Re: Trip of a Lifetime

Solo, bless you, if that is how you like to travel, you go girl. I am at an age however after years of first with six children in tow, day trips to the nearest seaside by coach, then camping for years with 2 dogs, 1 budgie, 1 hamster and two goldfish - complete with baskets, cages and goldfish bowl in tow due to the fact that the children absolutely refused to leave them with others at home - then there were the several tentative first trips abroad to apartments in places like Benidorm and Magaluf (well it was the cheapest in the brochure) where I seemed to work twice as hard as I did back home with forever cooking, cleaning, washing and drying for the now hormonal, rebellious teenagers. Sunshine break? don't make me laugh.
Then suddenly, one day. there was just hubby and myself !! hoorah, when we suggested a nice holiday abroad somewhere the looks of horror at the mere thought of having to spend their holidays with their parents instead of with their mates (and not slow in telling us either) was enough to bring a lump to my throat and a cheer in my heart !!
So now it's a case of hubby and myself spending one year having a low-key but nice holiday somewhere reasonable here in the UK (okay, guilty, I am one of those who still inspects every inch of a room that I am staying in) whilst we save for the real luxury every two years holiday such as the one we've just had. Sorry but have to admit I love luxury holidays. I love being waited on in 5 star service, I love dressing up for fine dining dinners and being fussed over by the waiters, I love visiting different countries, I love being able to disembark at different ports at different countries, go out and about which sadly sometimes involves visits to rather poor area's where people don't have much in the way of luxuries but then selfishly come back to the ship for a luxurious shower in first class accommodation.

Quite frankly, after all these years of kids and work, we deserve it ! laugh. and I fully intend to continue doing it until either we can no longer afford to do it or ill health stops us.
Crowds don't really bother us though Solo, probably your utter nightmare though ....3,400 passengers on the ship we were just on, 9 Restaurants, 9 Bars, 6 Swimming Pools, Whirlpools/Jacuzzi's huge Gym, Spa's galore, Climbing Wall, 3 Theatres, Casino, Pub with 8 huge television screens for Sky/BBC Sports, 24-hour Grill Bar, 24-Hour Pizza Bar, 24 Hour Cold Dessert Fridges on every one of the 16 decks as well as an Ice-Cream Parlour.
Whenever we went ashore we always first allowed for the "after breakfast at 8 am onward" crowd to disperse so that by 10.30 am it was amazingly quiet !! we just strolled out and got into a taxi. Usually had to be back by 4.30 pm but 4/5 hours was always sufficient for us to visit the places of interest that we wanted to see. If it wasn't enough time, no problem, excuse to come back again in the future.
Favourite places of all time on one trip was Venice, Dubrovnik and Split. Absolutely fell in love with these three ports of call.

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

Thanks shropshire for sharing that ...I have been travelling for many years, can have a suitcase packed in half an hour and that includes evening wear...and I am all for luxury where possible.

Now please don't anyone take this personally but if you have lived abroad you will know that Brits abroad are....well Brits abroad...and I usually head in the opposite direction to find the more interesting local back sights and cafes. Can you imagine me on a cruise now..I would be climbing the funnel for a bit of piece and quiet

It is interesting to find reasons we go places and how we choose to do so

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

Solo, certainly don't take it personally.
We all have different thoughts on "The Brits" don't we?
Take my hubby, For an intended laugh, and to make my brother and sis-in-law who were accompanying us on our cruise laugh even more, (we in cabin on 12th floor, they in cabin on 14th floor opposite ends of the ship - Peaceful heaven!! lol.

Anyway, sorry I digress - my hubby decided to order a pair of knee length shorts in the Union Flag colours, plus a huge beach towel - also in the same Union Flag colours from a shop on EBay. I nearly choked on my coffee when he came out into the garden after trying them on. Picture this..... a grey bearded 62 year old with the beginning of a thicker waistline, wearing a pair of Union Jack knee-length shorts, with a Union Jack Beach towel draped over his shoulder and his usual Cigar stuck in his mouth!! (Dear Lord!) he put his usual pained "Wot's wrong" innocent look on his face. I could have murdered him.
Exactly !! I was aghast! I threatened all sorts if he dared to even pack them in the case for our holiday cruise, no way was he going to embarrass me on holiday as his cigar went out and he took great glee in antagonising me even further by re-lighting it with his new Union Jack lighter !! Of course he didn't bring them on holiday, silly old duffer, he ended up giving them away to someone at work who shall we say, suited them to a tee !!

