Travel Thoughts By Kim

Penny Lane in Liverpool, England. What a thrill it was to do all the Beatles stuff there!

Let’s go on an adventure together….one last time!

I wrote my very first “Travel Thoughts by Kim” article for the Orleans Hub and Lake Country Pennysaver in January 2020. After sharing adventures and tips with you twice a month for almost four years, I’m sad to say that this will be my final article. It has been so much fun sharing my adventures with you all – especially during the Covid period when reliving those adventures helped give us all something to dream about while stuck in our homes. I appreciated every time someone stopped me in a store or restaurant to tell me how much they enjoyed reading my stories and when some even shared their adventures with me. It has truly been an honor to have the opportunity to do this, but, as with all good things, it’s time for it to come to an end. 

To close out this run, I thought I might share some of my most memorable experiences and parting thoughts with you. Here goes:

If I had to choose just one “beachy” place that I would do again and again, it would be Bermuda! It is a laid back island with so much to offer, including Horseshoe Bay Beach – ranked in the Top 5 Most Beautiful Beaches in the WORLD with its pink sand, clear aqua sea, and stunning views. The resorts in Bermuda are very expensive to stay at, so in my opinion, traveling there by cruise ship is the way to go. Find one that docks there for multiple days so you can come and go as you please to enjoy the island, but have your lodging and most meals on ship. Compare – things may be different when you go, but I found that to be the best way to experience Bermuda affordably. 

One of my favorite memories is swimming with dolphins in Bermuda. I not only swam with them, I danced with one and ended our dance with a kiss!!!

I love cruising! My top two most incredible experiences on a cruise were: #1: Transatlantic – sailing across the ocean for seven days was incredible! And, the destinations were the Azores, Ireland, and England when I got across the pond. Awesome – I’d love to do another transatlantic with different ports. # 2: Mediterranean – I cruised out of Rome with stops in Italy, France, and Spain that were all mind-blowing experiences! I hope someday to also do one of the Greek islands.

My first ever time sailing on a catamaran was on the ocean in Costa Rica – AMAZING!

I only did one all-inclusive resort adventure – so far. It was a Riu resort in Costa Rica. Riu has some incredible packages that are more affordable, in my opinion, than some of the other all-inclusive resort options, but they don’t scrimp on the luxury experience. And, Costa Rica was wonderful – I recommend it as a vacation destination! 

If you’re looking for the most stunning scenery in the world, you can’t beat South Dakota, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and other states in that general area right here in the good ole USA. Absolutely incredible! I found myself constantly just looking over the landscape in absolute awe saying “thank you, God, for putting this here for me to enjoy”.

Some experiences I will hold as cherished memories – in no particular order, just as they come to mind:  Swimming with dolphins in Bermuda, walking in the steps of the Beatles in Liverpool, England, seeing the beautiful countryside of Ireland and Scotland, visiting the crash site of Buddy Holly in Clear Lake, Iowa, eating lobster caught fresh that day in Maine, just being in Graceland, sitting in the sun with a gelato on a hot day in Tuscany, visiting family in Kauai, Hawaii, sharing special adventures with dear friends, and taking a cross country motorhome trip with my brother and sister-in-law. This by no means diminishes all the other amazing experiences I’ve had as I visited all 50 states and several countries – it’s just that I don’t have the space to list them all!!!

Any travel regrets, so far? NONE!!! I absolutely loved every single adventure I’ve ever been on – everywhere I go I have fun and find wonderful things to see, do, and learn about. I find something fascinating and inspiring everywhere I go. I guess if I HAD to talk about regrets, it would be that I wish I had scheduled more time in some of the places I thought I could do justice to in a few days – they always proved me wrong.

Looking over the bay in Monaco by the royal palace that Princess Grace lived in.

So, thank you to all who have read my adventure stories over the past four years. I hope I gave some inspiration to those who were looking for somewhere interesting to travel to or brought a bit of the world to those who are not able to travel. If you want to read any of my past posts, just type my name in the search box on the Orleans Hub site and it should bring up anything I’ve written. All my articles have links to the more in-depth posts on my blog.  

You can still keep up with my future adventures and photos by visiting my blog at https://thoughtsbykim.com. I will write about any new adventures I happen to go on – near or far. If you subscribe to the blog, it will notify you if I write a new post. Or, you can just visit periodically to see what’s new. Type in a key word in the search box to pull up older posts – for instance, if you wonder if I ever wrote about New Orleans, type in “New Orleans” and it will bring up any post that mentions it for you to peruse.

Happy Adventuring… ”Life’s too short! Go on the trip! Buy the shoes! Eat dessert first!”