Imagine that, a little ole boy from Johnsonville starting a travel blog. It is an understatement that I love to travel. I have a T-shirt that says, “I haven’t been everywhere – but it’s on my list!” That is true, I have all sorts of places I would like to go. Before we look at the future, let’s go back in time and see where that little ole boy from Johnsonville came from, and where he has been.
Growing up in South Carolina, my family tried to take at least one vacation a year, usually to either Myrtle Beach, SC, or Maggie’s Valley, NC. Our travel would usually consist of picnic lunches and staying in a hotel, going to amusement parks, or visiting various cultural sites. We started taking more frequent weekend trips camping as I got older, beginning in a tent and then upgrading to a pop-up camper. Our extended family also began camping at the same time, and we would often go together, usually to Myrtle Beach.
At 17, I joined the Navy, and really did get to see the world – starting with my first airplane ride landing in O’hare Airport in Chicago. I had never seen anything like that. I later traveled to places such as Bermuda, the Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, US Virgin Islands, Italy, Vatican City, Spain, Egypt, Turkey, Sicily, and Gibraltar.
A few years later, I married by lovely bride from Ohio and we settled in Virginia. After our two children were born, most of our vacations were either in SC or OH visiting family, but we also took other vacations to neighboring states. Our first international trip was to Paris for our 20th Anniversary. We loved it. I had always wanted to keep a journal, but never made the time. I finally had a break through and kept a journal for our trip to Paris. My plan will be to create a series in the future about our fabulous trip to Paris.
I took a trip to Canada for work after that and we took a family trip by train to New York City. My oldest daughter moved to Boston after college, so that gave us another area of the US to discover. We travelled to several states in New England during her year in Boston. My oldest also joined the Peace Corps and took her Jordan, then to Kyrgyzstan after she was evacuated. My next international trip took me to Kyrgyzstan to visit her, and I loved it. I dusted off my journal for this trip as well.
My youngest daughter went to college in a different part of Virginia, so we travelled to that part of the state for a few years. For our 30th anniversary, my wife and I went to Rome and Venice. More on that later in a future series.
Another work-related trip took me to the Phoenix area where I fell in love with southwest US. I have always enjoyed hiking and getting outside for various activities, but I had no idea what adventure was in store for me when my oldest daughter convinced me to go to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and go on safari! Wow, that trip took a lot of preparation, both physically, mentally, and economically – we had a lot of equipment to purchase to open 8 days on the mountain beginning in the jungle with monkeys in the trees to climbing to 19,341 feet above sea level to the roof of Africa amidst freezing temperatures and glaciers! That will be another series.
After I talked about Phoenix to some friends, we decided to fly to Arizona for Christmas, renting an AirBNB and a 15-passenger van for 9 of us. We were all over AZ, with day trips to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Tombstone. We had a blast with lots of stories and memories. They discovered I like to get up early and leave around 5 AM when making big day trips.
My wife and I planned a trip to Spain in May, 2020, but the world-wide COVID-19 pandemic squashed that trip. Not a lot of travel has happened yet this year, but in a few weeks, but oldest daughter and I are planning an Epic Road Trip to Utah for camping and hiking in and around some of the national parks.
As different as they are, I have enjoyed every one of those trips, from the simplest to the most complex. All of those trips have been taken while I have worked full time. The problem with full time employment is that vacations are short, typically only a week or so, but on occasion, I have taken a couple of weeks for some of those trips; however, in my current job, it is difficult to get away for 2 weeks at a time.
As retirement is looming somewhere on the horizon, I am looking forward to more frequent, extended trips, where I do not have a set deadline to be back home. Then I won’t have to get up at 5 AM for trips – my friends will be thankful for that, and for that little ole boy from Johnsonville, maybe he will get used to sleeping a little later! But until then, when the alarm clock sounds, comb your hair and put on your shoes, because I am ready to roll!