#2026 travel Tuesday: coming and going

It must be vacation time at my office. Two friends just returned from vacation and two other friends are leaving on Saturday for their vacations. Lucky!!

My friend K has returned from the Riviera Maya - that's the Caribbean side of Mexico. She and her family stayed at a new all-inclusive resort that she said was beautiful and incredible in all the ways. I think they stayed here, but I'm not positive. Looks awesome! Truly, a week in Mexico is always a good idea.

My friend S just returned from a week in France. He spent a few days in Paris, then went to Normandy for a couple of days and also visited Mont Saint Michel. I have not been to France. I think I would like to see it one day. Oh to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up and stroll the cobbled streets. Oh to eat pastries and drink cafe au lait. Okay, I don't usually drink coffee, but I might in Paris! I would like to tour around Provence also.

My friend V is leaving on Saturday to go on her first cruise! She's going on Norwegian Cruise Lines for a six day cruise leaving from Miami with stops in Nassau, Bahamas, Ocho Rios, Jamaica and George Town, Grand Cayman. She and I spent a little time the other day talking about cruising and these ports, which I went to just two years ago. So fun! There's nothing like your first cruise. I think she is going to have a great time.

Finally, my friend J is headed to Italy for two weeks! He and his wife are celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and this is a dream vacation for them. J is not known for taking a lot of vacation. His phone rings constantly. I hope that he can forget about work for those 14 days and focus on enjoying la dolce vita.  They will be staying in Rome for five days, then three days each in Venice, the Cinque Terre area and Florence. I may be just as excited about this vacation as my friends are. This trip sounds heavenly! J is probably tired of me talking to him about his upcoming trip all the time. He offered to send me his itinerary, probably so I'd stop bugging him about all the places they were going. (I declined, but I did look at it on his phone!)

I truly enjoy talking to people about their vacations. I love to hear about what they did, what they ate, about the weather and any little details they want to share. Maybe that's a little creepy, but I try not to make it so. It's kind of a passion of mine, I guess.

MT and I are also celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this year. (Fun fact: J and his wife got married at the same chapel in Las Vegas - Little Church of the West -  as MT and I did! They were married in May 1993; we were August 1993.) MT and I want to go on an awesome vacation to celebrate our anniversary, too. We are looking at more beach-y places. So far we have thought about Thailand, Fiji, the Marshall Islands (all MT's ideas) and Costa Rica (my idea). We'll have to see how much we have to pay in taxes before we make any kind of decision. It's always fun to dream!