015
İzmİr, Turkey

Our first O cruise is now under our belt.  In short, we loved the whole experience.

What’s not to like, really?  A small ship by today’s mega-vessel standards … only 684 passengers; a lovely aft cabin … beautifully appointed and with an oversized veranda; quiet public spaces … no raucous activities; great food … no-fee specialty restaurants as an added bonus; well-traveled fellow passengers; and an excellent itinerary … good mix of easy-to-DIY ports … some familiar, some new.  If there was one thing we didn’t like, it was the length of the cruise … just 12 nights!  We’re used to being at sea for longer periods and didn’t want to disembark the ship in İstanbul this morning.

Not that we had any doubts we would enjoy this cruise, but it is nice to have our decision to cruise with Oceania validated.

So what’s next?  We still have two segments of our fall Europe travels ahead of us.  For this next segment, however, Mui and I have parted ways.  I am currently at my mom’s condo in Alsancak, İzmir … the same one where I spent most of my teenage and a few of my young-adult years.  Mui is in Ankara to spend time with his family.  We will eventually rejoin forces and head to Barcelona, Spain where we will embark the Transatlantic voyage that will return us to Houston.

But the story of our Europe travels is for my Two to Travel blog … if I ever get around to writing it, that is.  So, as we say in Turkish, güle güle [bye] for now … I’ll catch up with this blog once we are back home.

© 2015-2017 — All rights reserved by Erin Erkun.