I have wanted to visit southern France—Occitanie and Provence—for awhile now. My home base will be either Beziers or Avignon. Ideally, I would like to visit these regions for 10 days September/October and then again April 2027 for 4 weeks. But the expense and logistics may make both trips impractical. There is also the uncertainty of flights at present. I can do the April trip, especially with the help of a local guide who would provide planning advice in advance of my visit. I have checked international tours for the area for September/October but they are very expensive, and I believe I would be fine on my own. The extra expense would not provide more value and I would have more flexibility. I would fly to DeGaulle Airport Paris from Boston and then a fast train to Beziers or Avignon. On return I would spend a few days in Paris.

You joined this community because travel is calling you — but something is still in the way. Maybe it's not knowing where to start. Maybe it's the idea of going alone. Maybe it's the cost, the planning, or just not having someone to figure it out with you. I get it. That's exactly why I'm opening up a few free 20-minute clarity calls this week. No pitch. No pressure. Just a real conversation to figure out what travel actually looks like for you, and what your honest next step is. By the end of the call you'll know: →What's really been holding you back → Whether a group trip makes sense for you right now → What kind of support would actually move you forward. To grab a spot, drop a comment below and tell me the one thing that's been stopping you from traveling. I'll reach out personally to set up a time that works for you. Let's figure this out together.

Be honest, which fall trip is tugging at you? 🎷 New Orleans (Nov) — music, food, French Quarter 🌵 Santa Fe — wellness + good food 🙌 Both, don't make me choose 💭 Just here dreaming for now, and that's okay

I’ve been attempting to create a travel resource model that would be helpful to me in planning my future travel. It occurred to me it might be helpful to others as well. The model has three categories at present: Knowledge, Logistics and Finances. Since financing travel is often tricky, I will start with that here and move on to the other categories with later posts. Finances 1. Create a travel budget. A budget will depend on your timeframe. If you have a shorter window, you can make substantial monthly, quarterly or annual contributions to your budget. If you window is longer, you can make small monthly or annual contributions over a longer period of time. I suggest the money be held in a savings account or an investment account that allows you to withdraw interest. 2. If you have earned income, if possible 5 percent should be set aside for your travel budget and deposited in your savings account. If you have a short timeframe, the percentage may need to be higher if it is your only source of income. 3. If you have investments with stable interest, some or all of that interest should be included in your travel budget. 4. Income from a small home business can be deposited into your travel budget savings account. 5. Money gifts or proceeds of selling items you own can also be deposited in your savings account.

I had tentatively planned a transatlantic Viking cruise with 4 stops, disembarking at Barcelona for late February 2027. I put down a $20 deposit. I was surprised to learn that Viking wanted the balance, a substantial sum, 13 months in advance of the cruise. I would have also needed extensive insurance given the timing. It seemed unusual to me given my experience with another cruise line. I decided to leave this money earning interest in an investment account, and transferred the deposit to a 2028 cruise. I later discovered I could take a short Mediterranean cruise or even a ferry to visit these same destinations, instead of the transatlantic. For example, I can visit Casablanca by ferry. So, the lesson I learned is to focus my planning on the sites or destinations I want to visit or activities I enjoy.