Some thoughts on what I’ve learned after planning our Burgundian adventure for so long…
- I can live out of a 26L backpack indefinitely and still feel stylish, fabulous, and comfortable.
- I can still overpack with a 26L backpack. There were a few bits and bobs that I could have done without (*ahem* the road atlas!).
- Despite my ability to live out of a small backpack, I don’t want to embark on a “round the world” trip with a backpack because I really liked staying in one place for a lengthy period.
- Two important reasons why I really liked staying put in Burgundy are the two kittens: it was just lovely to be on vacation with our pets. I could truly relax. In the past, I always worried about our last cat: for some reason, I kept thinking that the house would burn down and that the cat would die. During this vacation, I felt like the house could burn down and I’d happily file the insurance claim because everyone and everything I truly cared about was with me. So now I want to vacation more with the kittens… which means I’m not interested in constant travel, I’m interested in “slow travel” where we spend gobs of time in one location.
- We also enjoyed the advantages of deeply exploring a single location. Being able to return to a winery or a market or a restaurant meant that we enjoyed different perspectives from each visit.
- It seems to be impossible to “over plan” excursions. There were excursions we didn’t take (totally skipped Vezelay and Fontenay Abbey) but it was nice to have those options. Every day we all had ideas on what to do and some friends had suggestions that I hadn’t thought of that were awesome!
- There were no full-length mirrors in the house. That was great. I had a bathroom mirror to make sure nothing was stuck in my teeth (or nostril), but otherwise, I just didn’t care. I’m sorely tempted to get rid of our only mirror at home.
ginia.org 