Sweden Here We Come

I am writing this blog post 3 days before I leave for a dream trip to Sweden. One of my best friends, Grace, and her son Alex, and I are traveling to Sweden to celebrate Iggy’s birthday. Here we are in Nashville celebrating our bestie Lisa’s birthday and hanging with the band. As the photo hints, we know how to have fun!

Iggy, Grace, and I are more than amigas, we are hermanas de alma (soul sisters). I love that Grace is bringing her son Alex with us, as travel expands our hearts and minds in ways we cannot even imagine. What a gift to experience world travel at a young age. I wanted my son Will, who is 22 years old, to join us, but he is working in a University of Florida laboratory this summer doing research. Will, a note from your mom-I am so proud of you.

The Gift of Travel

Will and I have traveled both domestically and internationally together. The memories we have created are priceless. We will take many more trips as the future unfolds.

When Will was a young boy, we took out a map of the United States and marked in different color markers (green for Will and red for me) every state to which we had already traveled. Then each time one, or both of us, traveled to a new state, we added our magic marker dot to that state. I started traveling with Will when he was 5 months old.

Travel is Treasure

To me, travel is treasure. It helps me to expand who I am now and who I am becoming. There is so much I want to experience and so many places I want to go. I started traveling with Will at a young age, so travel became part of who he is. Will is such a wonderful explorer. Travel is one of the great joys in life we share.

Some of My Favorite Memories

Will and I have had so many awesome trips together. A few moments that come to mind:

• 🦉 Going to Greece with our neighbors- seeing a country through the eyes of someone who grew up there (thank you George and Daphne for the trip of a lifetime). Will loved it! A funny note, at only age 12 Will said, “Mom, can we do less beaches and more museums?”
• 🦉 Traveling to Barcelona with Will at age 20 and watching my son, who is a very good cook, be amazed by the fresh spices in the La Boqueria market. Added bonus, having my dear friend Liz, who lives in England, join us in Barcelona for a few days.

• 🦉 Watching Will’s eyes light up when we arrived by boat in Portofino, Italy for the day. Portofino is one of the most enchanting places I have visited.

• 🦉 Experiencing Keukenhof Tulip show in Holland with Will. Liz also flew to Amsterdam to join us on this trip. When Liz moved back to England, we really missed each other. Then, Liz and I realized that we could meet up with each other during our travels. True friendship can withstand physical distance. Now, Liz and I get to experience travel together which deepens our relationship.

• 🦉 Will in Alaska at age 11, being dared to kiss a slug found in the woods on one of our excursions- he did it! I purchased him a glass slug to commemorate his daring. Every time I look at that souvenir it brings me back to this moment in time.

• 🦉 One of my favorite memories is Will sailing by himself off the coast of Sitgues, Spain while Liz and I watched from our beach blanket. I was nervous about Will sailing on the Mediterranean Sea by himself, but he was so excited and confident in his ability and that pleading look in his eyes, made me say, “Yes.” That is Will and I in the main blog photo, right after he returned to the beach. He was jubilant! That is a moment I will always remember.

Travel expands me. Travel helps me grow and increases my understanding of the world and all the people and beautiful wild creatures that inhabit it. My relationships deepen, including my relationship with myself.

Budgeting for Travel

Travel takes money, that is true, but it can be done on a myriad of budgets. Monthly zero-based budgeting helps you save money for the experiences that are important to you. The beauty of a budget is it allows you to take charge of your money and direct it where you choose. I point some of my money in the direction of my dreams.

In gratitude,

Susan Howell, The MoneyMaestra