Close to Home but Not a Stay-cation

Although Logan and I love traveling to far off places, we try not to neglect the gems in our own region. As I said earlier, my family was big on taking day trips. I can't survive from one big trip to the next without some smaller excursions in between. Logan and I have been taking day trips together since we were old enough to drive. Our very first one was to Waverly Mansion in West Point, MS, which is less than an hour's drive from Tupelo. Since then we have been to Memphis countless times, Florence (AL), Dismal Canyons (AL), Jackson, the Natchez Trace, Nashville, Birmingham, Lynchburg (TN, home to the Jack Daniel's Distillery), and most recently Shiloh (TN). We even like to be tourists in our own hometown of Tupelo. On several occasions we have visited Elvis' birthplace, and just yesterday we checked out the Natchez Trace visitor center. I think there is the disbelief for travelers that you have to get on a plane, train, boat, or, at the very least, an all-day car ride for it to be a vacation. Whereas I do not fall into the new popular group of the stay-cationers, I do believe that you can stay close to home without sacrificing fun.

Recently, I have started collecting travel books, which focus on our southeast region. I just acquired a great books entitled Off the Beaten Path, which highlights places in Mississippi that are travel worthy. Among these are a jail turned library in Macon (which Logan and I visited last month), the Blues Highway and other points of interest including Kermit the Frog's home place in the Delta, and the queen of the gypsies' grave site in Meridian. Another book, which I've enjoyed reading cover to cover, is called 100 Places to See Before You Die: US and Canada. This book has given me the idea to visit Eudora Whelty's home in Jackson, tour the Square in Oxford, and attend Spring Pilgrimages in Columbus and Holly Springs. It is not always feasible to take off for a week or even three-night trip, but everyone can squeeze in a day trip. Logan and I try our best to travel somewhere once a month, even if that means we're going to explore somewhere less than an hour away.

This Valentine's, for example, I wanted to take a trip somewhere, but we didn't have budgeted a lot of time or funds. I have never been to Elvis's home in Graceland, partly because it was so close I thought I would always make it there someday. When we went we were in the same group as a family from England. Now that got me to thinking, "Did this family fly all the way from across the pond just to see Elvis's house?" Maybe or maybe not, but regardless they were there. Now would I chose Memphis over a trip to England? Not hardly, however, we were able to drive to Memphis, tour Graceland, and eat a great dinner for a little more than $100, which is about 1/10 the price of one plane ticket to England.

Yesterday Logan and I went to the Natchez Trace Parkway Headquarters, which is located less than 15 miles from our house. It has been remodeled for years, but I haven't bothered to check it out since I was in the fourth grade. While we were there, we noticed an RV belonging to some travelers from Ontario, Canada. People from all over the country and even the continent purposefully come to drive the Natchez Trace, a National Park since 1938, which we often look at as a shortcut to and from Tupelo. Logan and I had a picnic, got our National Park Passport books stamped, strolled down a paved trail, and then even explored a horse trail that Logan had refurbished for his Eagle Scout Project almost ten years ago. All in all, it was a glorious spring outing, which cost us less than $15 total (only cost was the food for the picnic).

Am I an advocate for the oh-so-boring stay-cation? No, but I am a sincere supporter of exploring one's own backyard in a more metaphorical sense.

Cruising

Logan and I will be going on our third cruise this May. So far we have been on two cruises in the Caribbean, sailing to Cozumel, Guatemala, and Belize. Our first cruise together was with Carnival and our second was with NCL. For our up-coming three year anniversary, we will cruise the Mediterranean with Royal Caribbean. Our cruise leaves from Barcelona and stops in Naples, Rome, Florence, and two ports in the French Riviera. I once thought that cruising was an impersonal form of traveling, but now I'm a believer. While I do not believe that cruising is the only way to travel, I think that it is a relaxing way to visit a lot of amazing places. One of the best parts for us is not having to worry about getting from place to place, which in our case means fighting with rental car companies.

When Logan and I travel we love to visit more than one destination at a time. I often like to combine multiple stops on our itinerary. For example, when Logan and I went to Las Vegas last August for his birthday, we took a five-hour road trip to the Grand Canyon. My philosophy is you never know when you'll be back to an area, so do as much as you can when you can. I love to plan extensive itineraries, but it is a relief to sometimes let someone else do the work for you. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of those people who boards a ship and then is content to mindlessly drift along; however, having the ports of call already decided makes my job easier.

