Over the years as I’ve done this blog, I’ve shared photos from my numerous trips. I even shared photos from places that I didn’t get to go because of Covid. Last year we had to cancel trips to Italy and South Africa. I am blessed to have gone to all fifty of the states in the United States. I have also visited thirty-nine foreign countries. We visited numerous countries while on a cruise, but my husband has acted as tour guide by making detailed plans about places we have visited when not doing a cruise. He has done an excellent job of booking places to stay and finding out about must-not-miss places to see. The best thing about being your own tour guide is being able to change plans when they don’t turn out to be what you expected. If you are with a tour group and you find out the place you are going isn’t what you thought, you’re stuck.
We have taken a lot of cruises and discovered that booking your own private tour is better than going with the ship’s tours. When we visited Turkey on a cruise, we hired private guides that cost us less than one of us would have had to pay for a ship’s tour. It was just us and the guide, and the guides had an itinerary, but if we didn’t want to do something on their itinerary, they were very willing to change it. Below you will see a photo I took at the ruins of Ephesus.
My husband has also planned a lot of trips here in the United States. We recently did a trip to Colorado, where we planned to visit several national parks. Since I have visited all fifty states, I am now trying to visit as many national parks as I can. In fact several years ago, my older daughter bought me this passport book to collect stamps from the parks I visit.
For this trip to Colorado, my husband decided not to plan completely in advance because of wild fires there. We wanted to have a flexible itinerary in case we encountered smoky areas we might want to avoid, since we planned to do a lot of hiking. He only made lodging reservations a day or so in advance except the first couple of days.
Here we are on our inaugural day of the trip at the Four Corners Monument. This is where the states of Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico meet. We visited Mesa Verde National Park, Great Sands National Park, as well as Hovenweep National Monument. We also had planned to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, but we were unable to go because of a road closure. We were glad we had decided to make our plans flexible. We had to do some backtracking because of the road closure.
Here are some of my favorite photos from the trip.
Ancient ruins at Mesa Verde
Hike near Silverton, Colorado
Great Sands National Park
Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, a photo and a video
I kind of write my books like this trip. I have an idea of where I’m going in the story, but that is subject to change at any minute. The book I’m currently working on has my characters traveling throughout the United States as they give away dogs for a contest. You all helped me with my “Twelve Dogs of Christmas” song for this book. My characters take a few detours on their way to find love.
I’m planning a December release for this book, but that is also subject to change.
How do you like to travel? Well planned or whatever happens?
I will give away an ebook copy of the first book in my Front Porch Promises series, A MATCH TO CALL OURS, to one person who leaves a comment. I will draw the winning name on October 23, 2021 at 9PM MST.
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Merrillee Whren is an award-winning author who writes inspirational romance. She is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award for best inspirational romance manuscript presented by Romance Writers of America. She has also been the recipient of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of thirty plus years, and has two grown daughters. She has lived in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Florida but now makes her home in the Arizona desert. When she’s not writing, she spends her free time playing tennis or walking while she does the plotting for her novels.
Hi Merrillee! Chilly morning in SW Michigan. Wow! Loved hearing about your travels. While I have been blessed to travel, my record is not as impressive as yours. I have driven coast to coast (26 states). Dipped my toes in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. I have traveled to 9 countries on 3 continents: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, the Netherlands, France, Poland, Canada, and Japan. Not fond of cruises, but did take a cruise on Lake Winnipeg in 1971. Personally I like flexible schedule. As the person who plans vacations, I do my research, plan the route, make reservations for hotels, and investigate tourist attractions; but wait till we have reached our destination to finalize our daily itinerary. I enjoy getting recommendations from locals and seeing the weather conditions. Travel plans depend on the situation: destination, weather conditions, as a couple or family. In 2011 we drove Wisconsin’s Great River Road, but due to flooding that year we had to make adjustments to our plans. I also enjoy visiting National Parks and have visited 12 in 9 states. Due to Covid and at 7 decades of age, travel plans have been closer to home. Miss exploring museums. Also enjoy visiting Michigan lighthouses. Enjoy your weekend. Happy writing. Looking forward to the Twelve Dogs of Christmas.
What adventures you must have, and plenty of inspiration for your books!
I like to start out with a plan but be open to opportunities for fun changes.
I like to know the major things I want to see during a trip but don’t necessarily plan it out completely day by day in advance.
I like to have a few plans, like where I want to stay, but I like to make other plans, like what I want to see, when I get to where I’m going. When I visited Savannah with a friend, we picked where we’d stay, then decided when we got there what we wanted to do. We found a great tour that included places of interest in the cost of the tour, and multiple stops along the way. We could go where we wanted, at the times we wanted, and have places call our tour company to pick us up when we wanted a ride to the next place. It was great!
