Pre Travel Thoughts

The time has come to make some decisions.  Last year was interesting.  It finished with me without a proper job, in a house that I no longer have a need for and a step daughter who passed her 19th birthday.  On the positive side, I am fitter and stronger than any 44 year old has any right to be, a girlfriend who will give me space to live a small dream and although I have a nasty little back complaint I'm happy to chance my well being for one last run at life.  Anyway, that was 2010.

Today, 2011.  In addition to being as fit as I can be I do have a little money and i have the freedom to do something extraordinary with it.  Like most people of my age that come from a modest background, travel, especially prolonged travel, was not something I considered when I was a young man - alas no gap years before Uni for me.  Sure, I took a motorcycle across Europe in my early 20's but that was it.  Post parenthood and post career, an opportunity has presented itself to rectify this situation...and it is a little scary!!!!

The "how I got to this point" I will slowly divulge whilst I'm on the road - if anyone is interested - and it will give me something to do and give me a real-time record of my exploits that I can bore others with when I'm old!  I hope to include video and stills into the bargain.  What I can share today is my travel plan.

1.  USA - 3 weeks fly-drive starting in Boston, to Illinois then somewhere else (New Orleans?) then return to Blighty.
2.  After a short rest drive the car to France for several weeks looking at property, eating good food with good wine in a Normandy gite.
3.  Leave France and drive to southern Spain where, for several weeks, I can base myself and do "do southern Europe".

OK, you have the plan.  What of the objectives?  Simple.  This is about increasing my intellectual depth so I can appear even more overbearing at polite middle class dinner parties - you know the ones don't you!?  I may not have the wedding tackle of a Grand National winner but I certainly have the mouth of one and at such dinners that is all that counts - indeed one is interchangeable for the other within this context!  I haven't been to any of these for years - to spare the human race basically - but it is nice to know you always have the edge of experience if you wish to use it.  I haven't sharpened my edge for a year or two so here we go.

I'm going on my travels alone alas.  Not through choice but that's how that "excrement chip cookie" called life crumbles!  There are a couple of good things about travelling alone however;  I can make all my own decisions and run risks without the need to concern myself with someone elses welfare.  The downsides are of course the loneliness and the thought I will be gathering remarkable memories that my nearest and dearest will not be part of - that is a real bummer.  (See the sentence above that begins "Not through choice.....".)

So what is next?  Get the money in the bank for the trip, buy the car, book the flights, book the gite and book the house in Spain and say my good byes.  More to follow.