Porthole

Vacating

30DBC: "What does “vacation” mean to you? Alone time or time with friends and family? Staying close to home or traveling far afield? Spendy or thrifty?"

Growing up my mother counted her pennies (yes, literally pennies, I'm that old) and got the AAA book and wouldn't let my father drive more than 8 hours. My mother only drove petal-to-the-metal... locally.

I spoke to her just now after reading Kiyasama's note (her father is in hospital). My mother is 97.

We traveled as a family. Only when my sister's best friend died at age 14 did they send her alone to Tennessee. We vacationed in Pennsylvania and the Adirondacks and near-by. My father had traveled to 47 states (never made it to Maine); my mother hadn't; but, she knew how to navigate. I never worried that they would get lost or run out of gas or money.

In some ways I'm a bit like my parents. I want to just travel like my father, throw my cares to the wind. But I count every peso, krone, euro and dollar.

I travel around the world because in the USA it's difficult without a car and lodging and transportation in the USA is extremely expensive; but, I could go most anywhere if I had a place to stay. Haven't done that in awhile.

Locally I'd need a car and my friends that did take me for drives are older and mostly given that up. The younger friends moved away.

I'm more a traveler than a tourist and I'm definitely thrifty. I stay in hostels. Not only to save money but also to meet people. I travel alone.

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