Some Pointers on"How" to Retired Travel

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I'm enjoying life.  

After 40++ years of working, studying, trying to balance life, taking some chances, I'm really enjoying my present lifestyle where I'm away from home usually 4-7 months/year; quite often with the Best Girl (especially when foreign.... She's at 75 Countries to my 99... & counting).  

For the most part, if I play my cards right, we'll keep up this tempo as long as we can, then maybe turn it down a notch or two.

I am a meticulous planner.   When the ever elusive Best Girl and I set off on an adventure, I can tell you that I have "what if'ed" various scenarios and outcomes.  Maybe that was the oil spill response executive in me.  I often ask "what can possibly go wrong?"  -- then try to mitigate it.

I'm pretty open minded!  I LOVE adventure.  A mini sub on the Great Barrier Reef?  Here's my VISA Card! ... Sleeping on Antarctica?  Book It! ...  Eating weevil larvae in the Ecuadorian Amazon?  BOOM.  Flying the Himalayas and Everest?  Yep.

OK... I don't see myself bungee jumping.  Not sure how the back would respond.  Maybe it would feel better?  Maybe not....  Not sure it's worth the risk.  Riding a Supercar on a track?  I did the German Autobahn once at 140mph on Red Bulls, and that was kinda eye opening, so I'll take a pass on it.  Hang gliding?  Also a NO....

But IF you open your eyes and mind to the opportunities that are present during a trip, it's a surprisingly diverse world with amazing opportunities.  

Try it....  You may just find yourself sitting next to and charming a Cobra.

Here's how I tend to do it......

First and Foremost: Retired Traveling takes time, effort & resources.  

"Living" a modest lifestyle has become shockingly expensive over the past number of years.  $8 for a bag of Frito Lay chips!  Woooo....  See the price at a restaurant?  

Now, on top of your "normal" expenses (home, insurance, electric, cell phone, car, etc.), you look to travel.  Yes.  Some countries are less expensive to eat.  Some experiences are insanely more expensive.  The only thing I can tell you is the the days of "live here for $5 per day", are over.  

By the way: DO NOT FORGET INSURANCE.....  I use an annual travel insurance policy in case I get sick.... or worse.  Last thing you need is to fall ill on a trip and get a multi-thousand dollar bill for "services rendered.  If you do several trips per year, try an Annual Policy.  I use Allianz.  There are different levels.  Research a best fit for you.  

Bottom line, be realistic in your budget, and look for ways to save.  For example, Economy flights .... Yes, they are crowded.  Yes, they are not fun.  OK - they Suck..... But is it really worth several thousand $$ MORE for an upgrade?  Personal choice, but I generally fly Economy, take a Tylenol PM & sleep ....Then book another trip with the money saved.   

PRO TIP: when I travel Internationally, I ALWAYS carry a small Vicks Vapor rub with me.  Not sure how to say this, but sometimes "personal hygiene" is lacking.  It absolutely saved me once on a flight From Johannesburg to Dakar given the BO from the dude in front of me, who was wearing a 3-piece suit.  Do it.  If you need it, you will thank me.

OK.... You've passed on the $tarbuck$ and made coffee at home (for $0.12/cup vs $5).  You've saved.  Your passport is up to date (or you have a REAL ID -- Mandatory on May 7, 2025 - for Domestic Travel!), now what?

What are your Travel goals?   

Where do you want to go?  

International?  USA National Parks?  Cruise the Caribbean? 

Drive Route 66? (....on my List!)

Repositioning Cruise (.... also on my list!)

There are no bad answers.  Whatever floats your boat.

Can you fly?  Do you WANT to fly? 

What about your health?  Can you walk over cobblestones (for example) for several hours per day.  You have to be realistic on your capabilities.

As important - if not more - What DON'T you & your partner like?  There is no right or wrong answer.  For once, you get to pick what YOU want to do on YOUR schedule.

Now is the time to make a list and develop a budget(s).... (and remember, every trip will likely cost 10-20% more than you had thought it would, because there will be "that once in a lifetime" opportunity.... Take it!)

