A Vacation Alone. Fun or Daunting.

As I sit here waiting for Hurricane Irene to hit, I think about how unusual this all is for NYC.  The last time I was worried about a hurricane I was in Mexico on vacation.

And then I started thinking about my love for travel, in general.  And then I was reminded of how I need to get my mojo all the way back in this regard.  I travel a lot, but almost always with someone.  When I was young(er) I took a vacation alone every year.   Whether I was in a relationship with a boy or not.  Whether I had girlfriends with free vacation time or not.  I always made sure that at least one of my trips away was by myself.  Whatever fancy struck me, that's where I went.

Me, in Marbella, Spain

Many of these vacations-by-myself were to a Caribbean beach because they're easy, but not always.  I took my first trip to Europe alone.  It was very exciting, and I felt very brave and pleased with myself.

So I don't know what happened.  I haven't traveled alone (except for business) in a long time.  Last year I spent a lovely weekend in upstate New York alone, but that doesn't really count because, well, it was just a weekend…and I had my dog with me…so I wasn't really alone.

I recall that I sometimes got lonely on these trips, but there were also times when I felt happy and free and unencumbered.  Somewhere along the way I lost something.  What, though?  The thought of a vacation-by-myself doesn't sound like that much fun right now.   I sometimes want to take a trip and don't have anyone to go with.  So I don't go.  I need to stop that.  I want to get back to running off on a whim to wherever I feel like going.  By myself.

Do you vacation alone?  To where?  What "vacationing alone" tips can you share?


NOTE: If you like "Spinsterlicious" and want to be notified of new posts, please subscribe "Via Email" in the box on the right. You'll receive an email when there's a new blog post.   Or "Like" Spinsterlicious on Facebook. Just click the button at the top of this page.   Or "Follow Me" on Twitter (button on the right).   Whatever you do, don't miss a Spinsterlicious update!   


Oh yeah.  And don't forget to visit  The Spinsterlicious Life SHOP!

Burning the Mortgage!!

A couple of weeks ago I did something that made me prouder of myself than anything I've done in awhile.  I paid off the mortgage on my house! 

For as long as I can remember, I'd fantasized about having two homes.  I was a voracious reader as a child and would often read stories about people who had more than one home (although I didn't know anyone who did).  I thought that was terribly cool and wished I could say one day "I'll be at the country house this weekend".  I loved this notion of having a place in the city and one in the country, and thought it must be the true meaning of "the best of both worlds".

As I got older, I would spend summers with friends in "share houses" in the Hamptons, where a group of us would pool our money and rent a place for a month or the season.  It was fun but I always thought it would be even more fun without all the extra people.  And ya know what?  It is.  Eventually, I was able to treat myself to  what some people call a vacation home, but I just call my other home because I go there more often than I could ever go on vacation.   I had an apartment in the city and was now buying a home in the country...just like I'd dreamed about but never really thought I could pull off.  One mortgage is a big step; two mortgages is even more daunting.  But I did it. 

It was tough sometimes.  My co-op in NYC has a super and I had gotten very used to that.  There's no super with a house and I --being single and all-- couldn't call upon hubby to do the things a super typically does.  And trying to get the boy-of-the-moment to do it can be tricky.  Some are more skilled in that regard than others, so it's a little uneven.  Nevertheless, having a second home was (and is) every bit as wonderful as I imagined it would be.  I love my place in the city, but it's small.  My house in the country allows me to entertain family and friends (yes, even their kids) and it brings me a lot of joy to be able to do that.  And the dog is delighted to have a yard he can run around in on his own and without a leash.

I bought the house in 1996, made accelerated payments and just paid that baby off.  When I mailed in the pay-off check a few weeks ago, it didn't feel like that big a deal.  Now, it's sunk in and it's a huge deal.  When I say I'm a homeowner, I actually mean a homeOWNER.  It's mine, not the bank's and it feels great.  It's one of the most grown-up things I've ever done.  A very Spinsterlicious move!

NOTE:  If you like "Spinsterlicious" and want to be notified of new posts, please (re)subscribe in the box on the right -or- if you have a Google Account, you can click on "Follow Me" also on the right, near the bottom.   You'll receive an email each time there's an update to the blog.  (It's a new service; if you registered earlier, you'll have to do it again.  Sorry...and Thanks)