As my husband and I embark on our fourth European trip, I can't help notice that we get lots of comments like these: "Oh my gosh, you're so lucky!" "I wish I could travel like that!" and so on.  I know some people are secretly wondering if we are rich, while others probably assume we are running up credit card bills like crazy.  The truth is we aren't rich at all; we have regular teaching jobs.  Before we taught, James was a lower-level officer in the military, which doesn't pay amazingly either. So how do we do it? The answer is way less sexy than you think.

Yup. Really unsexy, huh? Not fun AT ALL. It involved me working at Burger King for a year, then Applebee's. It required us to eat at home almost entirely for a year, cut James' hair at home with cheap clippers, along with hundreds of other little penny pinching strategies. We were lucky enough to have parents who encouraged us to go ahead and get out of debt while we were in our 20's, but other than that, it was pure, hard work. That year (or more) of penny pinching had other unintended consequences as well. It taught us to talk about money with each other.  There is hardly a singly monetary decision at this point over $20 that we don't discuss. In fact, just the other day there was an album I wanted that was $14.99 instead of $9.99, and I talked to James about it before I bought it. (And was thrilled when Amazon gave me a $4 credit for it out of the blue!)  
We are very conscious that every dollar we spend is a dollar we had to work for. As you will see in upcoming points, that doesn't mean we hoard our money or are super frugal, but we do think about where the money goes, and we certainly don't want money we worked hard for going to random creditors as interest.  For our house note, we have to swallow it for a bit, but intend to pay it off early to keep more of that interest money for ourselves. I acknowledge that the older you get, the harder this becomes, and some people have WAYY more debt than we did, but if anyone were to ask me how to have extra money for anything they wanted to do, this would be the first thing I would tell them to do.

Because we don't owe money on our vehicles, they end up being two of the worst cars in the teacher's parking lot (and that is saying something). Imagine how weird it would be for one of us to go up to a fellow teacher and say "oh my gosh, how did you get that Yukon? I wish I could have a Yukon like that one day. It's on my bucket list." The person would probably just look at me oddly and tell me where they got it and what they paid.  They would assume that I could get a loan for a Yukon, just like they did. But when people say those things to me, I feel the need to justify my expenditure on travel to them.  First, I make sure they understand that we are not putting the trip on credit.  Then, I try to reassure them that we are not rich; we just don't owe anything.  Maybe I don't need to justify myself as much as I think, but I have to acknowledge that we aren't the norm. In our society, travel is seen as an unneeded luxury. A Yukon is transportation, no matter how expensive. And yet, we decided early on that we would drive the crappier cars, buy the cheaper furniture, put up with the older computer for a little longer, in order to have money to travel. 
After getting out of debt, we made a conscious decision to spend money on what we wanted and what we  needed and nothing more. I truly believe more people should do that instead of trying to have what everyone else does just because it seems like they should have it too.  If it makes you happy and you can afford it, go for it, whether it is a $3000 sofa or that Yukon or, in our case, a $7000 trip to Europe.  My husband and I have always loved to travel, even when it meant a day trip to the state park down the road.  We still do things like that on a regular basis; now we just have the resources to do it on a bigger scale. To some, it may seem like flushing money down the toilet, but we come back with knowledge, a passion for new things, memories and more. (Enough to fill up another post, which I have done here.) The bottom line is that, for us, it is worth it.

Some people that choose to travel big assume that they will never have the chance to do anything like that trip again.  The unintended consequence? They spend money out the wahoo. They pay tour guides lots of money to bring them around on autobus tours; they pay for American-style hotels at $200 + dollars a night; they drop bank on meals etc.  After all, if this is it, you might as well do it "right", right? I must give credit to and thank Rick Steves for my mindset on this point.  His "Europe Through the Backdoor" book and series of guidebooks inspired within me a need to experience new destinations for myself, not through the eyes of a guide.  He also stresses the importance of paying less so that you can do more and treat every place like somewhere you will return to.  How does this help? What if you really only ever get to go that one time? Well, that would suck, but wouldn't it be better to have seen a few things thoroughly and with less stress? I'll admit that when it comes to this point of seeing less, we still do push harder than Steves recommends. We just can't help ourselves. But, we do it on our own, in cheaper, more local accommodations, on public transportation, in restaurants which are sometimes dives, and pinching pennies as we go. (I just booked a Guinness Storehouse tour online last night rather than at the site to save about $5.00)  Again, this stuff isn't easy. It requires hours and hours of planning to find the right hotels, restaurants, and to learn about the history and art so that we actually understand what we are seeing. 
We firmly feel that being as frugal as possible each time we go, allows us to go back, hopefully again and again.

