Travel question but more about decision making...

[romily]

I had an amazing time in Barbados, staying in the airbnb on the plantation where I met other people, and the social aspect of it worked really well for me. Plus the island is really stunning, flights are not too expensive and not too long either (8 hours direct).

So after I got back I was ready to book a return trip end of October / early November, just had to wait for some money being reimbursed. Flights were £520 3 weeks ago - yesterday they had gone up to £890. Ouch!

Also whilst I was in Barbados I did some "snorkeling" if you can call being in the water for 10 minutes with hundreds of people to see a fish and a turtle snorkelling. But it reminded me of the great snorkeling I did in eh Philippines.

So now I am facing the decision of

a) waiting and hoping flights go down in price and planning 2 weeks in Barbados in autumn

OR

b) planning a 3 week trip to the Philippines next February (as flights are so much longer 2 weeks make no sense)

Can't do both due to annual leave days I have and obviously financial reasons. And if I plan on the Philippines next year it means maybe only a 1 week trip early October in Europe, or end of September or so. No plans and no real excitement about that (yet).

I know this will be something I ponder for a while, and I have no plans yet as to where to go in the Philippines (travel guide is on the way) - I have been to Palawan and Manila in 2006 but that was a lifetime ago.

So this is a more general question - if you have to make a decision like this, and you sway from one option to the other daily if not hourly, how do you finally come up with a decision? Does time just make it for you? Do you keep pro and con lists?

[romily]

I think a big question underlying this whole thing is - do I want to go back to travlling like I used to, aka traveling around a country / parts of a country, with staying in different places every few days - this cold be medico, the Philippine or anywhere else. Pro's - I love to be on the road and see lots of new things - con's - not easy to make social connections.

Or do I more tend towards a holiday like the one I just had and loved- stay in one place, get a hire car and explore a local region (which in this case led to more social interactions but that was due to the amazing place I stayed at and isn't a given).

And then there is obviously the question what my body can take, this all depends on my tendons in my hips having healed completely, there is quite some improvement right now.

Did your style of travel change at some point?

[ozziegiraffe]

I’ve definitely decided no more long haul flights, as my budget only stretches to economy, and my arthritis needs to be taken into account. Most of my travel in the future, money permitting, will be either cruises or road trips. But then I’m a good deal older than you.

[romily]

Long haul flights will still be there - but obviously there is a difference between 8 hrs to Barbados, 12 hours to Mexico city, and 12.5 hrs to Singapore, 3 hr stop over and then 4 hrs on top of that to Cebu / Philippines...

I saw one of the big Cruise ships in Barbados (one docks every day) and would have be interested in seeing the inside - for me the idea of a Cruise is hell on Earth, as I need space, and me time, and nature - all things you don't have on a Cruise. Plus sea sickness!

I would be with you on road trips of I would live where you do - in the UK, not so much! One of the reasons I try to get away in November or February is the horrible grey endless cold rainy weather, so I need some sun - which means long distance flights of some sort.

[sophie]

I used to base my travel around what experiences I wanted.. thus kept going to different place (except for places with good friends or family). If you like snorkeling, consider learning to scuba dive.. it’s something I did decades back and it was wonderful to experience the planet from a different point of view. The pacific has some amazing places for both snorkeling and diving. The Caribbean is generally a safe place to learn.. I don’t know the current situation, but both Aruba and Bon Aire have good water experiences (Bon Aire being a bit better for an experienced diver). I did a dive off the coast of Barbados and while one dive isn’t a fair assessment, it was meh.

[psw]

romily

I'll second scuba diving! I live too far north for local year-round diving without a full wet-suit, which is not for me anyhow. Around here one can find basic scuba courses in swimming pools with only one ocean dive required for Basic certification and then book your diving trip with a company that includes the final Open Water dives in the package. That way you're not spending your vacation time and money doing classroom stuff. I totally agree with Sophie about the world experience, and would also add the sheer joy of total mobility in 3D when you're underwater. It's as close to flying as you'll ever get. It also opens up new parts of the planet for land-based exploration. I'm not a beach person - I sunburn very easily - but the beach is the gateway to the water, and there's shade available when you're not diving, which is a lot of time.

In general, at my age with mild mobility problems, when I get moving again I am definitely planning base-camp with excursions as a framework. You couldn't drag me onto a big cruise ship! There are lots of smaller ships that do river, shoreline or island-hopping cruises, where the ship is essentially base-camp - your choice of urban or nature, depending on the company. Have fun shopping around!

