As usual, our thoughts turn to the question of where will our next travel experience take us? Many thoughts and ideas are discussed. The most recent discussions have been Australia/New Zealand and Northern Europe. As much as we like Viking for their Australia itinerary, we have always had issues on our cruises with them yet they offer the best itinerary along with other included amenities. And the air travel time and cost to begin this cruise is not ideal for either one of us. How do people sit in economy for 15+ hours? Or afford first class/business class where the seats become beds?
On our recent trip to Amsterdam this year we upgraded to Premium Economy, which we found was not much better in the long run than regular Ecomony seating. Karen didn’t receive the upgraded meal and when the person in front of you moves their seat back, it’s still a very narrow space for feet and any movement. I guess the pillow was bigger and the blanket softer, but really, is that what you are paying the additional money for? And if the captain keeps the seat belt sign on…well, you don’t get up for anything. Usually on international flights they are more lenient with the seat belt sign than on domestic flights, however.
We took a Christmas cruise on Oceania a few years ago and loved it. So, right now, we are leaning towards Oceania’s Northern Europe itinerary for next year. Shorter flights, and less $$ for 12 days; 9 countries. More check marks on the world travel map!
So as I often say…stay tuned!
UPDATE (July 1)
Well, I guess it’s no surprise – two women and difficult decisions. BUT! We are not planning to take a cruise right now. Instead, my daughter, Karen, has surprised me with a whirlwind trip to Paris, France! One place that she has been but I have not (other than the airport)! Plans are still in the works but I do believe it’s actually going to happen…in October.
A note about the cruise – Viking wanted the money for December 2023 now and with moving costs and all that goes into relocating to a new apartment (locally), that just can’t happen at this time. The Oceania cruise – well, it’s not that we didn’t want to go, but once again we were let down by not one but two travel agents to further the booking. It’s just sad when you can’t find good customer service out there, even in the discretionary, commissionable field of travel. I even approached the travel agency I used to work for in Rochester, NY. But I guess I’ve been gone too long and they didn’t want my business. Oh well…their loss because we will still continue to travel!
“I’m not always on a cruise, but when I’m not, I’m thinking about a cruise!”
Stuff is great but nothing beats experiences. –Expedia
LIfe is kinda funny and annoying as it sends you on your way through it. You make decisions based on many factors that are present at the time. People joke with us all the time about the number of times we’ve moved and that we must be experts at it by now. Little do they know!
Moving is stressful. Whether it’s across town or across state lines. It also comes with a hefty price tag. And lots of packing and unpacking. And lots of coordination between apartments here and there, movers to get us from here to there and many other pesky little things like forwarding mail, changing health insurance, notifying everyone of your new address (and then changing your mind!) and the list goes on and on.
Our latest move was supposed to be easy. We would move the small stuff throughout the month of June from the old apartment to the new apartment. We would then, with the help of a friend, move the big stuff at a later date. After months of apartment searching we settled on a new apartment in an area that we felt we could be happy in. As we started moving items in and worked on the move-in inspection list, we started to realize that we might not have found the perfect place to call home after all. We kept thinking of our apartment the last time we lived in nearby Arlington, Virginia. A quick search indicated that there was a top floor apartment with an acceptable floor plan available. After a quick call and some more paperwork, we were approved! Yikes! And we had just started changing our address too! Oh boy… And just when we thought things were going to be easier this time around!
The unfortunate part of this story is that we will have another month here in Fairfax, before we can now move back to Arlington and less time to complete things than we originally thought. The fortunate part of this story is that we are back where we are comfortable and welcomed by old friends, I can walk to nearby stores and Karen is closer to work for her commute.
Still can’t believe we are doing this! AGAIN! This place looks like a hoarders paradise with boxes and stuff everywhere. It’s going to be a long 6 weeks as we navigate around the disarray and then create a new home for us once again.
It’s always amazing the differences in apartments and leasing criteria. Some are easy. Some not so much. Some apartments are definitely move-in ready and some still need work done. A couple of our fussy requests are the handle locations on the washer/dryer and refrigerator. Not really sure how the previous tenants dealt with them in the ‘wrong’ position! There is a multi-item move-in checklist associated with apartment living that is supposed to be completed within 48 hours of move-in. It’s amazing the items on this list! And then, when it comes time to move out you are presented with a price list that is very exaggerated in cost to fix anything the complex deems damaged or otherwise not cleaned.
