It's time to go home

This trip ends December 1st. We originally planned to it for a year spending a month in 12 countries. That didn't work out because it was just too expensive. When we end this we will have spent 26 weeks traveling.

Why are we ending it? Yes money is definitely a factor.  We could probably have squeaked by with money. The biggest reason is that we are tired. Just plain tired. 

This is not an easy way to travel, going from place to place all the time. Constantly changing where you are staying wears on you. Riding trains wears on you. You really start to long for the comforts of home. Your own bed.Your own stuff. Familiarity. 

This has been a juggling act of trying to figure out where to stay, how to get there. As I have talked about,  staying in airbnbs is a crapshoot. Mediocre most of the time. We've had a couple real bad experiences with them. You never know what you are going to get. Europe is old and with old buildings come problems. 

I don't know the process of becoming an airbnb host. Im sure that there are criteria you have to meet. I doubt anybody comes to inspect your place. I think once you are approved there is very little monitoring of their places. We have stayed in 11 airbnbs during this trip and there were only two that I would even think of staying in again. 

The hotels have been better. We have stayed in 6 and they have all been OK. Wow, we have stayed in 20 places by the time this is done!

Taking trains has been, shall we say interesting? On our first train ride in London, they didn't post the platform until ten minutes before the train left. When they did, there was a mass stampede as people ran for the train. We have sometimes been on 3 trains in one trip., having to run to the next platform to make the train. One time, they suddenly announced the train wasn't going any farther, we would have to get on a new train. Platforms have been changed at the last minute and there is a mad rush by everything to get there. Seating can be confusing, sometimes it's chaos.

I have to say, despite all that, the scenery on the train trips have been a highlight.

Every time we arrive at a new place we have to figure out how to get to our new home. Bus, train, tram? Where's the stop? How much is it? How do we pay for it? Where do we get off? In Europe, all this is in a different language. How are we going to get around the city? How much will that cost? 

When we get to the stop, how far to the place? We have walked a mile sometimes up steep hills to reach where we are going to stay each dragging a backpack and suitcase. 

Where is the nearest grocery store? Are there restaurants around? Is the area safe? 

In between all this, we have seen speculation sights, beautiful scenery which made it all worth it. Would I do it again? Of course. But alas, we are tired. I say this with a lot of sadness: It's time to go home. 

BTW, we will be spending last month in Paris and Lisbon.

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October 27, 2022 at 10:31PM