I remember the day more than 40 years ago when my small high school opened its football season playing against its larger and wealthier rival down the street. I kept offensive stats. Our school lost, but in a closer game than I had expected.
As I exchanged my stat results with the other school’s counterpart, I shrugged and said, “from our point of view, this could have been a lot worse.” His reply: “Later in the season, it would be. But our guys are still getting in football shape after summering in Europe.”
He might have been right, but I saw it as an arrogant put-down. Back then, at least in my mind, only the mega-wealthy traveled to Europe, much less “summered” there.
Times certainly have changed. I’ve made many trips to Europe, and in every season.
Writers such as Arthur Frommer and Rick Steves showed those of us without wealth how to unlock far-away travel treasures. Their research and writing made such trips practical. No need to save up until retirement, plunk down your life savings, and make one grand tour. Frommer and Steves understood my need to see as much of this world as possible during my relatively short stay here.
Although my family didn’t summer in Europe, we did travel extensively. My longsuffering parents hitched a travel trailer to the family Oldsmobile and showed my sister and me the east and west coasts, the Canadian Rockies and Yellowstone. This kid from Michigan marveled at mountains in Montana tall enough to hold snow in July.
Years later, I became an on-air television news reporter. In 20 years, one of my best assignments came from a news director who wanted me to show viewers “the real Florida.” His guidelines were specific: no Disney World, no Universal Studios, no Daytona Beach. No more distance from the station than one tank of gas would allow.
With fuel prices a big concern, we called it “Florida on One Tank of Gas.” Our stories introduced viewers to sponge divers in Tarpon Springs, the nightly sunset celebration in Key West, Florida’s thoroughbred country near Ocala, and much more they had never known existed in their state.
I mention all of these experiences because they help explain why I now want to steer people to Surprising Travel Finds. This blog will introduce you to out-of-the-way corners, travel tips, mistakes to avoid, helpful products and other information I hope you’ll see as useful for the journey.
Look elsewhere for lengthy travel planners on what to do with three days in Paris, London or New York. Such itineraries exist across cyberspace in abundance.
But I’ll try to find that out-of-the-way experience that will become a highlight of your day in the big city, or that excellent personal guide to Budapest who lived through the Iron Curtain years and has stories to tell along the walking tour. These discoveries bring a unique delight non-travelers miss.
Let’s all find ways we can summer in Europe – or anyplace else that captures the imagination. Stop in frequently for some Surprising Travel Finds!