We're Tanya and Jay, a pair of life-long now-retired travelers. You should watch our channel if:
You're an older traveler: - Who has enough time and money to travel comfortably - Who has a natural curiosity about other places, people and ideas - Who prefers independent travel over group travel - Who may want to live for an extended time in a different place
What does our channel offer? - Where to go, why, how do you get there and how much will it cost - What you should know about the place you're going - How to stay healthy and safe wherever you are
Totally agree with your assessment of the shore excursions from the large ships. Not fun in any way shape or form. However we enjoy every aspect of the much smaller river cruise ships including the shore excursions. Thanks for another interesting video.
Yes, there are 5 of those zeppelin hangars in Riga out of 6 still existing in the world. Each pavillion is named after it's speciality: Dairy, Meat, Bread, Vegetable and Fish pavillions.
It's not that hot in the summer, but it rains all the time. No one speaks English there, just incomprehensible Scottish. If you want haggis instead of decent food, please! Instead of Airbnb, however, you should buy a small castle. I like that the men wear skirts. We love Scotland.
11:06 Ugh... I remember how we once tried to buy tickets in the bus and the driver just shook his head and ignored us. Well, that's it, we thought. Just some minutes later we got fined for fare dodging by the controller. 😅
Ooooh, sorry about your fine. I guess we were just lucky on the first trip and found a nice controller on the second. The joys of travel. thanks for watching.
Norwegians dont use honorifics like sir or ma’am. Not even a desrved one like «doctor». The T/V-distinction was done away with in the 70s. All people, even the prime minister is refered to by first or last name. The only people excempt from this are members of the Royal Family who are adressed as Majesty or Royal Highness. When speaking to them directly one speaks to them in the third person. «What dose The King think about that?», «What dose The Crown Princess believe?»
6:49 The sound you used for the "o" in Honningsvåg is pretty close to the sound of the letter "ø" in for instance Vardø. 7:15 You got the "o" right on the second try, I believe, although definitely not the "å". Æ, Ø and Å are separate letters in Norwegian, not variations on other letters. 9:22 "Town"? By Norwegian standards its actually a city, the 16th biggest in the country, equivalent to something like Indianapolis in the US. Applying for a city status in Norway only requires a population of about 5 000 people, and we have older cities that's smaller but that has retained their city status for historical reasons. I get that it's all very small for you guys given that New York alone has a bigger population then the whole of Norway. 12:49 Nice work! You got the "Å" in "Ålesund pretty much right. 😊
Thank you for your comments on correct Norwegian pronunciation. It's always interesting to discover the specific ways words are pronounced correctly. Thank you for watching.
11:27 I appreciate that you pronounced the "e" at the end, it's a common mistake English speakers make to ignore those sounds, and it's *really* driving me nuts when they do as treating the "e" at the end of words as silent is not really done in other Germanic languages other then English. If you want to improve your pronounciation the "e" sound you made is represented by "i" in Norwegian however and the "u" in Norwegian is a far sharper sound where the tongue essentially forms the letter, while the sound you made for it is represented by the letter "o" in Norwegian. Mind you, this is nitpicking, and I think most Norwegians would be able to guess what you meant. "Multe" is the Norwegian word for cloudberries. They're really hard to store or transport without damaging them and can't be grown commercially. So you pretty much can only taste them in the Nordic region and elsewhere where they grow (like in Canada)
I love your content and find it really engaging! I noticed that you tend to point a lot while speaking, and it can be a bit distracting for some viewers. Just a friendly suggestion to consider minimizing it for an even smoother viewing experience. Keep up the great work!
Thank you very much for your comment. I've never thought about the pointing. It might seem to some that I'm scolding or being aggressive, as well as distracting, so that's really good feedback. Thanks for watching.
