They didn't think I could do it...

Published: Mon, 05/28/18


It wasn't until last week, when my brother commented that, as a child, I was always inside reading while my three siblings were outside being active, that it occurred to me.

There were two reasons my parents didn't think I would manage my first trip at 15. One: I would have to save $470 1973 dollars to go (the equivalent of $2,300 today) as they were not in a position to put that out for only one of four children. Two: they didn't think that I could bike over 1,000 miles in a month on this tour to England and Wales. I was just not that active.

So they said yes, I could go because they didn't really think I'd do it.

Well, I did. On both fronts. And, in addition to the cost of the trip, I saved $110 for a second-hand Peugot bike to ride the tour's 1,000 miles, 1,600 km, in 30 days.

Why do I raise this today? Because, once again, I'm planning active trips. Two very active trips and, thanks to them, I'm in training!

Where I'm Traveling
Next month I'm going on a self-guided walking tour, Rivers and Chateaux of the Loire Walk, with Exodus Travels. They plan the trip, book my accommodation, and move my luggage. I simply have to walk their plan. It's seven days and rated leisurely to moderate, with walking every other day. Day 2 is 15km or 9 miles, Day 4 is 19km or 12 miles and day 6 is 21km or 13 miles. Every step is along the rivers Loire and Cher, taking in some of France's finest chateaux including Amboise, Chenonceau and Chaumont-sur-Loire. I've traveled a lot of France but I've not seen the chateaux of the Loire and have never done a walking tour before. I've really looking forward to it so I'm upping the number of km I walk in a week. 

Then, in July, I've going on a weekend cycling trip north-east of Toronto from Uxbridge to Peterborogh. It's a two-day, one night trip and I have a choice of riding either 85km or 100km over the two days. I'm aiming for 100km. This will be the greater challenge as I have not done any bike touring for a long time. To do 50km in a day would be easy. But to do it two days in a row. There's the challenge. Yes, I'm in training. Today I rode 40km.

Watch for a post coming very soon called Training for Travel in which I'll share how I'm trying to get in shape for these two trips. 

It's Your Turn
Nominations for the 2nd annual Solo Travel Awards are now closed and the World Nomads Solo Travelers Choice Award is open for voting until September 15th. It's an opportunity to support a company you love and discover new companies to consider in your travel plans. 

That's it for this month. Happy travels,

Janice

P.S. If you're traveling soon, don't forget...