A Traveler’s Mindset: “I Can Rest When I Get Home”
Recently, I took a trip to Greece with my 22-year-old niece. She just graduated from college and has been a Greek Mythology buff since her early teens. I thought she should go to the place where all that came from. She lives in California, and I live in Oregon, so we don’t get to spend much time together. I was so looking forward to having the time with Nicole and exploring Greece with her.
Sharing a Trip
I flew to San Francisco to meet up with Nicole and we flew from there to Athens together. Now, what you should know about me is that I am an avid traveler. I have been to about 100 countries and have done a lot of my travel solo. I was really looking forward to sharing this trip with my niece and having a companion for a change.
Keep in mind that this companion happens to be 40+ years younger than I am. I have so forgotten how much energy a 22-year-old can have. When I travel solo, I do things at my own pace, and I rest when I feel like it. In Greece, we wanted to do and see everything, so we packed our days with lots and lots of walking and exploring. I kept it going by telling myself that I can rest when I get home.
Who Needs to Rest?
After walking all over the place all day every day, we would shower and go out for cocktails at some fun bar with a view. Then off to a fabulous Greek dinner at a restaurant I might have researched. Who needs to rest? We have places to see.
After 5 days of running around Athens and Delphi and Meteora, we embarked a Windstar sailing ship where we spent the next week. I thought perhaps I would rest a little on the ship, but that didn’t happen because I never want to miss out on anything. They had little parties and various entertainment onboard for the entire week, so lots to do when we weren’t running around an island to see all the sights. What the heck, I can rest when I get home.
We met lots of lovely, fun people on the ship, and there was always something going on. We landed at a different island every day and went on excursions to see and learn about the history and culture of where we were. Every day was jam packed and we loved every minute of it. Don’t sleep now when there’s so much to experience!
Running Around Like a 22-Year-Old Takes Its Toll Sometimes
I had the most wonderful time in Greece and ran around like I was 22 myself. The day before coming home I started to feel like I was coming down with something. Oh no! I finally stopped and rested that afternoon, but too late. I had picked up a flu bug, and I’m sure being worn out contributed to my susceptibility to it.
By the time I got back home, I was down, and sure enough, I finally rested. For three weeks! Darn it. Sometimes we can push ourselves, but the assumption that I can rest when I get home is not a good one to travel on. I have learned the lesson and, hopefully, will pace myself a little better next time. While I was 22 at one time, I certainly am not that anymore!
Also read, Visiting My First Greek Islands: Rhodes.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Have you been on a trip that wore you out? Where was it? Was it worth it?
It’s hard to pace yourself when time is money. Adding hotel nights really gets expensive. And if you’re on the other side of the world, you really want to see as much as you can because of airfare costs. My sister travels a lot and she says to book an extra R and R day every third day. Has anyone tried that?
Yes definitely we need to listen to our bodies wisely as we age. Sometimes we need to have a spell of rest & perhaps let go of one or two extra “optional excursions” and enjoy resting with a book or similiar and have a rest in the quiet for a while. To me that makes more sense than getting exhausted, run down and getting sick.
At 70 im still a bit of a ‘travelholic’, but nowadays I know my body and my limits. Short trips, mini adventures & im getting to the point of avoiding airports. Ive seen a lot of the world and im so grateful for that, but im not quite finished yet. There’s a short trip to Japan brewing in my mind for next year, but I need to do more research first. It will be a coach tour & ill need to know ‘how long will it take in the bus to get to each location? Even though there’s toilet stops, will there be emergency toilets on the coach?
Being true to ourselves at every stage of our life journey is important, especially after 60..
My idea of a vacation is NOT to be constantly on the go. I prefer to stay in rural areas, small towns. Meet the local people. Learn about their lives. There is much to be gleaned by being in the moment.
I hear you loud and clear. I too have travelled to many different countries. Usually, when I get off the plane, after a 20 hour trip, I could jump right in to activities with no problems from jet lag. However, I took my last trip abroad two years ago, at 71 and thought I could do the same. I arrived at my hotel in Cairo around 5:00 pm. Met the group and then went straight to bed. The group checked out of the hotel the next morning by 8:30, and on to climbing the great pyramid and riding a camel. This trip I struggled with jet lag (a first for me). Most of the women on the trip were at least ten years younger than myself. One was my daughter’s age. I managed to keep up with the group (making it my vow not to hold them up). But it was a physically challenging trip for me. We walked and walked and walked. Rode dune buggies. Crawled through fences. And was busy from morning until night. I remember thinking ‘ Judy, this will be your last trip ‘abroad’. I had a wonderful trip and fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine. I am so thankful that I was able to go to Egypt with such a wonderful group and come away with great photos and beautiful memories. But at the same time, I learned that I am getting older and perhaps need to rethink the type of travel I take – Maybe it won’t be my last trip. But I certainly won’t be riding a camel any more. River cruises perhaps?
Maybe being so tired after the trip was worth it for having such a fantastic time with your niece. Sounds like a great trip!