To be honest, I didn’t think I would write my annual post about our future travels because until a couple of weeks ago we had no idea where we would be going or even if we would be going at all! We had a few months here and there loosely sketched out, but there were a lot of holes in our year.
We seem to have reached that stage where one of us makes a suggestion, and the other says, meh. It’s mostly me, I admit, because as the driver, I am kind of done with big long-distance trips, especially in the motorhome. I don’t mind a repositioning trip, even across the country, but when I get somewhere, I want to stay in the area for a while and make shorter trips in our car.
Originally we had planned to take on the Canadian Maritimes, one of the big RV trips that many folks want to check off their travel list, kind of like Alaska. It has been on our bucket list for years, but now that the time is here, I am just not interested in all that driving. With our current location on the west coast, the Maritimes would be a big commitment in both time and distance. In our early years, I would have been thrilled to pieces but now I am kind of done with that kind of travel. I think. I mean, never say never, but it feels like I am done.
We seem to be craving something different, but at the same time, familiar. It has been a real challenge, but we finally settled on a year of travel that interests us, and feels good when we dive into the planning.
JANUARY
We will hit the road on New Year’s Day, saying goodbye to the wonderful staff and volunteers at Rasar State Park in Washington state. Over the next few weeks we will head south along the west coast, making stops to visit friends in Portland and near Sacramento. Then we’ll hang a left and head to Arizona. Our goal is to arrive in Quartzsite, find a good spot and get ourselves set up in time to have at least one day at the Big Tent. In all of our U.S. travels, we have spent probably 3 or 4 weeks in Q, but only one short day enjoying the festivities. That was enough, frankly, and that’s all we want this time and after that we will just hang out in the desert and chill for a few weeks.
FEBRUARY
While still in the desert, we will take a break and fly from Phoenix to the Big Apple for a few days. I know, like, who visits New York City in February? We do, because we’re going to the theater! We will see Adam Lambert take on the role of Master of Ceremonies in Cabaret on Broadway.
I saw the movie version of Cabaret with Liza Minelli and Joel Grey in a theater in Milan in 1972 when it was first released and I was absolutely hooked. It was dubbed in Italian, which I didn’t understand at all, and at 15 years old, I didn’t really understand the story either, but I loved the music and the performances and it has stayed high on my favorites list ever since.
I haven’t seen much of Adam Lambert since he was on American Idol, but I know enough about his talent to envision him nailing the role of the Emcee at the Kit Kat Club! I cannot wait to see the show! All in all we’re staying in New York City for five days, so hopefully we’ll be able to meet up with friends we haven’t seen since our last trip to NYC.
MARCH
We will make our way out of the desert to visit friends in Phoenix and Tucson, then make our way to the ranch in Texas by the 10th. On Saint Patrick’s Day, Steven will fly to Dublin to see his family, and a week later he and I will meet up in Paris and hop a train south to Le Puy-en-Velay. This beautiful commune in the south of France is the starting point of the via Podiensis, also known as the GR 65 and Le Chemin Le Puy. In other words, another Camino.
We will meet up with three others who will make up our group of eager pilgrims – my childhood friend Cindy and her friend Monica and Nina Fussing, whom many of you know from her blog, “Wheeling It”, who was also one of my fellow Cheeky Chicas on the Camino Portuguese in 2023.
April
On April 1st we start walking! Cindy and Monica will walk the first 12 days to the little village of Conques, while Nina, Steven and I will continue on for another few weeks, walking our way for 750 kilometers (466 miles) to St. Jean-Pied-du Port.
MAY
We should reach St. Jean by May 14th give or take a day or two and, if all goes well, meet up with friends Bill and Kelly and another RVing couple some of you know, Linda and Rick. Bill, Kelly and Linda will have just finished their own Camino adventure as they are walking the Camino Portuguese! I am super excited for them! Linda’s partner, Rick, will join them at the finish line in Santiago de Compostella. They plan to visit a couple of other cities on their way to meeting us in St. Jean. We’ll say goodbye to Nina there and the rest of us will hop on the bullet train bound for Paris where we will spend a few days in one of our favorite cities. We have spent a lot of time in Paris over the last few years, and we love it there, but this time we won’t be in Bijou. Sad. 🙁
JUNE – SEPTEMBER
IDK. We’ll be back at the ranch, but we really haven’t figured out where we will go for the summer. Obviously we have to get out of the south, because summer there is a hard no. We are thinking of making the pilgrimage to Red Bay, Alabama, home of Tiffin Motorhome, and get some cabinetry work done, but if it is already too hot and sticky, we’ll save that for another time.
Most likely we will head north to Michigan and Wisconsin, but we have lots to figure out for this timeframe. By early October, we’ll be back at the ranch and prepare Ruby Red for storage, once again.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER
Starting in October we plan to spend a few weeks in Europe. Our first stop will be at the south end of Lake Lugano, in Porlezza, Italy. Our plan is to rent a car and take a few day trips in both Italy and nearby Switzerland. We spent a couple of weeks in this area in Bijou, but it is mountainous and so we did not visit some of the places I wanted to go.