[tzarine]

roms
totally get the need for sun
used to go to bahamas for stops during the depth of winter darkness

its really how you feel, if you wanna be in a single place or move round lots
having done both, both solo & w the lads, it also depends what you need. a place to recharge, to relax or a huge rigorous adventure

did a cruise once (gifted by inlaws)
now we know - but not a something wed do again
river cruise, overnight boats - yes

buen viaje
whatever you decide

[tinaja]

Not sure if Barbados is in the hurricane zone, but a consideration for fall travel in that area.

[romily]

I would so love to learn to dive - unfortunately due to my sinuses being crap it's not an option, I can't equalize the pressure - and yes, I tried!

It's one of my big regrets in life as it would open so many opportunities to combine travel with an activity you love and can also share with others.

I know that even having these choices is a blessing, and definitely a 1st world problem!

I will sit on it a bit - health issues also play a role, Barbados was only chosen as I had the problems with my hip tendons and sleeping on hard mattresses is not an option right now, otherwise I had been off to India / Kerala, but I know how hard mattresses are there!

A coworker passed on some details of a Spanish teacher he uses for online classes who is based in Colombia, so that is something I want to explore. If I get back into really studying Spanish (which will be great, need to use this lazy brain as work doesn't challenge it) I might consider Guatemala, and spend a week on the lake to further immerse myself in learning Spanish. I just feel it will open many travel opportunities, and love the language - or the bit I know about it.

Just traveling around to see another beach / waterfall / old temple just doesn't hold the appeal anymore it used to have.

I am still not ruling out going back to Barbados, the place I stayed at was so special, the owner such a great guy, living in the jungle surrounded by nature, and the community he creates with his guests was for me the perfect balance between being on my own during the day and exploring the island - and I love beaches! - plus social contact / activities in the evenings. But flight prices have to come down otherwise it's not an option.

And there was something about the island that got under my skin in a good way, a place I could even see myself living at at some point. Hard to explain but it felt like "home" in a way no other place has in the past.

Who knows how company calculate flight prices - they seem to fluctuate so much for no reason that makes sense to me.

Somebody mentioned Montenegro to me today as a great place in Europe that isn't to touristy but really interesting to explore, so that might be an option for a shorter trip should I decide not to back to Barbados and do a longer trip next February.

Won't be making a decision for a bit and will put the money to the side until I sort out my feelings about what feels right. If I decide in a few months I will also have a better feeling about my health issue - I will be sleeping in a airbnb in May when I visit my sister so that will be a good test to see how I can sleep in abed without all the extra cushioning that I have at home and that my host provided in Barbados.

Normally I would have a spreadsheet with pro's, con's and costs - but I feel this is more an emotional decision for me right now. You know that excitement you get when planning a trip - I just don't have this 100% right now about any of the places besides Barbados, but it might come back. Flying to the Philippines just to go snorkeling again is a bit mad really!

As you can see I use this post to sort out my thoughts in the same way I would with talking to somebody who also loves traveling, so I hope you don't mind

[romily]

tinaja - no hurricanes, it's too far East, but end of rainy season end of October, which I don't really mind.

[psw]

Yes, rom, the right kind of problem. Sorry about your sinus situation. Talk away! Helps me to get thinking about getting back on the road after much too long.

[whothingie]

I'm another with age and physical issues limiting my intrepid nature. There's a time for the slow down,smell the roses trips based in one place, and for moving on regularly. Each have their own pleasures. Just depends on what you can cope with so you return with great memories.

[tzarine]

roms

spanish does open a whole new world, all of mexico, central & south america
here in ny, i have access to all the workers & delivery men's worlds

look into uruguay
loved montevideo
totally underrated & not really on many people's radar

[ozziegiraffe]

I should qualify my mention of cruises. No mega ships for me. I’ve done a river cruise, and several sea trips on medium to small ships, which I enjoyed. Not to mention the inter-island tubs in Solomon Islands, which I am too decrepit for these days. Fortunately, it takes extreme conditions for me to get seasick.

[Liiisa]

I wouldn't want to take one of those mega-ships that have a whole amusement park or whatever in them, but I did have fun on the two larger ships I've been on with my mom. But then she was paying - I have a high level of tolerance for free vacations! The ships I'd actually pay for myself would be the smaller ones here that run down the coast and on the rivers.

