About

On the way to the Perito Moreno glacier in Argentina

“To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven”

Many people my age traveled when they were young. Many young people are traveling now. But I’m traveling even though I’m older (mid-sixties – now seventies), and I’m traveling solo. This blog is for anyone who loves to travel, but especially for people who think they can’t travel solo, or can’t travel because they’re getting too old. I heard too many stories about people who were going to “go to Europe when we retire”, but then someone died, or got sick, and they didn’t make it.

I’m a former software engineer who took early retirement in order to get some travel in before I got too decrepit. When I first started traveling in 2001 I kept in touch using an email list, and posted my trip reports on my website, or, later, at https://www.fodors.com/community/, as thursdaysd. But in 2009 I figured it was time to get a bit more up to date, with more opportunity for feedback, so I started blogging. BTW, my travel pictures are at Smugmug.

I thought people might be interested in the set-up for a somewhat longer trip so I started with posts about how I decided on the itinerary for my two month trip in 2009, where I bought plane tickets, the visa situation, etc. I also moved my packing and leaving home lists over from my website – although my “Seven Steps to Happy Squatting” is still there.

That trip was to the Caucasus and Middle East, and I followed it with a six and a half month RTW in 2010-11, featuring East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and a month in Europe. After resting up for the summer, I spent the autumn of 2011 in the Baltics and the Balkans.

My next trip was closer to home (currently North Carolina although I grew up in England), featuring travel by rail across the USA and back through Canada. Then in the fall of 2012 I flew to Rio for my first visit to South America, where I marveled at the scenery.

Unfortunately, 2013 was pretty much a dead loss when it came to travel, as I spent money on renovating my house instead. For 2014 I started with a few days in Washington on the way to Detroit, where my nephew got married. Then I headed for Europe, starting in Romania. Before that I blogged some trips from before 2009: my “Sore Foot” tour of Budapest, Austria and Venice from 2007 is up, and South Italy from 2008.

My niece got married in England in 2015, so after starting in Boston, and heading to northern Germany and Scandinavia, including a Hurtigruten cruise, I spent some time in England before finishing up in western Europe. In 2016 I finally fulfilled a long-held desire to visit Central Asia. After a month in England I flew to Istanbul and then to Tashkent for a two week tour of Uzbekistan. I finished by revisiting South Korea and Japan. Sadly, the next year I was diagnosed with a variant of rheumatoid arthritis and never finished blogging the 2016 trip. A test trip to the UK in 2018 didn’t go as well as I had hoped. Of course, like so many people, I have been grounded by Covid, I’m not sure when I will travel again.

56 Comments »

56 Responses

on March 3, 2010 at 9:59 am | Reply aldo

hey,

I work with the cheapoair travel blog and we’re interested in have you guest blog on it (cheapoair.wordpress.com).

Please contact me for further details if you’re interested.

Thanks,

Aldo
on May 5, 2010 at 4:26 pm | Reply karenzo

hello, i love your blog and commend you for doing what you are doing and writing so beautifully about it. if ever you are in nyc with free time for coffee i would love to meet you. good luck with your trip planning – i look forward to further updates.

karen
- on May 7, 2010 at 2:46 pm | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Hi Karen,
  
  I’ll be in New York briefly in September – unfortunately I lost your email address when I approved your comment. Can you post it again, or email me through my profile,
  
  Regards,
  Kathy
on May 7, 2010 at 8:54 pm | Reply karenzo

hi kathy,

see above…. hope this helps and to see you in September!

karen
on May 7, 2010 at 8:54 pm | Reply karenzo

hi kathy,

see above.. hope this helps and to see you in September!

karen
on September 10, 2010 at 7:15 pm | Reply Anna

hi kathy! just stumbled upon your blog. im 25 and living in seoul. if youll be here over the next year let me know! happy travels!!!
- on September 10, 2010 at 8:52 pm | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Hi Anna, nice to hear from you. I’ll be in Seoul in October – 11th and 20th. I’m going to Danyang, Gyeongju, and Jeonju as well.
on September 13, 2010 at 12:11 pm | Reply Gwen Terani