The BEST way to garner ideas is to ask others!  I routinely ask "what is your favorite trip?" (Always a great icebreaker on any Gate 1 Trip)

As you can see from the 5 Blogs on the Welcome page, Morocco was ONE OF MY FAVORITE trips. Lower cost.  "Exotic".  Ancient culture.  VERY Safe. Food was over the top!  Yes, a Muslim country - and we were there during Ramadan - but a non-issue given a history of mutual respect.

How did Morocco get onto the "Don T Radar"?  Best Girl and I were in Tuscany at dinner in January 2020.  We asked some folks who were in our hotel.  Several said Morocco.  They were right.... 

PS - it doesn't need to be an exotic destination like Morocco.  if you are an American and reading this, the USA has a plethora of locations to visit and see.  This is especially true in the larger cities - such as the greater Washington DC area - where I live.  

Pro Tip:  seek out local ideas and activities on FaceBook and other local sources.

The "Don T's 7-Rules for Travel" highlights the benefits of "organized travel".  I like Organized travel.  It's nice to "leave the driving" to someone else.

EVEN if I don't use a Travel company for a trip, I DO read their itineraries for help in generating ideas and "must do" sites.  Often these travel companies have active FaceBook pages to tap into other people's experiences. (Gate 1 has about 4 groups on FaceBook)

One of the better resources I use is Gate 1 Travel company (I am NOT a paid affiliate of Gate 1).  G1 offers trips at various price points to all 7 Continents. As of today, I've been on 14 Gate 1 Trips.  They must do something right.

Want to go to Bhutan or visit Silverback gorillas in Uganda?  I never even thought about Bhutan or silverbacks -- until I read they were possible via a Gate 1 trip.

Even if I don't use Gate 1 for a trip, I'll often check out their itineraries or Hotels.  Most recently, I was organizing several days in Istanbul.  I "kind of" knew where I wanted to stay (P.S. - on the European side), but could not find the right hotel on www.Hotels.com .... I checked one of the higher end Gate 1 tours for their preferred hotel and found a perfect choice, price and location.

Also, sign up for Gate 1 deals.....  They have weekly specials with 20% OFF (or more) quite often.  Finally, Gate 1 will also usually have several tours on their Last Minute Deals page.... Usually leaving within 60-days.  But at up to (35%) discount, it's worth checking out.... I often do.

One thing that Organized Tours do very well is look out for their guests when things go wrong.  It's February/March 2020 and I'm in Northern India/Nepal.  We're watching  "COVID 19" unfold and hear how the world is starting to shut down.  

Guess what?  We continued on with the tour, did EVERYTHING we had signed up, and made it home on March 15, 2020 just as the USA Border was scheduled to close.  

THIS example - ok, admittedly extreme - shows the benefit of having a local team support you when things turn bad 

I'm also a subscriber to Travelocity.com ...... Some great & discounted tours/cruises/hotels/destiantions are posted here.  As a matter of fact, this was how I was introduced to the "Expedition Yacht" market and signed onto the SH VEGA for a trip to the Arctic.  AMAZING discount. 

Some of the other Sites I often check are:

Trafalgar (fyi- larger groups up to 50 and $$$.  I'll never travel with them again)

EF Travel (younger tourists, often in Hostels ... Details Matter!)

OAT (Overseas Adventure Tours)

https://www.odysseys-unlimited.com (Small Group Tours)

Exoticca

https://www.busytourist.com

Tauck (premium tours, but at a premium price)

Vacations to Go

Luxury Escapes (Great for luxury and high end hotels/resorts)

Recently, I also used www.TourRadar.com to find my Douro River Cruise......  Pretty useful Site.  A travel search engine that will show you many other Tour operators.

Always a tricky question.  

Full Disclosure:  I'm a big believer of Don T's Rule #1 of Traveling - "Extend the Trip"

You've already committed to the flight, bus, train or car trip so you might as well spend a day - or 3 - extra.

But, again, how long?  

Hello Internet?  Recently I googled "how many days to spend in Rome".  Yes, you will get lots of ideas, but it will help winnow these options down.  

I made this mistake in 2019.  I booked "several days" in Martha's Vineyard - In Mid- September.  Beautiful location.  Hotel in center of town and walkable.  HOWEVER, "Mid September" is "end of season" on MV and there really wasn't NOT a lot to do - especially without a car.  

