Expanding My Horizons

My first trip on my own was a road trip from Pittsburgh, PA to Ocean City, NJ that I made with 3 girl friends. It was the summer between my junior and senior years in high school. We rented a little house just off the boardwalk and spent 2 wonderful weeks enjoying the sun and sand. It was my first time to see the ocean.

The farthest I've wandered from home was a trip to Europe with 2 girl friends from college between my junior and senior years. I paid for it with E-bonds my grandfather had been sending me for birthdays. Best money I ever spent! It began with 7 days aboard a student ship ( meaning all the passengers were students from all over the country - how fun was that?!!! ) from New York City to Rotterdam, Netherlands. There we rented a car and spent the summer traveling to Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Denmark, England and back to Netherlands and Rotterdam to board the ship back to NYC. We had a general plan for our route but the only reservations we made in advance were for the ship round trip and the car rental. We wanted to be able to decide on the fly how long we wanted to stay in various places and be open to any little side trips. I'm sorry we didn't make it to Spain and Portugal but there was only so much time. Always thought I'd make it back there, but haven't so far. It was, to say the least, an amazing experience! So glad I had that opportunity.

Comments

  1. AdminJanuary 27, 2025 at 11:18 AM

    That really does sound amazing, and when you factor in the lack of phones and the internet and all the information about what to do next being at your fingertips it really sounds more like exploration than vacation. How did you guys decide where to go next? Did you ever disagree? Was it just information from locals in one place about the next? Did you stay in contact with anyone from the ship?

    I've never done anything that loose and unplanned. I did drive around the country with my friend Michael after I finished college and before he stated his last year. We had a loose plan to visit Amy in Yellowstone and some random people I'd met at a conference in Wyoming and not much more than that. But neither Michael or I was particularly good at just 'wandering'. If we were seeing someone in yellowstone we thought we ought to just get to yellowstone. Visiting Amy was great, had a guide to all the best parts of the park and did one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever done that included a campsite called 1Y1 which her brother later did on a trip of his own. I remember being certain a bear was outside the tent and not having Michael or Amy care, and hitchhiking back from Gardner, Montanta while the remainder of our group waited under a bridge for us to return with the car. We spent too much time in yellowstone, blew off the people I didn't know in wyoming and went straight to Seattle where we stayed with someone I think I went to kindergarten with but I have no idea how we got in touch for Michael and I to crash on their couch. We were very happy in Seattle, it was just after the grunge era and we were super into exploring all the clubs and so forth that had taken on mythical status. Then something happened, and I've never totally understood what, possibly michael accidently walked in on my friend's wife in the shower?, but we basically needed to leave within twenty minutes. We were then supposed to drive the PCH all the way to LA, but after a few hours of cliffside 30 mile an hour driving, we cut over to a freeway and were there by that night. That's kind of where my memory ends. Don't even know if I stayed in LA or came home? This is where the pictures that are now ubiquitous would have been nice. Then again there's something nice about remembering it the way I remember it, regardless of how it really was.

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  2. NixonJanuary 27, 2025 at 11:49 AM

    That sounds really fun. I want to go on a road trip this summer with my friends after they graduate. I've never been to Pennsylvania but maybe we could visit.

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  3. GigiJanuary 27, 2025 at 8:22 PM

    Pennsylvania would be quite the road trip from Utah but that's the cool thing about road trips - all the unexpected things along the way. It really is about the journey as much or more than the destination. Enjoy!

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  4. GigiJanuary 27, 2025 at 8:26 PM

    I'll respond to some of your questions, Kyle, when I'm on my computer... Too much typing for my phone :)

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  5. GigiJanuary 28, 2025 at 12:12 PM

    As promised...

    Re: How we managed to get around before cell phones and the internet. First, Judy's parents were travel agents so naturally had a lot of input about places to go and things to see. Also most locals were very friendly and willing to help and spoke enough English to be able to do so. Judy and I spoke a little French and Joanie was pretty good with German. Then there were the road maps - paper ones - you might be able to find some in a museum somewhere today. And of course our best ever travel guide book "Europe on $5 a Day"!

    As for keeping in touch with others on the ship, there were several guys traveling together that we hung out with on the ship. They were going to travel by train and were headed to Germany first. We had already decided to head toward France first but we arranged before we left the ship to meet up in Paris for Bastille Day ( similar to our 4th of July but on July 14th). When we met in Paris they showed up with a new friend they had met on the train who had grown up in Paris and was headed back for the holiday celebration. He showed us a side of Paris not found in any tourist guide books. Needless to say we had fabulous time and got to feel like real "insiders" instead of "outsiders"!

    Disagreements? Once again Judy's parents to the rescue because they knew it was inevitable. Their advice? First to stick together and NEVER leave any one of us alone and then to recognize the situation and not waste another minute arguing. Head to the nearest bar and drink martinis until we couldn't remember what we were arguing about! Our moment came in Zurich, Switzerland after a very long and grueling day of driving in the rain. When we finally got settled in a place to stay Judy just wanted to crash, chill and wash her hair. Joanie couldn't wait to call her friend who was living there and start exploring. And I was up for anything but fighting. So we walked to the nearest bar and began our prescribed martini solution. Joanie did eventually call her friend who came immediately to meet us at the bar and agreed to be our Zurich guide - the following day, after we sobered up!

    I loved hearing about your trip, Kyle, with Michael, Amy and friends. Sounds awesome! Except maybe the bear, the hitchhiking and the possible Seattle shower experience. What is a PCH anyway? I share your experience with memory gaps and agree it's fine to fill them in as pleases you. Still I do wish we'd had cell phones just for the pictures - I'd be able to remember so much more!

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