Sometime in November we will move on to France, where we plan to spend some time in Strasbourg. Even though we spent about a year and a half in and out of France while traveling, we never made it to this beautiful city. Well, once, but only to the IKEA store on a boiling hot day while we were waiting for Bijou to get new brakes. We settled in to enjoy the air conditioning rather than visit the city. The thing I am most looking forward to in Strasbourg is the Christmas markets. They are said to be among the best in all of Europe. Of course, each city, town and village says the same about theirs, but I still think this one will be worth visiting.
DECEMBER
After a few weeks in Europe we’ll be back at the ranch for the holidays with family.
So that’s it, 2025 in a nutshell. Right as we publish this post every year, I always wonder if the year will turn out as we have planned. In over ten years on the road, I can say we pretty much nailed it with few plans changing as we traveled. Not counting 2020, of course. Everyone’s plans changed that year! But even though we look forward to our travels, we are always mentally prepared for something different, for our plans to change, whatever the reason.
Happy Holidays, everyone, and here’s to a wonderful 2025!
Up Next: Asia!
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Sounds like an action-packed year! You would love the Maritimes trip, I would consider it if I were you. We will probably do it again in 28.
I remember when you went and how much you enjoyed the city of Québec. I’m sure I would love it there, but just not sure I have the energy for all that driving. We’ll see. 🙂
Sounds like a great year! We just returned from a Christmas market trip. The lighting in Strasbourg is just amazing. The markets in Cologne were the best that we saw.
Oh, I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed the markets in Strasbourg! I am looking forward to seeing them and others in Germany, too! We just didn’t get to visit any in the motorhome, we were always looking for warmer places or traveling home to the ranch. Thanks for taking time to comment! Happy Holidays!
Wow, that is one jam packed, and exciding year planed out. I sure hope you blog a lot and let the rest of us tag along and enjoy your travels. You really should charge admission but don’t tell anyone I mentioned it. I was going to advise you to be careful as one’s world has a way of shrinking as we age but I see you’re not letting that happen.
You know, I suppose it is jam-packed, but it feels a bit slower than what we are used to. Month-long stays have been a bit rare for us over the past decade, but 2025 is full of them! That’s what I am looking forward to the most, being in each place for a longer time. I can understand why our worlds shrink, we start looking inward, staying closer to family and traveling less. Sometimes that can be a good thing, right. We’re not quite there yet, but we are on our way. Happy Holidays, Vern!
Just WOW,as Vernon says-what an active ,exciting year & yes we’ll all be following your blogs. This Canadian knows you will definitely enjoy the unique experience of the Maritimes -August whenever,lol.All the best
OMG, now there are two of you advocating for the Maritimes!! I guess we’ll have to keep it on the list. I might have one more long trip in me, we’ll see. :). Happy Holidays!
Sure hope to see you when you are in Michigan! 2025 looks like another wonderful travel year for you!!❤️ Merry Christmas!
Yes, if we head up that way, we’ll come to see you! Merry Christmas to you and Bill!
Wow…2025 looks like a great time! Hope you get the chance to do the Maritimes sometime in the future. Let us know when you get to Q. Maybe we can meet up at Silly Al’s or Beer Belly’s. Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!
Oh, YAY! I was hoping you would be in Q during our stay there! We are so looking forward to meeting up with whomever shows up. I don’t even know who still hangs out there each winter. I’ll get in touch with you before we arrive to get the lay of the land. I think I read it has changed a bit and it has been a while since we’ve been there!
You’ve always traveled and lived in other countries so I know this is much more the norm for you than a lot of us – but wow!! Sounds absolutely fabulous to me. Fun to include some unknown time for the summer too. Michigan is a big favorite for me, but so is Montana and the Dakotas 🙂 Less long-drive trips appeals to me, and now I’m just anxious to get back out there for any distance!
Oh, please, please come hang out with us in Quartzite!!! I’ll message you.
We are in Quartzsite for the winter it would be great to see you both if you have time. Seems like Quartzsite is actually where we originally met. If Jodee and Bill make it to Q we could all meet up for a visit!
So many people in Q! Looks like it will be a busy social season!
Sounds fabulous!! One day we’ll get to some camino’s too!
I have to do them now before I get too old, although I may already be there. This one is a toughy, kind of like the Italian one. We’ll see if we make it all the way to the end!
You are coming to Tucson? Yippee! You must be coming to see MEE !
Yes, we are coming to see YOU! End of Feb-ish. I will stay in touch once we more know closer to the time. YAY!
As usual, we’re so close but so far away! We’re missing Q this year. Headed South with a Mexican Tour Group, down Baja California, back up, then over to Mazatlan and Copper Canyon. We’ll be gone almost 3 months. In September flying over to Barcelona to pickup a campervan and tour between Spain to Italy and the countries in between, for 3 weeks. Head back to Barcelona to catch a cruise ship for another 3 weeks, going along the Mediterranean coast. We fly home on November 1st. Christmas Markets is definitely on my to do list. We did the Canadian Maritimes last summer. I loved PEI, great bike trails.