Similar mistake in Casablanca on a Gate 1 Trip in 2022.  While I went 3-days early and visited Chefchounen and Tangier (well worth it), I extended the end of the trip by 1 night.  Guess what, we pretty much saw all Casablanca offered during the Gate 1 part of the tour.  While we did dine in a rough recreation of "Rick's Cafe" from the movie Casablanca,  in this case I should've packed it up with the rest of the group and gone home a day early.... But, "I was hanging in Casablanca".  Sounded better than it really was.

Again, if you have the luxury of time, spend a day or 2 extra.

Once you figure out "how long", now let's get to the "how?".

I am a huge believer of hiring local guides, experts and "those in the know"...  Will give you a different experience.

While I was in Marrakech, Morocco in 2022, I found a hot air balloon opportunity over the dessert.  It was a "free day" on our own, and I booked it.  The experience (see it here) was amazing.

Additionally, in 2024 while visiting Angkor Wat, Cambodia, the tour group we were with was kind of large.  They didn't move very quickly.  I heard that they were only planning upon leaving the hotel at 0730... And had to get their laundry (yes..... They were dropping off laundry in Siem Reap vs going early to Angkor Wat) ..... You cannot make this stuff up

Meanwhile "the thing to do" in Angkor Wat is to see the sun rise OVER the Main Wat.  We passed on the group trip, arranged a private guide and had an AMAZING private, Sunrise experience.  Read about it here.

Resources that I often use are:

Viator,

Get Your Guide, and 

TripAdvisor 

Check them out on the Useful Links page

Pro Tip: If you get sick, a local guide will point you to the Farmacia. However, I ALWAYS carry a ziplock bag of OTC meds.  Cold/Flu.  Unplug you or plug you up (you get the idea).  Hand sanitizer is a MUST.  Band Aids.  Just a varied selection of "stuff".  I was recently in Portugal and needed Ibuprofen.  I could have bought 2,000 from COSTCO for what I paid for 80 from the "Farmacia".  So much for "lower cost of living" in Portugal.

I cannot stress this enough:  Details are Critical

I was looking at a trip to Paris (I have never been).  Saw one tour that used the term "drive down the avenue and see the Eiffel Tour".  What they didn't say - until you read the micro detail, was that "they did not VISIT the Eiffel Tower".

Recently while self planning a trip to Austrailia, I was using AirBNB.com to find a rental apartment on Surfers Paradise.  I narrowed it down to two properties on the beach.  Right price point.  But, something was odd about one of them.  I couldn't put my finger on it.  They only showed photos of the bedroom and balcony off the BR (& some bird on the balcony).....  

Guess why?  After reading the nitty, gritty fine print: You were SHARING the apartment (and bathroom - you were NOT allowed to use kitchen!!) with "someone else" in "the other room".  It was not that much less expensive than the other property that I had full run of the apartment.  HARD PASS!  I have a friend who used AirBnB on a trip once .... She experienced the same thing when some dude walked into "her" rental!

Again, Details Matter.  If you are NOT good at details, find someone - maybe a travel consultant - who is.  

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One of the most "Woooo" pieces of advice I ever got was from my office landlord in New Jersey.  His name was Joe.  We had just culminated a multi-year commercial lease.  It was a win:win deal.

Joe arranged a full breakfast at a stunning, private NJ Golf Club.  We "signed the deal", had a great breakfast - and a Bloody Mary - and went out to play 18 on an immaculate course.  It all could've been done remotely by lawyers and FedEx vs. me driving to Jersey.

At the end of the day I thanked Joe for the day.  

His comment to me was, "today is not a dress rehearsal".

Not exactly sure what he meant, I asked him.  

Joe's view was that every single day is unique and only happens once.  Even in a similar location, situation or scenario, come midnight, that day is the "past".  We all also have a limited number of days... In the "Present"....  Joe's view was to live every one of those remaining days to the max & enjoy the Present ....  THAT was why we were playing golf vs. "having the lawyers handle it".  Sage advice.

Let's face it: None of use know "how many days we have".

Get out.  Play Golf.... Book that trip.... Try that local sausage cooked in the local beer, proudly "made only here"...  Enjoy ... because "today is not a dress rehearsal.".... and "Tik Tok, How I wish I could turn back this clock"

~Chalo    Don T