Adventures and Misadventures

“Rather blessings, after counting my misfortunes, I realized how the more blessed I am.”
― Anthony Liccione

When traveling (or even in making plans to travel) there are times when things go awry. As I was making yet another u-turn to go in the correct direction while on the latest National Park road trip with my daughter, she mentioned, “Mom, we sure do have our share of wild adventures along with some pretty great misadventures.” Her spirit and optimism are contagious. As I embark on my THIRD attempt to serve with Semester at Sea, I’m reminded of the many adventures and misadventures that brought me to this point where I am incredibly grateful for another lifetime opportunity.

After fall 2020, spring 2021, and fall 2021 voyages were all canceled, my Semester at Sea voyage is officially scheduled to set sail in September. My brother, Tim, and I will spend about three weeks before the voyage traveling through a few European countries including Iceland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. I’ve accidentally booked the same airline tickets to one of our destination cities twice. We’ve booked hostels, tours through caves and countrysides, and a stay with my friend, Alfie. We are especially excited about the food tours and European coffee shops! We are not checking any luggage, so our packing has become a fun game of Tetris. Tim’s comment, “The ‘just in case’ items are the enemy of packing.”

Tim and I taught together for a number of years as well as spent time camping together. This adventure may test our sibling relationship; however, in planning, it seems we are like-minded, seasoned travelers. I keep reminding Tim of Sarah’s thoughts on adventures and misadventures, as we watch the news of canceled flights, increased worldwide violence, fuel prices, and so on. We’ve planned a very full, tight schedule while realistically expecting some misadventures along the way.

I’m unsure how often I’ll be posting from on board the MV World Odyssey this fall. It is my hope to post often and share my reflections. Unlike my travels in my teardrop trailer, I imagine my time on board the ship and in various ports will be quite busy. I plan to take notes and thousands of photos, so I can easily look back and remember all of the details. When we disembark in Dubai on December 22, I’ll be traveling to Israel to spend two weeks over Christmas and New Year’s on a tour of the Holy Land before returning to the States.

This week, my friends and colleagues returned to school on the Navajo Reservation. A large part of me was envious. I will greatly miss my students and living on the Rez. Who knows if I’ll have the opportunity to return – who knows what 2023 will bring? All I know is that I’m continuing to chase verbs and pray this next adventure is another I will treasure.