Hi Honey! You ROCK! I am JEALOUS, AND JEALOUS, AND MORE JEALOUS! I respect and adore you so much, and wish you safe travel this year. You are the clear, concrete example, dreams are made of. I love you for going first! Also for not ever licking 2 fingers and trying to put my candle out. It is my pleasure to have been raised by you, influenced by you, touched by you, and prayed for in a deep, and spiritual, nonconformist way. I simply adore you.
Love you so very much,
Gwen
- on September 13, 2010 at 4:07 pm | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Hi Gwen – love you too – hope things are going well in Florida
on September 13, 2010 at 12:15 pm | Reply Gwen Terani

P.S. “MAKE ME PROUD NOW!” lolololololol! YEA RIGHT! I know you never chased a golf clap. Heres one for you…..(she claps quietly….Kathy is putting now….. shhhhhh.)
on September 20, 2010 at 9:37 pm | Reply ReadersHeaven

Hi, nice to meet you !
on April 25, 2011 at 2:38 pm | Reply rustykeel

hey there,

stumbled on your site today. just wanted to say hello, thanks for the photos and the writing.

my wife and i are about to head out on a nine month round the world trip and the main thing that caught my eye was your being, oh how do we say it? older than most of the young’ns out there on the road.

we are an it manager and an attorney in our late 40s and we’ve decided we’ve waited too long. tenants have signed a lease agreement for leasing our home and we hit the road on june 1st.

if you’re out there still (i see the latest posts here are from 2010) and want to cross paths, or just stay in touch, or provide wisdom, we’d love to hear from you.

for practice, i’ve been building up a blog (of course) mostly to get in rhythm with how it works. http://michrusstravel.blogspot.com

maybe we’ll see you out there! happy travels.

russ kiel
russkiel@gmail.com
on May 13, 2011 at 8:07 am | Reply Megan

Hello,
I came across your website and found it alluring and exciting. I am a big fan of travel. If you could e-mail me back, that would be great. I just had a couple questions.
I look forward to hearing back from you soon! Have a great day.
- on May 13, 2011 at 9:13 am | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Glad you like the blog. Feel free to post your questions here.
on June 24, 2011 at 11:16 pm | Reply arthistory.net

Just finished listening to your guest appearance on the Amateur Traveler Podcast. You covered travel to the Republic of Georgia, episode #221

Appreciated the rich history lesson and authentic storytelling. You truely did justice to an often over looked destination. Hopefully you do more.
- on June 27, 2011 at 3:44 pm | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Thanks so much for the kind words! I rather think that Chris found me less enthusiastic than his usual guests, but I think it’s important to give a complete picture. (For others, this is the link: http://europe.amateurtraveler.com/2010/02/27/travel-to-the-republic-of-georgia-episode-221/ )
on August 13, 2011 at 9:50 am | Reply Sales Training Brisbane

Greetings from Sydney. Thanks for the useful info. I’m doing a project at uni and your stuff was quite useful. Thanks for sharing 🙂
on August 20, 2011 at 11:12 am | Reply Upset

Great post. Thanks.
on December 8, 2011 at 3:48 pm | Reply Becoming Madame

Wow! You certainly do quite a bit of travelling! Thanks for stopping by our site. All our best with your future adventures!
on July 23, 2012 at 6:44 am | Reply George Brown

I am intrigued by your writings and your travels. Especially those around the Balkans. I have spent some time in Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia and especially Macedonia as my wife was born there. I would seek your permission to use some of your Macedonian photos on my WordPress site, http://vandaair.com. I look forward to further instalments.
on July 23, 2012 at 6:59 am | Reply mytimetotravel

I am glad you’re enjoying my blog. I’m sorry, but I don’t want my photos appearing elsewhere – you can link to my blog instead.

