I get my inspiration from books, magazines and other blogs. I see a place I like, I bookmark it. So when the time comes to take a trip, I look at all the places that I want to see, I try to string them together into one trip. I search the Internet to check out trains and bus routes, to airline sites, to see if I can fly there. Before you know it, I have an itinerary. I like Rail Europe (
http://raileurope.com/) a lot. By plugging in 2 places, one can determine if it is at all possible to take the train, if not, then the route needs to be modified. Then I go on the major airlines and do the same thing. I read the little writeups in guidebooks on how to get from place to place. I can go to blogs to look for more information. It is a very involved process, it requires a lot of dedication, to plug and unplug, to construct and to deconstruct and come up with something that I'm happy with. Some places have more priority than others, these are the must see places and need to be included and every effort is made to incorporate them. I need always to capitalize on time more than money. It is expensive, so costs is not that much a consideration. Time is more important, it is more important to squeeze in as many places as possible. Unfortunately I still need to work and pay my bills. Maybe it is more fortunately that I still work, I'm building up my retirement account that is needed for the time when I cannot work. It forces me to prioritise, to work hard and a lot and to travel at the same time.
This trip to Annecy was a crazy trip, we'd already spent 10 days in Sicily, we flew back to Paris, headed down to Lyon and Provence and spent a total of 3 weeks abroad. It's fun for me but not my staff. They shudder each time I announce my travel plans. It's hard to replace me, I work so hard. I read books on vagabonding but I'm not inspired. I'll continue to do what I do for now.....
