Traveling in formation

Many years ago when my lovely wife and first traveling across the country, living in a tent, we found ourselves at Alligator Point in Florida. We were trying to figure out the whole nomad thing. Family and friends were miles away, but there's always interesting people to talk to.

There were three couples, each couple with their own big motorhome. All were former teachers from the same area. Being great friends, they decided to retire and travel together. Each couple had sold their homes to be able to purchase nice RVs. It's actually pretty rare to see three couples sticking together in their travels. They'd been doing it for years, so it worked for them.

They didn't have a set route, but there were some general guidelines they adhered to. For example, during the coldest part of the winter, they always stayed south of Tampa Florida. Once things warmed up a bit, they'd head further north.

It is common to see groups of friends and family camping for a weekend, or even a week or two. Far less common are groups who travel together full time. My lovely wife and I often camp with friends and family for a few days. It's too bad we couldn't take them all with us for some nice extended trips.

Unfortunately, none of our friends or family are in a position to live like nomads for half the year. Some of them might want to, but are not in a position to do so. The best we can hope for is to sometimes cross paths with our friends for a few days. It does happen on occasion, and we are happy when it does.

Of course, like most people, they have to work for a living. I do have one friend who gets the winter off, but he likes snow and cold. If he could travel in the winter, he'd want to leave northern New Hampshire to go to Alaska. Different strokes for different folks.

One of my daughters had tossed around the idea of meeting up with friends in the Caribbean for Christmas vacation. They'd all fly down. Of course, my lovely wife and I tried to figure out what we'd have to do to sail there. It's just as well that fell though as my lovely wife and I would like a slightly bigger boat for Caribbean travel. A bigger boat is just not in the budget this year.

I think it'd be fun to travel with my old friends, but that might prove interesting. They are just as independent and stubborn as I am. We'd be lucky to agree on the same destination. Ever try and herd cats?

That's why the retired teachers impressed us so much. They found a way to travel together and were still smiling.

-Sixbears