Even after all these years of renting and living in various states and complexes, apartment living is not really for me. The upside is, that I don’t have to do any maintenance so that it a plus! The housing market is so inflated that I just don’t understand how anyone living on a regular salary or retirement income can afford to buy and maintain a house. The amount of the down payment alone is scary not to mention the taxes! We had truly hoped to be homeowners by now. But in the current economy, that’s not going to happen anytime soon.
While I realize that you can have bad neighbors in a housing community, here are some of the things we have dealt with over the years as renters:
Upstairs neighbor’s A/C was not properly maintained and flooded our apartment, damaging floors and furniture. Large noisy blower fans ran 24/7 to help dry things out. And the smell!
Our heating unit condensor crashed in November and wasn’t fixed until January, supposedly due to a parts problem. I think it was more a budget problem. The unit ran constantly, and our electric bill was through the roof!
Next door neighbor thought their dog was lonely, so adopted another dog. Just like siblings sometimes, these dogs did not get along at all and were constantly fighting, which only made the neighbors scream at the dogs constantly. And they only identified one dog to management to avoid paying extra fees. Their apartment had a very bad odor eminating from within.
Stick-build apartment buildings are not good. We have a very hyper child above us right now and when s/he is awake there is no peace and quiet to be had. The floor joists take a beating from this child who jumps, runs, pounds and then screams and cries. Concrete construction is preferred.
Upstairs neighbors constantly dropping heavy things on the floor, resulting in many OMG moments of shock to the ole ticker.
Neighbors in two separate complexes smoking marijuana and the smell permeating our apartment.
The use of PineSol in the dishwasher by the previous tenant. It took forever for it to dissipate.
Professionally cleaned new apartment that was disgusting. A smell that could not be erased by cleaning and permeated the entire apartment. Opening windows did not help. Sprays only masked it temporarily.
On the homefront, a small family-owned business across the street outgrew the neighborhood but was “grandfathered” in and there was nothing that could be done about the extra traffic, trucks and eyesore appearance.
And just in case you are wondering, yes, we talked to various complex managment about the apartment issues and the zoning commission/town board about the business across the street. Same answers always, “nothing we can do about that. If you don’t like it…leave.”
So, as you can see I’m not a huge fan of apartment living! I’m sure there’s more instances but these are the standout ones for me. I know you cannot pick your neighbors whether you live in a house or an apartment. Growing up, our next door neighbors were very nice. But as the years passed by and things changed, a lock was put on the fence gate and law enforcement was called on a regular basis over what could be considered trivial infractions by both parties.
Still not sure about your nice neighbor? If you have time, watch an episode or two on True Crime, Fear Thy Neighbor. You’ll be amazed at the stories. I’m just thankful that the situation at my childhood home did not end the way these stories do!
Fingers crosssed that this will be our last move for a while. Not sure how much more mover’s abuse our furniture and belongings can tolerate! Every time we move there is something broken. The movers just bring it in (or not!) and don’t mention it. And if we do see damage caused by them, the minimal moving insurance doesn’t cover it and the process to file a claim usually makes it not worth it.
Our first move from Las Vegas, we hired a nationally known company. I had two antique marble-top tables specially museum-crated to insure safe travels across the U.S. These were my husband’s grandmothers and I was now the caretaker of them. The marble arrived intact but the base was badly damaged. Another move, I specifically told the movers about the antique what-not shelves, again explaining family heirloom status. These arrived broken and the finish rubbed off to the bare wood when delivered. And yet another antique item, my grandmother’s Singer treadle sewing machine arrived with one of the castors missing. We have never found our monogram glasses. I think they also didn’t survive that first move. We’ve had movers drop our items, break and obviously repair our items, cut our items (they used car keys to remove stretch wrap) and we even had one ‘professional’ mover show up wearing flip flops. It really just boggles the mind! And of course, they all expect a tip! Here’s a tip…act professional and care about our belongings that you are transporting! And now we find ourselves, once again, getting moving quotes and hopefully picking a better mover than the last time.
As I re-read this post, all I can do is sigh deeply and cross my fingers and toes that this move will go smoother and will be the last one for a while. The newest lease is officially signed. Time will tell…stay tuned!
Twenty Steps at a Time 