I told you it wouldn't be sexy. But, no matter. The travel itself is what is sexy, exciting, amazing, scary, and mind-blowing. It makes all of the days I spent at Burger King, all of the driving with an unreliable air conditioner, all of the late night documentaries on Michelangelo totally worth it. 

Stay tuned to this blog for the next couple of weeks. Kaleigh will be live blogging from Dublin, Paris, Italy and Edinburgh.

I have a love/hate relationship with Venice.  On one hand, it is so beautiful and amazing, chock full of art, architecture and romance.  On the other hand, it involves a lot of walking in a crowd...behind slow people...like Disney World with much smaller pathways.  There are few places to sit, the marble or pavement that you walk on is unmerciful on tired feet, and restaurants are either cheap windows with no seating or crazy expensive mediocre food.  The sites in Venice are some of my favorite in the world, but I have been more discouraged by this city than any other.  It feels like if only you could happen upon the city when no tourists were present, it could be the perfect destination. But Venice exists largely because of tourists, so that dream is not realistic.  And so, for me, Venice will remain this elusive, beautiful city that I dream of when I am back home, but silently curse while there.  Maybe one day I'll experience the Venice of my dreams. I'll certainly never give up; this gives me the perfect reason to return...

It has been over a week since we returned from our trip, but I am just beginning to feel settled since we are also in the process of James attending a military training class and moving the family.  But, we are in a makeshift apartment for the next week at least, so I feel like I can finally reflect.  Here are the things that stick out in my mind most from our recent trip:

1. Waiting in the rain for a restaurant to open in Bologna because we were starving and in Italy, restaurants don't open until at least 7 for dinner.  We crouched under awnings, raced across streets with ankle-deep puddles and were soaked to the bone by the time we reached the restaurant, which had barely opened.  Good thing meals in Italy take so long, so we had plenty of time to dry off!  We were rewarded with fresh tortellini and other delicacies that were definitely worth waiting for.

2. Wandering around Piazza del Duomo in Florence by myself while James climbed the dome early one morning.  I studied the art on the church, the Baptistry doors, and even gave some tourists directions.  Someone asked me if I was local, and I almost felt like I was. I attended church in the Duomo and just soaked up the city.

3. My beautiful evening in Ferrara, where we finally took it easy and strolled the streets like the locals.  We admired the pink confection of the Duomo, bought candied nuts and listened to street musicians.  

4. Touring ports with Joann and Calvin, our tablemates.  They were the perfect companions for us: Joann, always armed with optimism, her camera and the willingness to ask anyone anything and Calvin, a man of few words, but who could actually put James in his place.  

5. Our amazing Greek lunches by the water which lasted for hours and featured excellent conversation with wonderful people. The first, with Maria from Katakolon Express, and the second with our other tablemates, Mike and Debbie.  I've never enjoyed al fresco dining as much as I did eating fresh feta by the sea.

6. Winning trivia with Jeannie and Paul, our brilliant teammates who made us the winningest trivia team I've ever been a part of.  They became great friends, and we learned so much from them. We aspire to travel like they do one day.

It's funny. As I look at this list and think back, it occurs to me that none of them revolved around a single monument or piece of art.  Of course we saw amazing things that I will never forget, but the more we travel, the more it becomes about the people and the authentic experiences.  I would never have believed it before we first visited Europe, and I know that I will always be filling our days with museums and churches in the future, but now I understand how important it is to leave room for those impromptu experiences.  They are what travel is all about!

Kusadasi, Turkey is hands down, one of the best stops in the Mediterranean. You don't like to see sites, just shop? Well, you won't find it cheaper or more fun than here. You like Biblical sites? Got those too: Paul likely wrote 1 Corinthians here, Ephesians was written about here, John was buried here and Mary lived here. How about ancient sites and one of the original 7 wonders of the world? Yep. Good food? Check! Nice people? Absolutely! Seriously, there was nothing about today that I didn't enjoy.

We had hired a private tour which, after doing I never want to go back. Our guide was Orcun, co-owner of Barel Travel, a travel agency and tour company. He picked us up at the port with our names on a sign and a Mercedes minivan, and we were off to Ephesus. He provided information about his country, people, history, and details of everything we saw along the way. Ephesus is only about 13 percent excavated, and while it does have some signs, a guide really helps this place come alive. One section of the site which costs a little extra, but was absolutely great was the Terrace Houses which are pretty well preserved Roman houses of the rich. You walk on plexiglass walkways above mosaics, by ancient bedrooms, kitchens and courtyards. Having recently watched the HBO show, Rome, it was easy to imagine real Romans lounging around these houses.

