We’ve been following a Facebook group for those in the UK who have taken/are planning early retirement and the subject of escaping to warmer climates for the winter (or longer) came up. I was struck by how nervous a lot of older folk seem to be about travel… “is it safe?”… “how do you find somewhere to stay?”… “which travel agent do you use?” It seems that many folk have only been on all-inclusive package holidays where everything is…
Our first ten days in Goa have been mainly relaxing on Palolem Beach, where the cows roam free and there are cocktails and curries every evening. No intrepid adventures yet, but a wonderful place to relax and recuperate.
Our plans were going well until Debbie dislocated her shoulder and fractured her arm. Now we are having to make some alternative plans!
We are still researching itineraries for Japan and finding it a bit harder than India and the Philippines because there are no obvious routes. Different sites recommend different destinations and in different orders so expect this page to be updated as our plans firm up.
As a country frequently hit by typhoons, timing of travel is key, so this needed to be our next destination after a brief return home to meet the new (first) grandchild, see the parents and (hopefully) get our China visas.
Beginning our world tour with an ‘easier’ introduction to India starting with the tropical & (relatively) more relaxed South. Many people miss this part of India off their itinerary, focussing solely on the Golden Triangle or highlights of Rajasthan in the North, but we are actually panning to spend 2/3rds of our time in India in the South, and even then I don’t expect that we’ll even scratch the surface.
If we are going to be away for two years we will need to let the house out. It is now on the market.
Our crew-mate, Geoff Norwood, wrote this trip up for the Bristol Sailing Association newsletter. Having tried to get to Scilly in ’22 with BSA, and discussed it for a while, I decided to take a 10-day window to give more chance of making it. With crew a little thin on the water I asked Steve Greenham from GSA, who was trying to make a similar passage to Channel Islands if we should merge. He was happy to head west…
When we got married, a year ago, we joked that it would have been easier to elope to Las Vegas and have a tacky Elvis wedding. When British Airways had a sale we took the opportunity to snap up some tickets to Las Vegas, to celebrate our first anniversary in style. We wanted to stay on the Strip but when we started looking prices were quite expensive and New York, New York seemed the most affordable of the famous…
An opportunity for some diving and some winter sun, also a chance for Bronte to be boarded with a different puppy raiser.