Travel

In a traveling life, just like life at home, we meet people we connect with instantly, forming long lasting friendships. And sometimes we meet people we hope we never see again.

In San Cristobal, Chiapas, I met a handsome middle-aged world traveler named Temoc. He invited me to join him for coffee the next day. I was delighted. As an older lady, I don’t get asked on dates very often.

We met in front of an excellent coffee and pastry restaurant under the portal across from the Zócalo. Another woman showed up. After a few pleasantries, Read More

The disadvantages of traveling alone are all too obvious. Nobody knows exactly where you are, who you’re with, or what you are doing.

Without a companion, it can be terribly lonely, especially while traveling in countries with different languages. It can be downright scary if a country has a bad reputation for violence or mistreatment of women. So you rarely hear about the advantages of solo travel.

When traveling with someone, we tend to speak our own language. We share experiences and observations with our companion. We are tourists. Read More

It’s been said that the most valuable experience while on travel isn’t actually arriving at the destination, but the journey to the destination.

However, while in a small gallery/gift store in Madrid, N.M., I was reminded about an equally important aspect of travel – the memories collected while traveling.

My recent tour of Madrid proved both these statements true. The road to Madrid starts with the bustle and traffic of Santa Fe, but the further my mother and I continued down U.S. 285, U.S. 84 and then N.M. 14, the more the houses and buildings dwindled before disappearing Read More

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A combi in Mexico is a van, usually a Toyota, with bench seats installed along each wall, behind the driver’s seat, and across the back. Packed solid, they can hold 20 or more people.

Combi drivers have a reputation for crazy fast driving, passing other cars on blind curves, sliding over the yellow line into oncoming traffic. Yet, miraculously, you almost never hear of a combi flying off a cliff and killing everyone. The drivers are just careful enough.

But every once in a while a driver is so bad you know your time on earth is limited, Read More

As a retired solo traveler, cost is my main concern when I want to go anywhere.

A hotel room costs almost as much for one as for two, making traveling alone rather expensive. Hostels and pensiónes can also be a bit pricey even when the bathroom is shared.

From my perspective, the best way to extend travel funds is to travel slowly. Find an area of the world that sounds intriguing, rent a small furnished apartment and stay a while.

Food everywhere is cheaper when purchased in the markets and cooked at “home.” If the utilities are included, monthly Read More