Why solo?
Is my marriage failing? I don’t think so! Am I having a midlife crisis? Perhaps! Do I miss solo trips like I used to go on when I was working? YES!!! And was my husband’s passport getting renewed when I decided to do this? Yes. :)
Look, I love my family and if you’ve been reading this blog for a hot minute you know we love traveling together A LOT. But if you spend almost every waking moment concerned about the needs and wants of others you are probably neglecting yourself to a degree. And while I’m mostly talking to the parents and partners here, single folks can get wrapped into the care and concern of others, too.
Back when Frank and I were working we both traveled as part of our jobs. For about a two year stretch one of us was gone for at least a week every month, and sometimes one of us would be gone for several weeks at a time. The “away” team member would check in with the “home” team, but really they only had to care about their own needs for the most part. Work trips became a mini-recharge for me as a wife and mother. What does everyone want to eat? Not my problem! Want to wake up early and see the sunrise? There’s no one to have to crawl over or worry about waking up! Want to just lie in bed for an hour and do nothing? Go for it! I’m not saying my family stops me from any of that when I’m home, but rather I do! I stop myself. I don’t want to bother anyone, I don’t want anyone else to have to worry about anything that I can take care of, and I sure as heck don’t want to slack on stuff around the house by lying in bed.
And I would also take weekends to see my girlfriends and he would take hiking trips with his buddy. At the end of any of these trips, no matter which side I was on, it was great to talk about our unique experiences and learn about new places from one another. And yeah, maybe distance did make the heart grow fonder!
So I am solo in Greece! Frank does want to come someday so I’m considering this a recon trip, but I am definitely enjoying a little bit of traveling on my own agenda.
Why now?
There is a Level 4 “Do not travel” advisory for Greece from the CDC due to COVID right now so I get that my decision might not make sense to everyone. But I am vaccinated and readily wear a mask when asked or when I feel like a space or crowd requires it. And between my desire for some solo travel (it’s been over two years since my last true solo) and wanting a distraction as my daughter leaves us for 10 months (and Frank’s passport being “in the mail”), now seemed right! I was actually looking at a trip to Spain when I stumbled upon a good deal on a flight to Greece that departed from the same airport the Katreina was leaving from within an hour of her flight—this would allow me to be with her just a little bit longer! And I found a great place to stay in Athens that was affordable, in a great neighborhood, and close to transit. So…Greece, now!
This trip is two and a half weeks long. While even a few days alone in the mountains would have given me the recharge I need right now, this long trip to a completely new place is also helping me learn a bit about myself…what really makes me happy, what causes me to be anxious, and what do I really want out of the next few years. And I can’t wait to share my experiences with the home team!
The marina in the Port of Aegina, Saronic Islands
(the end of my ferry journey!)
~Jo, 1st Mate
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