Beautiful travel pictures! I like to travel as well and usually have a mix of well-planned and flexible when it comes to places to stop and see. I try to have an idea of the hotels and towns to stay in, but again things change so its nice to be able to be flexible and not get upset by changes.
We’ve never done extensive touring. We do vacation generally once a year at a beach. We make reservations way in advance. Local exploring we plan as we go.
Hi, wow how fun, you have visited all 50 states and 39 countries! Planning for the trip is essential, but when we get to a place I love to do the touring on our own and do things at our pace and on our own time. Have a great weekend and stay safe.
We do both! It depends on the circumstances :)
Renate, you have been quite a traveler also. I’ve never been to Poland or Japan. I’m not sure I will ever make it to those countries. We are limiting our travel to the US because of Covid.
Hi Beth,
Yes, travel can be an inspiration. I enjoy incorporating the places I’ve been into my stories.
Hi Sharon,
I think you’re right that you have to have some sort of plan.
Hi Jessica,
Knowing the major things is important, otherwise you might miss them.
Trudy, that’s a great way to tour. That is like some places that have a hop-on, hop-off bus. So you can stay at a certain spot as long as you like. Savannah is a wonderful city to visit.
Hi Megan,
Thanks. We were able to get hotels the same day in some instances. If you are traveling during peak season, that can be tricky.
Hi Diana,
Local is exploring is always fun. When we traveled to Belgium, we stayed in Brussels and took the train to a number of places we wanted to see. We were amazed at how many times we got to the station just in time to catch a train.
Hi Alicia,
Touring on your own time is usually the best way to do it.
Hi Natalya,
We took a tour in Athens because we were there back in 2010 when there was a lot of unrest in the city. We didn’t want to get caught on our own in a riot.
As I normally travel alone it can vary. When I went to America I had plans to stay with a few friends and had booked a bus tour which when you don’t drive can be a good way to see things. I had a few days in Hawaii at the end and I had things I wanted to do but had no real plans. So I guess often I have some planned things and often free days. When I do go away I do have accommodation worked out because of the not driving situation. If I am going to the city (Adelaide I now book accommodation I can cancel up to 24 hours before now as I got burned a couple times when plans had to change and it was all prepaid).
It would be nice to drive as often there are things on a bus tour I would like more time at and often things I don’t want to do. Also I will see things I really want to see but you can’t on an organised tour.
Hi Ausjenny,
You do have a challenge when you don’t drive, so a bus tour is a great option.
Hi, Merrillee! We have traveled quite a bit for business and added in the pleasure a la carte. The few times we went on a trip for its own sake, we did a little planning then took advantage of what we found when we got there. Neither of us are fans of the totally unexpected. :-)
Beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing.
We have not been able to travel in years due to being disabled. Before we would know the destination we were heading as well as the place we were staying, but other than that, we were open to go as we wanted with nothing totally planned. Thank you for the wonderful pictures and information about your trips. God bless you.
Great travels!
We love road trips.
Hi Lincoln,
We have also traveled in conjunction with business. I always considered that a two for one when you can combine business and pleasure traveling. We kind of like the unexpected, especially when a local tells you about something you shouldn’t miss.
Debra, I’m sorry you haven’t been able to travel lately, but I’m glad you were able to go as you wanted at one time. So happy to share my vacation photos.
Hi Denise,
Road trips are so fun!
We always go on road trips & we plan ahead.
We love road trips & only been in Canada
The only thing my husband and I really plan is where we’re going to stay when we travel. We’ve recently discovered AirBnB’s and have had great experiences so far. We may also plan one big thing to do but mostly we just see what the area has to offer and anything that peaks our interest. It’s a great way to explore an area we’ve never been before :-) There are, of course, places we’d revisit just because we loved it so much!
We go on road trips.My family when we travel usually don’t have plans payed out we usually just do what we want and usually don’t do plans cause when we go on vacation we just like to relax.
My family went to Four Corners when I was a kid. As one of four children in my family, each of us stood in a different state at the same time. There wasn’t a monument or even a platform for it at that point. It was just a slab with lines separating the states and the name in the concrete. I’d love to take my kids someday, but we now live on the other side of the country and it isn’t quite as easy.
Melynda, I hope you get there again some day. I’ve wanted to go for a long time, and since we now live in Arizona, it was much easier.
Kendra, you are right having no particular plans can make the trip more relaxing. You don’t have be anywhere at a certain. You can get there when you get there.
Trixi, we use both AirBNBs and VRBOs. We have had very good results for the most part.
Sylvain,
Nice that you’ve been to Canada.
Amy, road trips are fun. I like them because you get to see more than when you fly.