I've also pondered going on the QM2 as a way of getting to Europe - I enjoyed that, you just sit and read and eat and look at the ocean for a week, and if you time it right it's not that expensive - but then you still have to pay for the flight home.

But I haven't answered your actual question. I don't usually dither about the actual idea of where I'm going to go; if I get an idea, I start acting on it immediately. I just dither about the details, like should I do this expensively or not. I usually come up with a cheap way of doing it and then talk myself into upgrades because I'm not a naturally frugal person.

[romily]

I think I need to wait until I get that feeling in my tummy of "oh, I really want to go there!"

Also got some bad news about my godmothers health yesterday (she is in hspital after 2 weeks of violet diarrhea, colonoscopy was negative but she isn't getting better, they are talking about surgery "to see what is goin on" - so that is scary. She is a big part of my life, was Mum's best friend, so any thoughts about travel are on the backburner right now in case I need my leave to see her.

It just never ends...

[tzarine]

hugs, roms

[Liiisa]

Oh no rom - so sorry to hear that.

[romily]

Thanks, I can just wait and hopefully will know more on Monday, not much happens in hospitals over the weekend. At least she's in good hands, the best (my Mum was in the same hospital and they are brilliant) but it is worrying that they seem to have no clue what causes her sever ongoing diarrhea that is so bad that she passed out from dehydration. Meds so far didn't help but maybe they can have her on stronger ones now she is in hospital, and I guess they are waiting for lots of blood results and cultures to come back with answers.

When I was a baby she was at home with her kids (she's a teacher as Mum was but had taken a few years off) and I grew up with her and her kids for years, it was a second home for me always. And since Mum died she went the extra mile, sending me parcels with gifts, homebaked cookies for Easter, my birthday, and especially Christmas - I love her so much, she is such a warm and kind soul.

I guess most of us are at an age now where people who were important adults to us growing up are dying - it's the way of the world - but it's hard. All of a sudden at least in my family we become the older generation, and I find it hard to wrap my head around this.

[Liiisa]

Was she on anything for another infection recently? I assume the doctors will know this (I certainly hope they do), but: there is a bad side effect of some anti-infectives that you can end up with a different bug that causes severe diarrhea.

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/c-difficile/symptoms-causes/syc-20351691

[ozziegiraffe]

Sending hugs and healing vibes for your godmother, romily.

[sprite]

i suck at making decisions.
I wait for my partner to make a suggestion I like and then agree with that.

[Liiisa]

Mar 17, 2024 13:44:22 GMT -5 sprite said:

i suck at making decisions.
I wait for my partner to make a suggestion I like and then agree with that.

I do that too if it's something we're doing together. I'm perfectly capable of deciding to do stuff by myself, but am terrible at asking people to come do things with me.

[tinaja]

Mar 17, 2024 17:36:14 GMT -5 Liiisa said:

Mar 17, 2024 13:44:22 GMT -5 sprite said:

i suck at making decisions.
I wait for my partner to make a suggestion I like and then agree with that.

I do that too if it's something we're doing together. I'm perfectly capable of deciding to do stuff by myself, but am terrible at asking people to come do things with me.

We must be related, I am terrible about asking people to go with me.

[tzarine]

hugs to you & your grandmother

sometimes i know exactly what i want
sometimes i want company, othertimes i'll do something alone

[sprite]

Mar 17, 2024 17:36:14 GMT -5 Liiisa said:

Mar 17, 2024 13:44:22 GMT -5 sprite said:

i suck at making decisions.
I wait for my partner to make a suggestion I like and then agree with that.

I do that too if it's something we're doing together. I'm perfectly capable of deciding to do stuff by myself, but am terrible at asking people to come do things with me.

If it's just me, I have an incredibly high tolerance for disaster. But when someone else is involved, I'm super stressed about making sure that everything is great.
which is a bit dumb, because my partner is very chill, and has travelled enough, on a low enough budget, that he is more than able to see the adventure in that 'delightful' beach house actually being a shack that is one gust away from firewood...

we need to decide on a holiday for September, but my decision-making muscles are exhausted by having to pack lunches every day (poor me!).

[sprite]

Rom, hope they find out what's going on with her digestive system.

I was going to say, 'get to the bottom of it' but that's a terrible and accidental joke.

[Liiisa]

“But when someone else is involved, I'm super stressed about making sure that everything is great.“

That is totally me. It’s absurd because people are grownups and can manage their disappointment or whatever, but still.