Ah yes, ”Far away places with their strange sounding names,” were a part of my life for 20 years. I think I have been to 26 places in the world. I wish I could remember accurately what I really saw. In checking my old photos, one beach looks very much like another. Yes, having a travel agency kept us on the move.
It is interesting that the French derivative of the word “travel” is “travail” which means “work.” I am afraid that my memories are filled with “travail” because as most spouses know, they are the “packers” for the long awaited trip.
I used to start months in advance making lists. It seems every country needed its own list. I would put what was available at the moment on the spare bed. In weeks you could not find the bedspread, all you could see were clothes, shoes and boxes of “maybe’s”. A week before the trip I would start tossing out what I thought I could live without and a few days before departure I would get really serious about it and start to pack.
There are books about how one should pack…my advice, roll your clothes, don’t lay them flat and ensure you have a very comfortable pair of shoes. Of course the list is endless, including pills for this and pills for that and at least one warm sweater when on the plane, that you can use it as a neck rest. I am short and most airline seats do NOT fit all sizes. The sweater can be used also to keep you toasty when your neighbour’s overhead air vent feels like a blast from the North Pole.
Some things Harry looked after were the passports, visas and travel insurance…and of course the entourage of passengers who were part of the travel group we’d talked into joining us. In all those years we only had one passenger that I actually wanted to throw off our cruise line…(joking of course), and I think I would have had some help from some of the others in our group also.
Those years of travel left lots of memories, but my best memory was of us arriving again in Canada and walking through Customs on our return. It had been a long, long flight and the agent checking my passport looked up and smiled and said, “Welcome back home.” I nearly broke into tears…
Travel has its ups and downs and really is a reflection of what life is like too. You smile through the good times and pray for guidance through the bad. All of it is a learning experience and one that might be helpful to a new traveler along the road.
There are a lot of years behind me and my travel experiences. The new world is not nearly as safe but for those who have that yen to see it, tread softly, pack lightly and make sure to include your faith as your baggage for the trip. Bon voyage!
Photo by Nancy <I’m gonna SNAP! via Flickr
