Future Travel Plans

2024 is almost over, and it has been an interesting year! To update you all, I am pretty much done with my bike ride across the US and Canada. I will probably have a few fun rides (day rides with no gear) and maybe a few more rides as transportation, but otherwise Bob and I are taking a small break. I am currently doing some housesitting and exploring some US cities before going home for the holidays. 

After the holidays, I will head to Europe and I have figured out part of my plans for the first couple of quarters! Here are some of the places where I will definitely be going in the first quarter: 

Frankfurt, Germany

Heidelberg, Germany

Strasbourg, France

Dijon, France

Lyon, France

Krakow, Poland

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Brussels, Belgium

Seville, Spain

Cordoba, Spain

Malaga, Spain

Here are possibilities for the second quarter: 

Istanbul, Türkiye

Cappadocia, Türkiye

Antalya, Türkiye

Fethiye, Türkiye

(Lycian way hike)

Tbilisi, Georgia

Istanbul

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Albania

Montenegro

Kosovo

(Peaks of the Balkans hike)

Albania & Montenegro

Just as a side note, for those who are unaware, as Americans we can only stay 90 days in the Schengen zone out of every 180 days. What is the Schengen zone? It is a unified zone comprised of most of the western European countries, and some of the eastern ones. It does not include Ireland, the UK, Cypress, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina or most of the countries east of Romania/Poland. Here is a map. 

So if you are going to be in the Europe area for a long time, you have to get out of the Schengen zone after 90 days and go to one of the other countries for at least 90 days before coming back. If you default on this you may not be let back in the next time! 

If you have been to any of these places, do you have any suggestions? I lived in Istanbul, but may go for a refresher, plus the grand bazaar has THE BEST roasted pistachios. I have also been to Albania (Tirana, Sarada, Durmi) and Montenegro (Durmitor, Podgorica, Kotor) before, but would like to go back for further exploration. 

If you have not been to any of the above, are there any other European places that have sparked your interest, and if so, why? 

If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my upcoming ask me anything post!!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. 

Money Monday: By The Numbers: October

Finally, things have simmered down enough and it is time for my monthly spending recap, along with a few other random stats! For the month of October, my bike trip was slightly winding down, and I spent a lot more time visiting and housesitting than I did riding. All of the below numbers are as of October 31, 2024. 

Montreal bike (they were everywhere!)

Mileage To Date:

Total Days on the Road: 222

Total Days Ridden: 153

Days Ridden in October: 10

Total Miles Ridden: 8,540

Average Miles Per Day Ridden: 55.8 (vs 56.57 as of Sept 30)

Max miles per day: 101

Accommodation To Date: 

Airbnb: 12

Established Camp: 35

Friend: 36

Housesitting: 18

Motel: 69

Warm Showers: 9

Wild Camp: 40

Train: 3

Total Days: 222

Total average cost per day: $39

Verdict: Although October involved a lot of housesitting and stays with friends, the motels were more expensive than normal and there was no wild camping. This only brought the average per day down from $40 to $39. 

Total Cost: October

*Please note that I eradicated my travel category since basically all my costs are what I would have categorized in travel before. 

Accommodation: $1,106 (↓ from September by $15!) Includes any place where I rested my head for the night. In October this included housesitting (13), Motel (9), Friend (5), Airbnb (2), Established Camping (1) and Train (1). 

Dining Out: $174 (↓ from September) Includes coffee, ice cream shops, snacks and meals at a restaurant, including bakeries and the train canteen. This was down about 30% from the average for this trip. This is likely due to the fact that I was not on the move as much so could plan my groceries and meals out better. However, I did go out and get food in Montreal and Quebec a few times, and went out with Elisabeth! I feel like this was more quality than quantity though. 

Groceries: $254 (↓ from September) Includes food and snacks from a grocery or convenience store. This is down about 20% from the average for this trip. This is likely due to the fact that by housesitting or staying with friends, I tend to be able to shop less often so can stock up on more things. 