So I do understand perfectly Solo, as someone who has lived abroad, as well as many Europeans, the view you no doubt all hold of the British when sadly we have only ourselves to blame for bringing this dreadful reputation upon ourselves because some haven't exactly shown themselves to be model tourists (representing this country) with their sometimes disgraceful, outrageous behaviour whilst abroad. It's such a shame that a few spoil the reputations of many but there you have it.

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

Lovely story ....I am now sure that it was your hubby I heard in Maguluf asking for "Parley vouz fish and chips O " at the local eatery ( loudly of course)

Brits abroad have always been law unto themselves and something that we could have a good laugh about but like everything, cheap booze/changing morals and standards have altered how we are now perceived and sadly we are no longer seen in that old Mad dogs and Englishman light anymore.

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

I´ve done a fair amount of world travelling, including cruising twice, nice but really not my thing at all I´m afraid. I´m not a big eater, I absolutely hate dressing up and the thought that I can´t get off the ship as and when I want really bugged me, it wasn´t that I wanted to get off, it was more that I couldn´t if I wanted to. I could however be persuaded (if I had the money) to go up the Amazon on a cruise, it isn´t likely to happen though for various reasons, the main one being the cost is prohibitive. I also very much dislike organised tours when on holiday.

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

Entirely my sentiments...but reading between the lines, I wonder if like me, as you no longer have to be 'under the working thumb' you can now be rebellious and call the shots at how you spend your leisure time.

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

To be honest solo once I got out from "under the working thumb" life seemed to become more hectic than it was, and it was always pretty hectic, but I don´t do long distance travelling very often these days. Mr Clumsy doesn´t want to travel any more, he´s happy with his projects and being here and although I don´t mind in the least travelling alone I can´t bear to be away from my little dog. I´ve been back to Kenya a couple of times alone the last few years and I usually manage to get away on a coach trip for 3/4 days to various parts of Spain now and then but you can almost guarantee whilst I´m away Mr Clumsy will fall off a ladder and break his ankle, get an electric drill through his hand, etc etc, there´s always something and I have to ensure everything is in order and emergency plans put in place before I go, it´s hard work ! It used to be me always in trouble of some kind, I´d go wandering off all over the place without a care, I´ve been in some "odd" situations in some countries but I´m still here, still getting myself into bother now and then and still doing "my own thing". I´m not much of a person for the "tourist trail", I like to go off exploring, back streets, jungles, forests, anything, but sitting around on a beach relaxing is definitely not for me and following a tourist guide around somewhere is most definitely not for me. I´ve done the visiting a "real" African village where they are paid to put on a show for the tourists, I´ve visited the schools where pens, paper and books are handed to the children, then taken off them immediately the tourists have gone to be sold to the next lot so they can hand them to the children again, or the teacher takes them and sells them. I want to see things far away, we hire a car and driver, not always wonderful but always an experience We´ve had some very scary experiences and lots and lots of wonderful ones, including lots of laughs. I even got arrested whilst living in Kenya. There I was in our local township minding my own business when suddenly I was grabbed by two policemen who marched me across the road to what passed for the police station. I was not happy but they dragged me along anyway telling me the boss wanted to see me. They shut me in a grotty office and told me to wait for the boss. The boss came and can you believe he said whenever I came into the town I never called to have tea with him so he sent his officers to fetch me ! I had to have tea and a tour of the grottiest police station you can possibly imagine and I was threatened with arrest if in future I didn´t call in for tea when I went into town

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

I'm in Australia (was born in UK) and after 25 overseas trips in 45 years, of every kind - backpacking, Eurailing, teaching for two years in Kent, coach tours, ocean cruises, river cruises, holiday rentals, staying with friends in Spain and France etc - one thing I can safely say: there are good and bad representatives of their country everywhere. There are terrible Australians who embarrass me, there are Germans who annoy me, there are Americans who drive me mad, there are Brits that make me cringe BUT there are also many, many wonderful people with whom I've made lasting friends. I guess it's like with like, you get on with people who are more or less as you are and you don't with those who have different values, attitudes, approaches to life. I guess you can't make real generalisations about people abroad.

It's no different from the people you see in the shopping centre - some you would want to know, some you wouldn't - just that sometimes when travelling they get thrust upon you!!

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

All very true jaywalker

Re: Trip of a Lifetime

Good old Kenya...I had the same treatment in Nairobi whilst inadvertently standing next to a queue I should not have been standing next to.

I was dragged off my feet and hoisted aloft ..all 5ft 1 inch of me..by two of the very tall local coppers. I was taken down town and told how I should behave to the beat of a stick on the desk.

Had lunch later with some Kenyan Cowboy friends who told me that was normal.