So TAKE DOWN the one you’ve already posted without permission!!!
on July 23, 2012 at 7:47 am | Reply George Brown

Done, and thanks
on January 9, 2013 at 5:23 am | Reply Lizzie

i am so happy to have found your blog, envious of the time you have to travel and greatful for the vicarious thrills. i am a 40-year-old burnt-out mother of two and am planning a short (2 weeks is all i have) trip to sri lanka. should i worry about riding the train alone? i read the fodors forum, but didn’t see any follow-ups… would love to hear what you think.
- on January 9, 2013 at 9:03 am | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Hi Lizzie – nice to hear from you.Great that you are headed to Sri Lanka! I didn’t ride the train myself, but other posters at Fodors have done so, and while it may be uncomfortable, no-one had any safety issues. I think you will be fine on the train.
  - on January 10, 2013 at 3:29 am | Reply Lizzie
    
    thanks for the reply, i’ll continue to look forward to your blog!
on January 9, 2013 at 2:56 pm | Reply Sandy

I’m new to your blog but have read some of your trip posts on Fodor’s. I thoroughly enjoy your travels . . . keep on and keep entertaining us!

Sandy (in Denton)
- on January 9, 2013 at 4:24 pm | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Thanks Sandy. I’ve now wrapped up the last trip, aside from dealing with the photos, which may or may not happen. I’m thinking of heading back to South America for the next one.
on August 31, 2013 at 9:15 am | Reply Spunkie

I am so excited to have found your blog today. You are absolutely so wonderful to share all your travel experiences with we who are planning trips of our own. My husband and I are also in our mid 60’s and now enjoying our retirement years traveling around the world. As I commented on your trip to Iguazu Falls, we are leaving soon and appreciated your details. I am curious, from your Jan 2013 post you mention that you might be heading back to SA. Is there any chance that you have already visited Buenos Aires or Rio de Janerio? We will be spending 3 nights in each city when we leave next week. Wishing you many exciting adventures as you continue your journey.
Pam
- on August 31, 2013 at 9:44 am | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Pam – so nice to hear from other “older” people who are traveling.
  
  I visited both BsAs and Rio on my last trip (have been busy with renovating my house this year). Rio before Iguazu and BsAs after – just click the links at the top of the Iguazu piece.
on May 26, 2014 at 11:33 pm | Reply Kamila Pala

Hi, nice to meet you! You have nice blog and I look forward to share our post. Bye. Kamila
on December 4, 2014 at 8:54 am | Reply Dijana

Hi Kathy, Enjoyed talking to you in Evora. Looking forward to reading about your experiences in Romania.
on June 13, 2015 at 1:25 am | Reply flahertylandscape

…traveling…next door…next culture…next country…next continent…a window on…
on October 13, 2015 at 7:06 am | Reply Kim

Hi Kathy! It was great meeting you the other night in San Sebastian. Hope you were able to go back to the gin bar! Also hope you get to the Stans soon. Here’s a link of Chris’ time lapse video of our time on the Silk Road: http://www.giddyuptimelapse.com/silk-road/ . Kim & Chris
- on October 13, 2015 at 1:37 pm | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Thanks for the link! Really enjoyed meeting you both. Hope you enjoyed Pamplona and the drive to get there. Have horrible wifi but like the town.
on November 13, 2015 at 7:11 pm | Reply Jane

Hope to still be psyched at your age. Even now I am too indecisive and hesitant about world travel though I have done lots so let’s hope more people get out there. For now I write about home. Until the next flight….
- on November 13, 2015 at 7:28 pm | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  I don’t have as much energy as I did 15 years ago, but that just means I travel more slowly, which is probably good.
  - on November 14, 2015 at 6:57 pm | Reply Jane
    
    Yes I usually took on too much.
on June 3, 2016 at 10:30 am | Reply Rashminotes

Great blog and very inspiring:) Look forward to reading many of your posts:)
- on June 3, 2016 at 10:32 am | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Thanks, welcome aboard.
on August 6, 2016 at 1:13 am | Reply lightravellerkate

