Experience the Wonders of Traveling

POSTED: DECEMBER 2011

In the process of raising our family, my husband had fallen into the trap of spending way too much time working, and too little time on leisure travel. Unselfishly he always put his family first and took great care to make certain all the college bills were paid; and following that, there were some weddings which kept the checkbook active. Now our children are “launched,” or as one of our friends put it, they are “off the payroll” so I suggested we finish empting the nest, spend some money on ourselves and hit the road. I have already traveled extensively so I decided to have my husband choose the destination.

Europe was first on his list, and I felt in his case the best approach would be to visit a lot of the major cities quickly for a general overview, and then he would know which cities and countries he wanted to return to on a later trip. Keeping it simple and comfortable was also important, so we opted for a Mediterranean cruise. Numerous cruise lines do this and do it very well so you simply have to review the various itineraries and select the line that has the most desirable ports of call for you. We decided to fly to Barcelona, then visit beautiful Monte Carlo and while there to go to the medieval city of Eze, which “hangs” on an outcrop above Monte Carlo. A fascinating place! We then moved on to Italy, and since Italy has always been a personal favorite of mine, we selected a cruise that included many Italian ports - Rome, Florence, Naples, Capri, the gorgeous Amalfi Coast, and one of the most charming of all places, Venice. To round things off, we visited Athens, Mykonos and Istanbul. Many people do not realize that Istanbul is the largest City in Europe and the architecture of the Topkapi Palace, the Blue Mosque and St. Sophia are truly magnificent.

Our trip went so smoothly. We were lucky and hit a string of beautiful sunny days with temperatures in the 80’s and we had a wonderful time. My husband called it “the trip of a lifetime,” (mostly because the Mediterranean “hands down” beats a business trip to Cleveland!) but, more importantly, he was definitely bit by the travel bug and “wants to do it again soon!” I was hoping for that!

If our situation strikes a cord with you, remember it is a big world out there. If you haven’t treated yourself to experiencing some of its wonders, start planning, carve out some time and GO, SEE, DO, AND ENJOY!

Article written by Nancy Robbins, Bayside Travel, Larchmont Office.

Barbara Nichuals is the President of Bayside Travel in Larchmont, Gramatan Travel in Bronxville, Eastchester Travel and Earlfield Travel in Larchmont. Licensed Travel Insurance Agent. For a free consultation call 833-8880 or visit www.luxurytravelservice.com.

 

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