For those of you who have never been on a cruise and are considering it, I would say that you must try it. Logan and I convinced his parents to go on their first one, and now they are planning their next. There is an undeniable appeal in having people wait on you hand and foot from the moment you step on the ship. The towel animals and allure of a midnight chocolate buffet also jazz up the incentive. Days at Sea can be as relaxing or as activity-packed as you choose. I've done everything from ballroom dancing to handwriting analysis to a watch seminar (Logan's idea.) We have spent mornings laying out by the pool while reading a book or staring out into the ocean...afternoons attending magic shows...and evenings strolling under the stars after attending a Broadway quality show. It is the perfect vacation for couples or even large groups because you can have plenty of together time and then break a part to do your own thing. The first cruise I ever went on was actually a friend's family reunion. My family reunions usually consisted of picnicking in the park for an afternoon, so I was a little hesitant about a week-long reunion. In my opinion, a cruise is the only way to go for a multi-day affair.

As great as it is being on the ship, my favorite part of the cruise in arriving to ports. Whereas you can choose to spend your day on the ship, Logan and I can't wait to get on the gangway. One of the most memorable moments I've had is eating breakfast on the ship's deck with the Guatemalan jungle rising in the background. You go to sleep surrounding by water and wake up with "Land Ahoy!" Sometimes we choose to explore the port of call on our own, but although we spend more money opting for the cruise company's excursions, it is a relief to know that the ship won't leave us. We have walked through rain forests, climbed Mayan ruins, and spotted spider monkeys in the jungle. I even swam at the base of a waterfall, which Logan refused to do because he had seen an episode of House which involved a particular type of fish that likes to swim up...well, something that didn't concern me but worried the heck out of him. I think Logan was really using that for an excuse, because he is afraid of water. On our first cruise, we went snorkeling in Cozumel. I was so proud of Logan for giving it a try. I had waited years to try snorkeling again after my first disastrous mishap. Let's just say that I asked the snorkel guide if we were supposed to bite down on the mouth piece. He didn't understand me, so he just said yes. I ended up drinking in a good portion of the ocean and destroying endangered coral with my leg. My second time was blissful. I tried telling Logan that it is only natural to tear yourself up on coral the first time, but he is convinced once is enough.

I have so many stories about our cruises, but I'm only going to share one more for now at least. It involves our climbing the Mayan ruins in Guatemala. I was determined that I was going to make it to the top. On the bus ride there I was the brave one, and Logan was the one who wasn't quite so sure that climbing a stone structure thousands of years old was for him. When it started raining, I asked the guide if we would still be allowed to climb. He assured me that we would be...at our own risk. When we finally made it through the jungle to the large ruin, I was ready to race up those steep steps. I have never really been afraid of heights, so I scoffed whenever our guide told us story after story of those who became frozen once they reached the top. I was already on my way up with Logan trailing behind me. I took it one slippery step at a time. All was going well, except for my poncho getting in the way, until I reached the second landing. I turned around and all of a sudden thought the earth was spinning. Mr. Curtis and Ms. Nellie looked like ants. I thought I could spot the ship forty miles away. I decided right then and there I was going to live up there with the monkeys because the only way I was getting down was if they air lifted me out of that jungle. Logan, on the other hand, was in his element. He was the first one to make it to the top and didn't even hold the rope on the way down, even though I was screaming at him the entire time. I eventually made it to the top (for about three seconds), and I did make it down alive, much to my surprise; however, I have a permanent dirt stain on the back of my capri pants where I slid down on my fanny, one fearful step at a time.

Travel Inspiration

Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to travel the world. I would sit in my grandmother's living room, which is now my husband's and my living room, and look through her photo albums full of her adventures to Greece, Morocco, and Hawaii to name a few. My grandmother took me on my first plane ride when I was in the second grade. We flew to Las Vegas to visit her sister. I loved being my grandmother's traveling companion, and because of her a love for traveling was born.

However, my grandmother was not the only one to inspire my travel bug. My parents and I took many family vacations when I was growing up. Probably the most memorable one for me was when we went to Williamsburg, VA, Washington D.C., and my father's hometown of Philadelphia, PA. Even when we weren't taking long trips, we frequently took day trips to everywhere in a four-hour radius of Tupelo, MS. My father worked six days a week for many years, but Saturdays were always family days. Whether we went to Tishomingo State Park, the space center in Huntsville, or even the Land Between the Lakes located on the border of TN and KY, my parents were committed to introducing me to my region.

When I was in the third grade I bought a children's atlas at a school book fair, and I have been mapping out my journey around the world ever since. A little under three years ago I married my best friend and life-long travel partner, Logan. Together we are exploring the world one state and one country at a time. We have set the goal of traveling to all fifty states and all seven continents. Actually, I set that goal, but Logan is fully on board, except he still doesn't believe me that we're going to Antartica.