Our trip to Iceland & Ireland was a good mix of days in the countryside (7 days) and time in Reykjavik & Dublin (4 days). Some people like the sights & buzz of the big cities, while others would spend all of their time in the small villages and rural areas if they could. We like to see a bit of both. That said, if … Continue reading World’s Top Cities
We’re back from our trip to Iceland & Ireland. We were only gone 12 days, but that was the perfect amount of time for those two countries in one trip. . When we got home, we were marveling at how much easier travel is now compared with 10, 20, 30 years ago. We’ve gone from having to buy American Express Travel Checks before we leave to … Continue reading Digital Travel Assistant
If anyone was worried that the travel industry wouldn’t come back after the pandemic lockdowns, you can put your mind at ease. The Wall Street Journal shared this chart a couple of weeks ago showing the boom in European trips by Americans. As you can see, travel to Europe has reached new highs the last three years running. It reports that 2026 travel continues to … Continue reading Americans Traveling
I just got back from a long weekend, driving 888 miles around the state of MN in my Jeep. I was continuing my quest to reach all 68 of the state’s parks – I’m now up to 55. Along the way, I also stopped at a variety of roadside oddities, historical places, and interesting sights. It’s the 7th trip I’ve taken like this since I … Continue reading “Completeness”
I decided just to write just this one post this week. I am just too busy to write two right now. Busyness seems to be an ongoing theme of my retirement – especially in the summer months. Last week, I had lunch with a friend who he is getting close to retirement and he honestly could not believe that he will likely be more busy … Continue reading Too Many Balls in the Air
“Grateful Americans will come to this shrine of quiet valor, this forge of our Republic’s iron core. Valley Forge symbolizes the spirit of sacrifice that made independence possible.”” President Ford, Independence Day 1976 Just one post this week as I am traveling around some patriotic stops on the East Coast. I often say that early retirement is like “kidadulthood”. That is, it gives you the … Continue reading 200th & 250th Birthday America
Today’s the day. 10 years. No April Fool’s Day. It’s been a full decade since I stopped working on April 1, 2016. Related: Blasting Out of MegaCorp Naturally, such a foolish anniversary has gotten me wondering what I have done with all of that extra time. If you take 60 hours/week of working & commuting time and multiply it over 48 work weeks/year across … Continue reading Cheers to 10 Years!
We’re thinking of taking a couple of overseas trips in the next 12-14 months. We’ve wanted to get to Ireland for a few years and might go this Autumn. We also want to take the big flight to the Southern Hemisphere and experience Australia & New Zealand, which would likely be in early-2027, given the difference in seasons. We wouldn’t typically plan two big overseas … Continue reading Time To Get Going?
I aim to be more prepared than the average bear, but this past week has taught me that I am often completely unprepared. You would think with the amount of time I have as an early retiree to get things done, I wouldn’t ever fall behind. Still, I certainly do. We had an unusual power outage at our house on Sunday. It lasted from about … Continue reading Falling Behind
We’re over in Europe right now for a Danube River Cruise starting on Sunday. The trip includes stops in lovely Prague, romantic Vienna, and mysterious Budapest. Incidentals for the trip would have been a bit cheaper a month ago, before Trump’s trade strategy beat up the stock market, bond funds, and … the U.S. dollar. What was set to be our best exchange rate ever … Continue reading Euros & Europe
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