FIT travelling when we're not as fit as we used to be.

 

Before we ever travelled overseas for the first time in our early 40s we did a great
deal of research. Motivated by friends who shared many tips, and inspired by countless books we became committed FIT travellers – Fully Independent Travellers. We have always planned our own trips, booked accommodation, organised transport and bought local food. We love the freedom of making our own decisions, we enjoy the research, we accept  the unexpected dramas and the accidental joys, and we are able to travel more often because  FIT travel is so much cheaper!

 

Post full time employment what does FIT travel look like when we are not quite as fit and agile as we once were? Is it time to fly Business Class? Well that is certainly what many of our friends are doing, but we are resisting. The total cost of our seven weeks of accommodation and transport will be less than two Qantas Business Class tickets to London. At this stage we are still trading one bad day for a great FIT adventure. What about a cruise?  Ocean or river? Everyone is doing that. No packing and unpacking our bags, no concerns, no need to make decisions, nothing to go wrong, endless food – it all makes a lot of sense. Well, again, we appreciate all that, but want to hang on as long as we can to meeting the locals, buying food in a village shop, cooking at ‘home’ and travelling the road less travelled.

 

We have, however, made a couple of changes to this part of the trip. During our three weeks in Wales and England, we have hired a car and we are staying at Airbnbs for three or four days at a time. Our pace is a little slower than previous trips, and so far, wonderful! Airbnb is a platform that we use at home so we know the system and it works brilliantly for us, allowing us to communicate with other owners who are keen to share their humble abodes with weary travellers.

 

Our first Airbnb in the Rhondda Valley was just like the house that Wendy’s grandmother lived in (though now with an indoor bathroom). Our second  stay was at Hannah’s Cottage a very old traditional Welsh cottage owned by a couple who are about our age. Tanya does the cleaning and decorating and Frank does the restoration. Our current stay is in a three hundred year old restored barn in Tregaron, near Aberysthwth in the heart of rural Mid Wales. The owners, a young couple who live in the farmhouse behind the barn, are like us, running a small farm and are keen to regenerate the land in their care, and grow their own

food. No doubt the Airbnb income helps with the many farming expenses. The barn provides guests with a comfortable place to stay, a stunning view and a central location from which to explore the surrounding countryside. Despite the less than perfect directions on how to walk across the fields to the village (this should have taken 25 minutes but took over an hour) it is a novelty for us to be able to follow age-old paths through beautiful green fields and meet the neighbours adorable new born lambs.

 

So… FIT travel, with a bit of rest on the side and at a slightly slower pace, is not a bad compromise.