Health: $234 (same - insurance premium) Includes my health insurance and any costs for health care (which I have luckily not had!!!). I expect to go for my colonoscopy procedure in the next six months and it will be interesting to see what the out of pocket is for that with my new insurance plan. (by interesting, I mean please don't hold your breath!) 

Misc.: $33 (↑ from September) Includes CFA membership, shipping, gifts, personal care (as you can see, there is not much of that happening)

Shopping: $4 (↓ from September) Includes costs associated with cycling maintenance, cycling gear, running and camping gear and other clothing or toiletries. The $255 average for this trip is mainly because I've spent about $1,100 on bike maintenance, which equates for about 62% of this category. Luckily in October, I barely spent anything! Bob sure is high maintenance! (*Dad joke)

Transportation: $169 (↓ from September) Included one flight for me and Bob and a couple of local bus and train rides in Montreal and Quebec. Why is it so low, you ask!? I used points for a lot of this, which I talked about in my last Money Monday post! 

Utilities: $232 (↓ from September) Includes a monthly breakdown for the following, even though some of them are charged only once per year: phone, Garmin charges, subscriptions, credit card fees and internet security (NordVPN). 

Total Spent: $2,205 (↓ 20% from average and ↓ 27% from September)

Verdict: Pretty much all categories went down from September and most were lower than the average for the trip. I am still trying to figure out what I should target for my budget for next year, but I am thinking that $2,500 a month may be a good number to start with. I do think that there will be a couple of things that I will need to upgrade next year (for example, my normal travel backpack is from the 90s!) but hopefully they will not cost more than the cost of bike maintenance, so it will even out. 

This brings to total spent for seven months to $18,407 or approximately $2,600 per month. The highest month is still the Tour Divide (July) and the lowest is April with October coming in second lowest.

Verdict: Being on the move more or trying to go faster equals more expensive for the most part. Being able to slow down and buy things in larger quantities and stay in one place for a week really does make a difference. 

To end this number heavy post, here are a few non-cycling related stats! 

Favorite Ice Cream: The Real Scoop in Wolfville. 

Favorite New Town: Wolfville, although Mahone Bay was pretty dang cute

Favorite New Water Related Venue: Hubbards Bay or Blomidon

Favorite Food Item: I really loved the family dinners at Elisabeth's house! However, I had a blast getting a loaded poutine at La Banquise in Montreal. Was it touristy? 100% yes. However, it was still a lot of fun and it was very filling! 

Favorite Book: God of the Woods. I will be doing a post about what I read later, or you can find my list on my Goodreads page here! 

Okay it's your turn!! Have you read God of the Woods? What was the best (or worst) thing you spent money on in October? What month is normally your highest spending month? 

If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my upcoming ask me anything post!!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. 

Never Have I Ever

Never have I ever: 

* Milked a cow

But I have milked a goat!

* Eaten or been to Chick-Fil-A (PS one of my pet peeves is when people spell things wrong to be cute. This is not why I have never eaten there though!)

* Read Fifty Shades of Grey

* Seen Top Gun (either version)

* Been to the states of Arkansas, Delaware, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota or West Virginia (layovers on the plane don't count)

* Been to the continent of Antarctica

* Ridden a mechanical bull

* Brushed a dog's teeth

I've helped clip this one's toenails!

* Ridden on a scooter (motorized or non)

* Had kids

Volunteering at Bolivian orphanage

* Used one of the shared rental scooters, bikes, etc. in any city

* Had a gerbil, Guinea pig or hamster as a pet

I have had a lot of cats

* Put the toilet paper roll on upside down (flap goes over every time)

Which of these have you done (drink!)? And what things have you never done? 

If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my upcoming ask me anything post!!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. 

Rabbit Hole

The other day I was working on a post about things I never do and I was wondering, what DO people do that I have never done? So I googled, "what is a common thing for US people to do?" and this is what the AI blurb at the top of my search spit out, along with my comments. The answers did not really help me with my post, but it was amusing all the same. 

