Earlier this week my husband and I spent a delightful evening with new friends, enjoying a few bottles of wine, dinner and travel talk. We met Marianne and Rich last summer when mutual friends from Portland came to town, and we invited both couples to our house for dinner. They had all attended Oregon State University together (and my husband, too, though a few years ahead of the others) and all had lived in the Portland area for the past 30-some years, so they had known each other for a long time. Just within the past year Rich and Marianne had moved here to Medford in Southern Oregon, and our mutual friends, Jim and Amber, hoped we’d hit it off and help ease their friends’ transition to a new place.

We really enjoyed that evening and immediately felt a kinship with the couple. We’ve realized that it can be more difficult to make new friends after relocating when your kids are grown and out of the house. You no longer have those natural meeting spots at after-school events and sidelines of youth sports where everyone is at the same stage in life, experiencing the same challenges and with kids who have made friends with each other. We exchanged numbers and resolved to get together again soon, but as so often happens, those good intentions had to take a backseat to unexpected events and family obligations. So it wasn’t until after the holidays that our schedules meshed and we were able to spend an evening with our new friends in their home.

After catching up with the events of the past several months, we turned to talk of our travels, places we’d been and places still on our bucket lists. Like us, most of their international travel came after their kids were grown and out of school, but we found the places we’d been and the primary modes of transportation differed. Rich and Marianne have traveled extensively in Europe, visiting the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, France and Central Europe. They’ve taken nearly a dozen group land tours through Rick Steves’ company and really enjoyed them, while we’ve never taken a group tour. They listed the benefits: groups of no more than 24; large, comfortable coaches; a tour guide for the entire journey as well as local, well-informed guides with great insights at each of the stops along the way; some small villages and off-the-beaten-track locations; and plenty of explore-on-your-own time, so they never felt too constricted to a schedule. They also noted the tours might not be the right fit for everyone. If you want 5-star accommodations (most stays are at 3-star properties), be waited on hand-and-foot, and can’t make your own way from the airport or train station to the starting point of the tours, you’d best look elsewhere.

Our travels as a couple have been quite different. Before we were together, Harry saw quite a bit of France and Germany, but together we’ve mostly traveled throughout the Mediterranean,       primarily on cruise ships but also on an extended road trip through Spain and Portugal with another couple.  We’ve also cruised throughout the Caribbean, while Marianne and Rich have not yet tried cruising. We shared what we like about that mode of travel (we’ve sailed with Holland America Line  and Princess Cruises):  no need to pack and unpack multiple times, with just one base of operations; very economical compared to land vacations, with meals, accommodations and entertainment included in the fare; a great way to get a good overview of a region, with sailing between ports at night and a new location to explore during the day nearly every day; and flexibility to explore locations on your own or with a vetted shore excursion. The cons include the fact that most port stays are usually no more than eight hours or so, and depending on the size of the ship, you may be traveling with thousands of other people (though river cruises and smaller expedition and luxury ships may only serve a few hundred guests or less).

We really enjoyed our evening, and it was especially enlightening (as always) to get new perspectives on destinations and ways to explore them. We look forward to sharing our valley with our new friends, exploring destinations nearby and, perhaps, adventures further afield!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor