I haven't been traveling lately, but the more I think about it, the more I think the camera should just stay at home. Enjoy the trip. There's already a bazillion beautiful photos of wherever you are going. They're a lot like wedding photos. You view them once when your trip is done (or the wedding is over) and they are promptly forgotten about for all eternity.
Had to distill your message down to the one point I disagree with Ray - you're NOT too old for real adventure! I don't know if you've any physical issues holding you and your wife back, but if not, I'd say go for it. 60 is the new 40, and all that. I met plenty of... eh... travellers with more life experience than I (how's that for sugarcoating it? ) in Africa and they were doing great, even on some of the rougher stuf. Lots of them were driving either a camper van (for a bit more comfort) or their own offroad vehicle with expedition kit (for more adventure). Perhaps for Americans it's not as easy to make it to Africa in your own vehicle, but it seems to me there's plenty of adventure to be had in the Arctic and Latin America.[sensible stuff]
[nice anecdote]
[something about current situation]
Now I'm too old for REAL adventure,
[some more about current situation]
-Ray
I tend to agree with you there, in the sense that the 10 millionth shot of the eiffel tower is unlikely to excite anyone, unless it's a special shot (I think both Duane and Briar(was it?) posted some really great ones here).buy a disposable film camera and get your 36 tourist shots, but don't bother with a fancy new camera when your shots are all going to be the same cliche shots everyone has.
OK, I'm not, but my definition of the types of "real adventure" I enjoy has changed. When I was 22, I spent 6 months backpacking around Europe and the Middle East. Well, some of the middle east - basically Israel, Egypt, and Turkey. I didn't know from day to day where I was gonna be heading, how I was getting there, where I was gonna sleep when I did get there, etc. Some places I stayed a night or two, some I'd stay a couple of weeks (slept on the beach on Naxos and almost never left). That was adventure. I had a blast, but I was 22. I remember being glad I was doing that then because I didn't think I'd be up for that type of travel when I was 40. And I was right - I wasn't, although I did some reasonably intensive bicycle touring at 40, but never more than about a week at a time. Now that I'm closer to 60, I really don't like the "travel" part of travel much at all. You won't find me on a "tour" group type of trip, I seem to even be done with bicycle touring. What I do enjoy is lining up a reasonably comfortable place (no luxury mind you, just a place with a bed and functioning plumbing and kitchen) in a really interesting place and just staying there for a while. And learning the feel of THAT place, the back alleys, the nearby hikes, just kind of live there for a month or two. I'm still definitely being a tourist - I'm not going to work every day - but I like immersing myself in a place like that. So far, I've done a month in New York City and a month on the Amalfi Coast and they were two of the greatest "travel" months of my life. Enjoyed both immensely. I'd love to do a couple of months in Paris, maybe Hong Kong, Jerusalem (beautiful city - I was actually there for several weeks once years ago), maybe London. And another month in Positano wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen to me either!Had to distill your message down to the one point I disagree with Ray - you're NOT too old for real adventure! I don't know if you've any physical issues holding you and your wife back, but if not, I'd say go for it. 60 is the new 40, and all that. I met plenty of... eh... travellers with more life experience than I (how's that for sugarcoating it? ) in Africa and they were doing great, even on some of the rougher stuf. Lots of them were driving either a camper van (for a bit more comfort) or their own offroad vehicle with expedition kit (for more adventure). Perhaps for Americans it's not as easy to make it to Africa in your own vehicle, but it seems to me there's plenty of adventure to be had in the Arctic and Latin America.
Sounds pretty good, I must say! I haven't quite figured out the ideal duration of a stay in one place for me; too much moving around and you don't get to really understand the places you're visiting, too long in one place and you don't get to see the rest of the world :tongue: I think a bit slower than what I did in Africa would be nice. I definitely get the appeal of staying in one place for a month and really getting to know it, but then I'm still a bit too restless for that... perhaps when I'm older I'll do that too