Hi Karen
Im a fellow traveller-frmale, solo but having sold everything and become a house sitter who travels the globe. Mybe you’d like to check out my blog we might have some things in common.
Cheers Kate
http://www.lightraveller.wordpress.com
- on August 6, 2016 at 1:50 am | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Thanks for the suggestion, but unfortunately I can’t read characters.
  - on August 6, 2016 at 3:23 am | Reply lightravellerkate
    
    Hi Karen im not sure what you mean
    - on August 6, 2016 at 9:45 am | Reply mytimetotravel
      
      When I click on your link I get a site almost entirely in Chinese characters.
      - on August 6, 2016 at 3:30 pm lightravellerkate
        
        Really? I certainly dont write in Chinese! Here it is again http://www.lightravellerkate.wordpress.com
        i will have to try it myself now. Thanks for the feedback
      - on August 6, 2016 at 4:03 pm lightravellerkate
        
        Hi again Karen
        Theres no problem that I can see but when these things happen there can often be another reason. Perhaps we’re not meant to connect. All the very best to you and your blog
on February 12, 2017 at 3:12 pm | Reply fromdreamtoplan

Hi! Happy to have found your blog! I love the layout, the style the content…everything! I’ve read some of your posts and I can’t wait to read more! Looking forward to following you 🙂

Lisa | http://www.fromdreamtoplan.net/
on May 22, 2017 at 8:51 am | Reply Bauhinia

Greetings. Great blog and all your posts are so attractive, especially those in Central Asia along the Silk Road. Happy travelling and looking forward to your writings. 🙂
- on May 22, 2017 at 9:38 am | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Thanks! More to come on the Silk Road.
  - on May 23, 2017 at 10:47 am | Reply Bauhinia
    
    Wow, this must be an exciting journey for you. I will also be exploring the Silk Road in China soon and can’t wait for your posts! 🙂
    - on May 23, 2017 at 1:24 pm | Reply mytimetotravel
      
      Cool! I didn’t go to China this trip but I did Beijing to Islamabad back in 2001. See http://wilhelmswords.com/asia2001/
      - on May 24, 2017 at 12:05 am Bauhinia
        
        How amazing your writings are! If only I can be like you, spending most of the lifetime in exploring exotic places!
      - on May 24, 2017 at 12:28 am mytimetotravel
        
        Well, not most. I put in 30 years before I took early retirement. But these days you could travel in between jobs.
on July 16, 2018 at 12:39 am | Reply Harsh

Hi, I’m in the old(er) bracket too….. 54 and have just started travelling solo. I do a lot of fun trips with family and friends, but I’ve realised none of my friends like to do the things I like to do….. Walk around the city, take pictures, generally rough it out…. Stay in less expensive places, take buses, trains, see many places in one travel trip, even if it gets a bit hectic….. I love historical sites…. Of ww2, and places with genocidal (?) history
Did Bratislava, Krakow, Warsaw, Riga, Tallinn on my last trip. Working on my trip to the Balkans this October…. Zagreb, pula, rovinj, Zadar,split, Mostar, Sarajevo ….
I keep telling my friends, ….. If you don’t find a partner to travel with, go solo !!!! Discover yourself !!!
on July 23, 2021 at 7:11 am | Reply Steven Siegel

Found this site from Fodors.com Thank you so much for your writings and insights, I so admire what you do. I especially admire the context you put into your experiences, so I begin to understand the history.

Hope you can continue your writing.
- on July 23, 2021 at 8:24 am | Reply mytimetotravel
  
  Thanks so much! I’m not sure how much travel I’ll be doing going forward, but it was wonderful while it lasted. I’ve always loved studying history and geography and when you travel you find out how much more there is to learn.
on July 16, 2022 at 2:40 am | Reply Ruchi-Singh

A lot of Thanks for Sharing This Article !!