Here are some common things that people in the United States do:

Work: Americans tend to work long hours, often starting before 9 AM and ending before 6 PM. Many Americans start working at a young age and take relatively few vacations. [Me: Is this really what we are known for? Relatively few vacations? FYI, at my last job, I got five weeks off every year, and I always took all of them!]

 

Eat out: Americans often eat out or order takeout for convenience and time. They also enjoy eating out for fun. [I suppose this is true to a certain extent, especially the fun part, although I just checked my spending report and even when I am on the road, like now, I don't eat out a ton. In October, I went for lunch 4 times, dinner 3 times and ice cream 1 time.]

Lunch out with Elisabeth

Value time: Americans value time and convenience, and often celebrate busyness and lack of leisure. [I do think this is true, and am actually struggling with this a bit right now, as I feel like people may think that because I am not working, I am lazy and/or not busy, aka not productive, aka lazy.]

 

Follow sports: Many Americans enjoy watching and following sports, especially football, baseball, and basketball. [I do not fit in this group very much, but do feel like a lot of people do love watching sports, especially football. Those fans are INTENSE.]

 

Practice small talk: Americans often engage in small talk, which is making conversation with strangers or acquaintances about non-controversial topics. [This one seems odd; are other cultures not known for small talk? Are Americans engaging in more small talk than other cultures? As you know, I am not a huge fan of small talk.]

 

Be independent: Americans value the idea of being self-sufficient. Many American kids and teenagers leave home for extended periods of time. [I do know that in many cultures it is normal to live at  home for a long time, or have multiple generations under one roof, so in contrast to them, I do think Americans are seen to be kicking the kids out early. Also my parents definitely taught me to be self sufficient.]

 

Respect differences: Americans generally practice political correctness and respect other cultures and people's differences. [Hmmm.. not so sure about this one, AI!]

 

Use red cups: Americans often use red cups to drink alcohol out of. [THIS ONE CRACKED ME UP! I mean, what algorithm caused it to put this on top of other things? I have drunk out of a red cup, but I do not think this is a top ten defining characteristic of Americans!]

 

Celebrate holidays: Americans celebrate holidays like Halloween and Black Friday. [What about Christmas!? And Thanksgiving? Plus, is Black Friday now a holiday? My critique to AI: needs work!]

Which of these do you think AI got right, and which are just weird? And which do you think should be added? For my non-US readers, what do you think of when you think of Americans (don't be shy, I know we are known for being loud in a crowd!)? 

If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my upcoming ask me anything post!!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here. 

The Perks of Being a Swinging Single Gal

When I did a call out for questions back in April (and yes, I will get to them all soon!) Nicole asked me how old I was, and if I was always a "swinging single gal." Recently Coco asked me if I had any kids. I thought I would answer all of these questions at the same time and also give you one of my favorite things...a list! Stay tuned! 

I was born in 1978; in this year Jimmy Carter was the president of the US, homebrewing became legal in the US, sparking the craft beer movement, the movie Grease was released, the first baby was born using in vitro fertilization and the Jonestown Massacre happened. 

I have not always been a swinging single gal! I have had a series of wonderful men in my life, including everyone's favorite, Mr. Lovely, who was with me during my last Round The World trip! However, nobody has stuck, much to Moogie's disappointment (that is my Mom), as she would have loved to have grandkids. So Coco, I guess that answers your question too. No kids, that I know of. Also my brother has no kids, and there are only the two of us. Sorry Mom. 

However, just like I mentioned in my post about traveling solo, there are some perks to living solo too! Here are a few of my favorites. 