The library of Celcius is the top attraction at Ephesus, and for good reason. It is stunning. We were also quite impressed with the Grand Theatre, where Paul preached and a riot broke out. City officials contained the riot and hid Paul on a nearby hill, where he probably wrote 1 Corinthians while in hiding. What were the people all stirred up about? Well, Paul was preaching against idols and false gods and Ephesus is right next to one of the most important pagan pilgrimage sites which made them a lot of money in idol replicas: The Temple of Artemis. 

The Basilica of St John was ordered to be built by Justinian and Theodora of the Byzantine Empire because of a long standing tradition that the apostle John was buried there. It was enormous and, if standing today, would be the 7th largest church in Christendom. But, an earthquake took it down and only ruins remain. We did see the altar which is above the tomb, the Baptistry, and columns which gave us an idea of the layout. 

If you think that is all we had time to see, you would be wrong. Orcun also wanted us to get a feel for some of the handicrafts of his people, so we visited a pottery shop and a Turkish rug guild. We weren't pressured to buy, but did get considerable information about the crafts, and I even got to try my hand at rug making. Oh, and we got Turkish coffee and tea as well. (Very strong!) A great lunch at a local place was squeezed somewhere in the middle: fried zucchini, dolma, green beans and broccoli, with lamb kebabs and spicy meatballs. 

Our other stop was a little village in the mountains which had locally made products, cheap knockoffs, and amazing prices. Looking back, I wish I had shopped more, even though we did buy a few things. We won't see prices like that again. And, we won't likely see a place like Kusadasi again. (Until we come back!)

After our exceptional time in all our Greek ports, we had high hopes for Santorini. It is supposed to be the most beautiful of the islands with postcard perfect views, and it is pretty. But, it is a pain in the butt to get around.

The first problem is that Santorini is a tender port, meaning that you have to take a smaller boat from the ship to the dock. All tender ports are somewhat frustrating, but once you get on dock, the headache is usually over. Not in Santorini. Here, you have to then either take a cable car or a donkey to the top of the cliff where the town is. Since each tender boat lets off about a hundred passengers, you can imagine that the lines for the cable car back up pretty quickly. Can you guess what we did? Yep, we took the donkeys.

It was actually pretty fun, although smelly and at times, scary when they got close to the edge. Definitely an experience we won't forget! Once in the town of Fira, many people recommend taking the bus to the picturesque village you see in all those Greek postcards, Oia. So, we found the public buses and made the trek.

Oia is about 20 minutes away, and is very beautiful, but can get overrun with tourists easily. It is also a very expensive place to have a meal, which is what we were looking to do. We couldn't find any little gyro places, only more expensive restaurants. All I can say is that I am glad my new friend, JoAnn, is an amateur photographer and has agreed to share her photos. I'll post them, and we can all enjoy Oia through her eyes.

As for James and I, we headed back to Fira and completed the many modes of transport it took to get back to the ship: bus, cable car and boat. For me, Santorini is not worth the trouble. Corfu and Mykonos are far easier and almost as beautiful. 

Back on the ship, we enjoyed Indian food that they made especially for us. (You can request this on Princess in the main dining room) We saw a show, played a game and went to bed. Typical cruise night, but atypical for real life. Is it any secret which I prefer?

If the title didn't give it away, today we docked in Mykonos. We had originally planned to take the shore excursion to the island of Delos, which was a major trading hub, then religious site in ancient times. But, after our long day in Athens, we decided to save Delos for another trip and to just enjoy a relaxing day on Mykonos. It is super easy to get from the ship to the main town of Mykonos; you just take their shuttle which is 7 euro round trip. I would not recommend walking it to anyone; there are very steep cliffs and there is no walk path.

Immediately, Mykonos is not quite as picturesque as you might imagine. But once you get on the little back alleys, you will find the beautiful white and blue houses of your Greek dreams. The problem is: if there are a lot of tourists in town, it gets overwhelmed and you are constantly competing with people for photo shots. A couple of times we did get off on our own, but the hoards were never far away. This is absolutely one of the worst places I can think of to do a shore excursion.

The only "attraction" on Mykonos is a set of five windmills by the sea. They are pretty, and that is about it.  Shop prices are higher here, but if you had a Gucci or Louis Vuitton fetish that just isn't getting fulfilled, you'll find the real thing here. Souvenirs are cheaper in neighboring islands or Athens.

