It’s FINALLY time to travel

It’s FINALLY time to travel

It’s been over 2 years but I’m finally on the road again

This is the first in a series of my traveling adventures, and I have to say, it’s good to be on the road again. I remember putting on Willie Nelson’s “On the road again” when we would go on car road trips. I would play “Traveling Man” and other songs that referenced traveling hoping that one day I would be able to actually go to the places I fantasized about as a kid.

Places like Machu Picchu, Thailand, Amsterdam, and castles in Germany. When most people had posters of Olivia Newton-John and Farrah Fawcett (God rest their souls) on their walls, I had photos of places I wanted to go. National Geographic was my magazine of choice, not Teen Beat.

Years later, one by one, I visited all of my bucket list places, and then some. I went to places I never knew about as a kid because travel begets more travel. When you go to one place, you meet other world travelers that recommend new places. “If you like this, you should go to ________.” I would hear it over and over again.

After two + years of lockdown, I am finally on the road again, and I am loving it.

 I didn’t make any plans for this summer, except for Burning Man. I had to get past Naughty N’awlins, our one BIG event and while making plans for our comeback, I had to deal with a hurricane, a fire, and a persistent little parasite that made me sick for over 5 weeks.

Travel plans would have to wait

Once I was finally past Naughty, I started to think about where I would venture out again, now that the world is opening up. I have had two vaccines, a booster shot and Covid (twice!), if it wasn’t safe for me to travel now, there would never be a time when I would be able to hit the road again.

I looked at flights to Thailand, and Amsterdam, old favorites that I was very familiar with. I looked at a couple of destinations (Morocco, and the South of France) that would be new adventures.

Then, as luck would have it, an email came across my desk with a special deal for the upcoming Lifestyle Luxury Cruise (LLV) out of Venice Italy (I’ll be reviewing that cruise next week). I made a phone call, I checked flights and in one day, I had booked a week in Amsterdam followed by a trip to Venice and then Croatia, Montenegro & Greece. All places I had been before, but there was a calming factor to having my first real post-Covid adventure be at locations I was familiar with.

Plus, I was taking someone who had never been to any of those places, so there would be plenty of anticipation and excitement of discovery mixed in with my own familiarity. I booked flights, hotel rooms, the cruise, and reservations to clubs and restaurants. I was ready to go, and then I reached out to friends who I thought might want to go. Luckily, a few friends jumped on the opportunity and I found out that there were several friends already booked on the Venice cruise. Bonus!

If you want to join us on the upcoming Desire Greek Cruise in September, just click this link and check out the available cabins. You can call us at 800-304-4493 for a special price on a canceled Oceanview cabin.

Time to travel

As many already know, there have been a lot of difficulties traveling due to pilot and staffing shortages. I found my fair share of problems, but I dealt with delay after delay, a lost phone, missed flights, and crazy long lines because I kept my eye on what was important: the destination.

Traveling today can be difficult, but it is worth it.

I love Amsterdam because it is so walkable and I rented a bicycle, which made further places even easier to get to. I went to Amsterdam’s Pride parade (me and another 500,000 visitors), I booked a dinner at the Supper Club (they had a Studio 54 theme night) and I went to an EDM festival.

I had a blast in Amsterdam and my adventure was only beginning.

The highlight of my week in Amsterdam was a trip to Fun4Two, probably the best swing club I have ever been to (and I’ve been to a lot). The owners remembered me from 10 years ago and while many of the best parts of the club remained, there were some nice upgrades and remodeling that took place while the club was closed during Covid.

It was just so nice being somewhere different. As I traveled through Europe for these past couple of weeks, I was shocked by how many posts I saw from friends in Europe. I saw friends traveling through Amsterdam, Paris, Portugal, Spain, Italy, and more. Friends were going to Budapest and Prague, so I sent them some recommendations.

I was surprised to see a post from New Orleans friends in Corfu, Greece, a port I would be visiting two days later. “Let’s meet up in Corfu” I messaged them and two days later we were eating prosciutto and pizza, along with a Greek salad while drinking Aperol Spritzes on this quaint Greek island.

The world is opening up and it’s nice to finally be able to get out and explore familiar places and discover new ones. It’s even better to join friends and have collective experiences that we can share today and reminisce about tomorrow. I’m so glad the chains are off and we can move around again.

I didn’t know how much I missed traveling, but I have the bug again and I’m not gonna stop.

I am writing this from a plane (an 11 ½ hour flight home), and as soon as I get home, I am heading to Burning Man. Then I’m off to Mexico, before returning to Vegas for Naughty Vegas. I’ll head back to Mexico for two weeks and I’m contemplating another cruise, out of California, at the end of October.

November has me back at Temptation Resort before heading to Cozumel for a week of diving. I’m considering Thailand for my Birthday (Dec 12) before spending January in Zipolite, Mexico for New Year’s and then Naughty Beach. Then back to Miami for the Temptation Cruise.

That’s a lot of travel over the next six months, but I can’t wait.

I didn’t go anywhere for 29 months and I have to make up for a lost time.

Where are you going to go? Where are your bucket list places you want to visit?

Maybe we will be at the same place or on the same cruise the next year. If so, please come up and say “Hi!” and we can go eat some local food, or check out the local sights together.

I still have so much to see and explore. See you in the dust (for all you burners) and the rest of you around this place we call earth.  

See you on the other side….                                                          

Bob

PS: If you want to join us on the upcoming Desire Greek Cruise in September, just click this link and check out the available cabins. You can call us at 800-304-4493 for a special price on a canceled Oceanview cabin.