El Verano de 2024: Preguntas

What to do in the summer of 2024?

Two summers ago I traveled to Costa Rica with my family:

Last summer I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with my older daughter:

What about next summer? What should I do? Where should I go?

I’m not sure. I’m sort of tired of Latin America. Was Puerto Vallarta all that different from Playa Flamingo? Not really. Maybe it is time to travel somewhere else?

Spain? Italy? Latin America is close and affordable. Europe is further away and more expensive. And crowded with tourists. That is not ideal. Do I really want to be one of the flock of tourists staring at frescos in the Vatican or on laying on the beach at Ibiza? Do I want to join the throngs of Americans being pooped on by pigeons in Trafalgar Square?

I have traveled with Julia recently over the summer. But I think she would prefer something educational sans père this year. I get that. She might want her independence. So what should I do?

So I need to think about this. I have all this time off in the summer. But I am constrained by family requirements to some degree.

Maybe spend some quality time in Baja California down in Mexico? The area is super affordable but still beautiful. I can live in the Spanish-speaking world which is something I love. From where I live in Ventura, California I can drive south to Baja and back within a few hours. I know the lay of the land down there pretty well, although it has been a few years. Drug violence and drug cartels operate around the international border in Mexico much more today than back in the day when I visited there often (during the late 1980s and 90s). I have talked to some who tell me Baja California is safe, as long as you avoid the drug trade and drug people. I can do that. But I suspect the situation in Baja is not that simple. Or is it?

So what to do?

Here is another idea. A travel guide company wants me to lead a tour of high school kids overseas this summer. I could travel for free. But I might be working more than relaxing, and I’m not sure I could bring my younger daughter. Hmmm.

I will retire some 4.5 years from now in mid-2028, if everything goes as planned. I will have huge gobs of time then. Beyond my summers now, where do I want to go in the future? As Shakespeare’s Friar Lawrence claimed, “The world is wide and broad.” Where would I enjoy visiting? Where would I not? What about this summer? What about later on?

I will need to think about this.

Time for something different, I suspect.

But what?

Think, Richard. Like everything else in life, this will not happen by itself. It will not fall into your lap. You have to make it happen. 

Think about what you want. Weigh the pros and cons. Examine the affordability, suitability, and safety. And then be ready to make wise choices.