The thing about travel is that it never makes sense. It is always too expensive, the time is always too precious, the kids are never ready for it. As an equation, it never pencils out. Then you take the plunge and do it anyway, and most or all of those objections just kind of fade away, and then you’ve done it and it has changed you as a person, and fortified you with shared memories that will last a lifetime.

Then you get away from travel for awhile, and it seems increasingly impossible and irrational, and there is never enough time, and you don’t have the money, and etc. and etc. But it really does change you. One of the themes of this blog has been getting rid of stuff, and (by inference) not spending on new stuff when you still have so much old stuff hanging around. But nested inside that is spending your money on other things — specifically experiences in the form of knowledge and memories and leisure. I find those things give me more joy than the ways I used to spend my money.

But even with that policy I still went decades between my European trips. It’s hard. But completely worth it.

LikeLiked by 1 person