* I can eat yogurt, cottage cheese and ice cream straight from the container. Who needs to wash another a bowl? Not me. This is something that I would not do if there were other people around. First of all, I would be dipping my spoon into a shared item, which I don't think is kosher. Secondly, I would kind of feel like a piggy, eating ice cream right out of the container. Third, and Elisabeth would hate this because she hates crumbs, I often eat yogurt with granola and I just dump it in and go for it and I MAY leave a crumb or two in there, which is also not nice when you are sharing. Side note, I did eat ice cream out of the container in front of Phil and Lisa, which is probably because Phil was doing it too and we each had our own container. I can get on board with that! Sorry Lisa! 

Mine, all mine!! (insert evil laugh here)

* Easy dinner planning. If I want to have a bowl of corn and a bowl of ice cream for dinner, I do. There is absolutely zero stress in my life about what to make for dinner, or any meals for that matter. I am happy to have chicken and rice all week and don't have to worry about someone being unhappy. 

Dinner: ham and cheese roll ups

* Things are exactly where I left them. You may think this means that I want to leave stuff everywhere without being judged, but it is actually the opposite. I want to tidy up and come back to the same tidiness. I want to have a place for the scissors and find them there when I open the drawer. I do not want to waste time searching for things that were misplaced. 

* I am nobody's mother. I once had a partner who would leave empty beer bottles in the living room, even though he had to go into the kitchen right past the recycling bin in order to get another beer. I know I should have just let him do his thing but I couldn't wrap my mind around it, and it often annoyed the crap out of me. I mean, they would pile up, and then he would go to bed. Any time I asked him, he would say that he was going to get to it "later", but later never came. 

Our OG local brewery.
They've been around since before craft beer was cool!

* I don't have to deal with family drama. I have enough of my own thanks. Having to figure out where to go for Thanksgiving every year gets to be old. I mean, it's the same day every year; can't we just made a plan now for the next 40 years and save having to discuss it over and over and over again, and people still getting their feelings hurt when its not at their family's house? 

Hello dinner!

Also, one guy I dated was such a Mama's boy. He used to get drunk and then he would either talk endlessly about his mother and how great she was or he would call her so that she could stroke his ego and he could complain about all the ways the world was doing him wrong. I love my mother, but a certain amount of independence is warranted. 

* Planning. If I see a cheap flight to Timbuktu and I want to go there, I do it. This is not about being selfish, but if I ask a person in a couple to come with me, they inevitably have to ask the partner, then they may have to negotiate with the partner, or maybe the partner doesn't want to come, or maybe they do, and either one can be a pain, and by the time they decide the cheap flight is gone. I remember one time K and I were going to go to Honduras, but all of a sudden her boyfriend decided that it was "too dangerous" (based on whatever he had seen in the news) and he did not want her to go there. We had to rejigger our plans, and (funny enough) ended up going to Panama, which apparently in his mind was okay. 

Panama Canal

* Mornings. I love my quiet mornings, and when they are over, I like hanging out with the world. I once dated a guy who would get up with me, before work, at 3 am, so he could talk to me while I got ready. This did not work for me, as he would literally follow me around, and I was missing out on my morning routine. I need it. I finally talked to him, but it was stressing me out to choose between no morning time and having to have a conversation about it and/or hurting his feelings. 

My favorite time of day.

As a bonus, here are three things that are not always great about being solo. 

* Paying twice as much for everything. It is definitely more economical to share costs for certain things. Did you know that if you want to take a cruise for example, you still have to pay for the whole room, basically two times as much per person! 

* Lacking a second opinion. This can go both ways, but sometimes it is nice to have someone to suggest things to do so you don't have to plan everything. 

* Games. I love playing games and it is nice to have a buddy to play with. Thank goodness for the Rummikub app! Want to play? If so, drop me a line!

Okay people, your turn! Whether you are single or partnered, tell me what your favorite and least favorite parts about your current status are. Have you ever dated a Mama's boy (or Daddy's girl) and if so, how did you (or how do you still) handle it? 

If you haven't already, you can fill out this form with any questions you want answered for my upcoming ask me anything post!!

This post is part of NaBloPoMo. You can find the rest of my posts for this challenge here. You can find the list of participants and their information here.