After we'd had enough wandering, we began to look for a place to eat. Luckily, on our way back toward the ship, we found one of our tablemate couples already dining in a perfect location. They invited us to join them, and we had a wonderful lunch so close to the water that every once in awhile, it would splash up on our ankles. Olive oil, bread, feta and Spanikopita filled our table, and we munched and talked for hours. THIS is my Mykonos memory that I will conjure up when having a bad day.

Other highlights of the day:
1. Pastries for breakfast at the International Cafe: chocolate almond croissants, creme filled beignets and much more.
2. The comedian/singer from Wales, Diane Cousins, whose singing typified a cruise ship performer, but the comedy had us rolling.
3. Chatting with some of the crew about what they did in Mykonos when we docked at 1:00 am the night before. 

I was a little skeptical about today and our trip to the site of the Ancient Olympics. I had heard that there wasn't much left out there, and that it was really difficult to visualize the games etc. Well, I don't know if our Rick Steve's walking tour was the reason, or if maybe I have a great imagination, but I was totally impressed by and enjoyed the site of the ancient games.

Starting at the beginning: the port of Katakolon. Katakolon is about 40 km from Olympia, but the transport is very easy. We found out about a transfer service that was significantly cheaper than the cruise line tours, that still guaranteed your return to the ship. It is called Katakolon Express, and they were great. I'll write a full review later, but the buses were very nice, and we were back to the port with a couple hours to spare.

Olympia has two major sites: where the ancient games took place, and the accompanying museum. Both are worth seeing, and come in a combo ticket for 9 euros. We started with the site, and it was so cool to walk among the columns which had been arcades that surrounded the training courtyards. They still have a bathtub which they used to clean off the layer of olive oil and dust which covered their bodies to protect from the sun and injuries. We saw the workshop of the man who created one of the wonders of the ancient world: the statue of Zeus. Then, we saw the site of the real thing. I don't know about you, but standing on the ground which ancient philosophers like Plato visited and people from around the world renowned is pretty crazy to think of. That 40 ft statue must have been a site to see which his ivory, golf and gemstones glittering in the reflective pool in front of him. I guess when the Greeks came to the games, it was sort of like our vacations today, mixed with a religious pilgrimage. They certainly were rewarded for their efforts in getting there.

After walking down cheaters lane, where early drug dopers (animal blood and herbs) had their names engraved on statues which they paid for, we walked through the grand tunnel, out into the stadium. This stadium had no seats, only hillside, except for the judges who were known for their fairness. The marble starting and ending blocks are still there, and James just had to run where many, many others had run before. I myself, got a snazzy photo on the starting line. The ancient games ran for several centuries before being banned by the new Christian rule. Think of that: our modern games have only been going since the 1890's, barely over 100 years. How many people must have visited and competed at that ancient site?

Upon returning from Olympia, we spoke with and had lunch with one of owners of Katakolon Express. She took us to this little seafood restaurant on the water, where all the tables were reserved and she knew the owner/ cook. I have to say that my favorite part of traveling and doing the show is meeting the people and having experiences like this. She told us of Athens and mythology as we munched on fresh feta, tomato salad with amazing olive oil, little fried fish and beautiful grilled shrimp. We didn't even order, Andre just kept bringing us things he thought we should eat. The water was gorgeous, Maria was a great storyteller, and the food was so fresh, you could swear it had been caught or picked that morning. Greek music played in the background, and it felt like a scene from one of those romantic Greek movies. 

We could have had no better introduction to Greece, and I can't wait to explore further in Athens tomorrow!

Back on board, we relaxed on deck, played a little trivia and prepared for our dinner at the specialty restaurant steakhouse, Crown Grill. I have to say that at $25, the Crown Grill must be one of the best values at sea. The food looked and tasted great. I started with scallops with pancetta, black and blue onion soup, and James had a lobster cake and shrimp bisque. Our steaks were cooked perfectly, juicy and flavorful, and were excellent cuts of meat. The vegetables are served family style, and you can order as many as you like. By the time we got to dessert, we were practically forcing ourselves to eat bites of the chocolate soufflé and berry cobbler. This is the type of food we were hoping to have at the chef's table we visited on a previous cruise: elegant, beautiful and delicious.

After losing a 50's music trivia, we hit the sack, ready for a full day at the site of the Ancient Olympics!

I saw a story this morning on a new package that Royal Caribbean will be offering which centers around Barbie.  Little girls will be able to sleep in a pink Barbie-decorated stateroom, attend a fashion show, go to tea parties, design Barbie outfits along with Barbie-themed movie nights and sleepovers. You can have all this for the additional cost of $349 per person starting in January.

