Vacations Seem Impossible

It's been a year and I haven't had my own car. I know lots of people don't have a car and that should be no big deal, but I'm just not the same without my own car. I accepted that I couldn't afford it anymore. I'm old, on a fixed income, and I just don't have the spending money like I did way back when. Plus, I've never known anything about fixing cars, and they all break down at some point. It was driving me insane - literally. I would get so depressed. Though I am happier that I'm not spending a fortune on a car, I haven't gone anywhere in a year. Nowhere. The most exciting trip I've been on in a year is to the local Walmart. That's pretty pathetic to me, especially when I know that I suffer from Wanderlust. Oh yeah, I got bit by the Wanderlust bug big time back in 2018. I've always loved traveling, but when I got into Road Tripping, I fell in love with travel even more.

It used to be so different in the 90's when we traveled. I'd call a Travel Agent and she'd talk to me about various packages. Cruise packages were about destination and theme. Do you want a quickie to the Bahamas on the cheap side or do you want the big ticket family cruise ship with Mickey Mouse? Do you want to fly first class with leg room for 8 hours to London or can you save a few hundred dollars by taking a cramped seat in "economy"? Still, regardless of what budget we had to work with, the Travel Agents made it much less stressful. As long as I paid the package price, everything I needed was handled and I could rest easy and just enjoy my vacation. It's so hard to find that kind of service these days. Expedia and other online websites have put the power in our hands. I guess we're suppose to be happy about it, but really I just feel much more confused.

For example, I was thinking about doing a tour of Lake Erie in the Spring. I've always wanted to see Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Detroit. That would be a great itinerary for me. But when I tried to do research on it, I got flabbergasted and frustrated. The train sounded like a lovely way to go, but it only has certain locations and then you've got to take a bus. The airplane wouldn't be so bad because it is a lot quicker, but then I've got more time at the location which means I need more hotel money. When I would road trip in my Ford Transit, it didn't matter if I couldn't afford the nearest hotel. I could sleep in my van and get back on the road the next day.

Perhaps some people think I'm "crazy" for wanting to travel. With all the "craziness" going on in the world and the insane costs of everything, why would I want to go anywhere? I guess Boredom can drive a person "crazy" too, you know. I love my garden. I love my bed. I love my computer. But after a whole year of doing nothing else, I sure would like to live a little. Maybe I'm just depressed because I was all alone on Halloween and did nothing, and I know Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to be the same. Maybe I just want my 55th birthday to be special, different --- something worth doing and memorable. Not just another day the same as any other day. That's what vacations are for. I know I'm retired. I know some people think that retired people are "always on vacation" and I guess they have a point. But when you've been staring at the same tree and the same desk for over a year, believe me a vacation sounds like a wonderful way to feel alive again.

So after looking online and seeing the places I want to go and how difficult it is to catch the train or the bus or the airplane plus afford a hotel room to go with it, I guess I have no other option except to rent a car. I know that's not cheap either, but at least I don't have to worry about transfers, cancellations, and whatever other problem could occur with all the different people and different companies trying to get you from here to there. I enjoy driving, so renting a vehicle doesn't spoil the vacation for me.

The good part about being all alone on the holidays is that I can plan and save my money. I don't need to buy anything big. I have no one special to buy any presents for. So I'll just start saving. I know that renting a car for a week can cost up to $400. Yikes. Ouch. That's so high, but you're not going to get on an airplane for any less these days. So be it. Hopefully, I'll have enough come Spring to get up to Lake Erie.