Getting the Itch to Travel More Often

After returning from our trip on the California Zephyr to Glenwood Springs last month, I decided that I really needed to kick-start my traveling ways again. Although Tim and I had just recently traveled to Iceland for a fabulous road trip, and although we had just returned from a spectacular train ride, I somehow felt that I needed to get my travel “fix” more often.  I didn't want to wait around until next year's cruise.

When I lived in Miami, I would often travel once a month. Sometimes it was for just a long weekend, while on other occasions I was able to go for a week or more at a time. After I retired, I embarked on a series of road trips. And, after marrying Tim, I convinced him to take our nine-month Road Trip Ramble, and later, our five-year See Where the Road Leads full-time RV adventure.

After re-reading journals that I had written during some of my pre-Tim days, I recalled how exhilarating travel made me feel, how adventurous I became, and how easily I met people. Travel is my passion, and I wanted more of those feelings again.

So, I began to look for a trip. The GIS class that Tim is taking would prevent him from traveling for more than a few days, and I wanted at least a one-week trip. Tim has no problem with my traveling solo, so that’s what I investigated. I researched taking the RV to southern Colorado to ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, which I’ve always wanted to do, but the logistics just didn’t work out. I also looked into attending the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, another bucket list item, but I had waited way too late to make those arrangements.

My next idea was to take a long-distance train trip, another bucket list item, and that seemed doable. I decided not to take the California Zephyr to California since we had just traveled on part of that route. The Coast Starlight, however, which runs from Seattle to Los Angeles, seemed to be the perfect trip. I could also tack on the Pacific Surfliner and ride all the way to San Diego.

Planning a last-minute trip was challenging, and probably way more expensive than planning ahead, but I wanted to leave in less than a week. I was able to make train, plane, and hotel reservations, and all that was left was to pack my bags.

Ticketed and Ready to Go