This got me thinking about what kind of person would allow something like this to influence their vacation decisions.  Don't get me wrong, this package and Royal Caribbean are by no means the first cruise line to cater to the desires of children.  It could be argued that Disney's entire cruise line is built on catering to children.  But is this a good trend? 

Back when I was a child, vacations were decided upon entirely by my parents. They made the money, so they picked the trips.  I often didn't even know where we were going until a few weeks out.  While I'm sure my parents wanted me to have a good time, I am also fairly sure that they didn't plan the vacation based on my desires.  Most people immediately think of Disney World when considering child-centric vacations, but my parents went there on their honeymoon, and I know MANY adults who enjoy the parks more than their children. (Sis, I am looking at you! Heck, I am looking in the mirror too.)  

Call me crazy, but a cruise has always seemed to me to be a truly "adult" vacation choice.  No vacation more appropriately meets the needs of an adult, in my opinion, than a cruise.  Relaxation, fine dining, live entertainment, adult enrichment activities, etc.: cruising just seems to be the epitome of an adult vacation.  So, are children hijacking our ships, or are we just letting them come along?

A few decades ago, cruise lines figured out that they needed to provide something for kids in order to encourage the parents to try their ships (and to get them to relax and spend some money once there.)  I firmly believe that the invention of kids' clubs on cruise ships is one of the best ideas the cruise industry has ever had.  What other vacation provides free babysitting? Really? Especially at the price of a cruise?  But now that cruise lines seem to be eager to move past just providing services for the children once on board into creating a vacation with children in mind.  Is it a good idea?  

I can only speak for myself, but I will not be selecting a cruise based solely on my daughter's interests any time soon.  If I am zeroed in on a particular departure port and itinerary, and one line has characters she enjoys more than the others, that may factor into my decision. We'll also likely take her on a Disney cruise at some point, but considering how much we enjoy Disney AND that I think Disney really has a lot to offer adults, although I know she'll love it, it isn't really all about her.  

What do you think? Will you shell out $350 to sleep in a pink Barbie room just so your kid can?   

Dear Kaleigh,

This is your future self, and I just wanted to write to encourage you in your future cruise endeavors.  I know that right now you are totally wrapped up in Disney, and there is nothing wrong with that.  You and James are stationed with the military up in North Dakota, and I can imagine that the idea of getting away to a familiar, fantastical place like Disney World is pretty appealing at this point.  But, your way of vacationing is about to change completely!  

Right now, you picture a cruise as being boring, claustrophobic and for people who are either old or don't have much imagination. You fear the small staterooms, aren't even sure if they actually have double beds or if you'd have to sleep in twin beds, bolted to the floor.  Your sister in law just got back from a cruise and mentioned the soda card, and you cannot believe anyone would spend that much money on Coke.  She tried to tell you about all the activities on board, but all you heard was "casino" and "learn to scrapbook", neither of which appeal to you.  And, as we both know, you aren't a big sunbather, so laying by the pool day after day is not an option.  Then you saw that Samantha Brown special on the Travel Channel, and raised an eyebrow at all the people in beaded outfits taking photos of the fruit displays at the midnight buffet.  You're thinking "is it so boring that they get dressed up and stay awake til midnight, just to be entertained by some food?"  You've heard horror stories about people getting sick on ships because they are in such close quarters, and really very little about the whole experience appeals to you.

It will be a fluke that finally gets you to consider a cruise: a great rate on a Disney ship (which I now know is insane!) But since you love Disney, it works.  And you will have an amazing time, but even after that first cruise, you won't trust the experience thinking that maybe you only liked it because it was Disney.  When you try it again and realize that cruising is, actually perfect for you, the whole world will open up.

Cruising will allow you to go to Europe for the first time, (and second and third) it will bring you to the Caribbean and Mexico and have you thinking about visiting places you've never considered like China and Australia. It will introduce you to some of the best people you've ever met in your whole life, lifelong friends.  You will never be bored on the ship, alternatively you will have trouble fitting in everything you want to do.  Yes, you will pay those high prices for Coke, but you won't even think twice about it.  You'll sleep in comfy accommodations (not twin beds), hardly ever lay by the pool, but you will take pictures of food. Who knows? You might even start a blog or podcast. :) 

So, just remember to stay open to travel experiences, and try not to prejudge.  Something amazing could always be around the corner!

Sincerely,
Your Future Self

P.S.- Enjoy those last few "child-free" years, but that is a WHOLE other letter.