Hi Jay, Greeting from Sydney, Australia. Like you I am passionate about traveling in my retirement. I have Viking ancestry also!. Your vlogs are of great relevance to my spouse and I, including travel budgeting. My question is about how to fund retirement travel: do you use your financial investment returns / pension income, or capital drawdowns, or a combination of both, to fund you trips? Keep up the good work on how to enjoy retirement! Best regards, Jay
Hi Jay, Thank you for your comment. We fund our retirement travel through a combination of pension income and overall portfolio drawdown. We've always kept close track of our expenses, including travel, so it's an ongoing process of determining how much we can comfortably spend each year and on each trip. We know some trips will be more expensive than others and by recognizing this and budgeting accordingly it takes a lot of stress out of the equation. Thanks for watching and keep on traveling.
We didn't go to Ivory Coast on this cruise so I can't answer that. But, we did need one for Benin and, as I recall, the other countries issued entry visas. Our best advice is to check the web ahead of time to see which countries you visit require visas for US citizens. Thanks for the question and enjoy your trip.
Great video. I enjoyed watching it. I’ve been to S Africa and Botswana for safari but not Zimbabwe. Very interesting that Kanga Camp was pricier than Nottens! I suspect due to remoteness? I appreciate the video. Heading to Kenya next week!
Hurtigruten actually have a ship leaving Bergen every day. It used to be 11 vesssels doing the round-trip. With the Havila company also sailing the route it is a lot more vessels now.
The cows are called Coo's, with the long hair- And Scotland is a fabulous place. It would be cheaper to have a nice trailer at a Caravan park, by the ocean or in town, if your wanting to retire. I am from Michigan and that's what we plan to do, . Kinghorn Harbour Holiday Park to name one. 😊
Nice video, but on your next video make sure you give some serious time to the regular seats, so people have a way to compare to the different options.
Jay, did not see a lot of scenery shots from the ship up the fjords. Lots of stops in little towns I get it, but is there much in the way of scenic touring up the fjords to the towns inland? I think I would enjoy Hurtigruten fine, not sure my wife would be so happy with the accommodations - particularly small bed and fighting over covers. We are used to balcony cabins on Princess as Elite Members...though I am done with the need for the specialty restaurants and many of the shows. What can you tell me about the scenic journey portion of this trip? I have done Alaska and the New Zealand Fjords and really have a bucket list desire for the Norwegian Fjords, but not sure this is the ticket I am looking for, even in a more temperate time of year. Any advice?
Hi Paul. Thanks for your comment. Sorry I didn't cover more of the scenery. Yes, there are scenic fjords to be seen on the Hurtigruten voyage, it's just that the fjords seem to be the focus more on other mainstream cruise lines and I was just excited about seeing all the little towns along the way on the coastal express. Since you want to concentrate on Norwegian Fjords, I think you and your wife might be happier on one of the other cruise lines. Hurtigruten offers a good product but I would consider it a 3-star experience as opposed to the 4-star or 5-star experience of Princess, Celebrity, HAL etc. There's also another program called "Norway in a Nutshell" that includes fjord cruising as well as a trip on the Flam Railway that might interest you. Happy traveling!
We have been retired for years and are now looking at homes in the Somerset area, we don't want to live in town. We are from Indiana and have no interest in being near larger city's or any city's that have larger collages, because of the higher crime rates. Entertainment and activities are at the top of our list, such as good set down restaurants, car shows and other outdoor activities.
$150/night would only pay for a room in a 3-star hotel in most major cities in Western Europe depending on the location and season. You should expect to pay between $500 and $750/night to stay in a 5-star hotel in a centrally located hotel in Western Europe. $150/night should be adequate to pay for a hotel room in a 4-star hotel in certain parts of Asia, Eastern Europe, and Central/Latin America where the cost of accommodation is, in general, much lower.
Thanks for your insightful comments. You're right that hotel costs can certainly exceed $150 per night based on stars, season and location. Thank you for watching.
Premium economy is great for long haul flights, especially on BA. Tho if I can get business for a low price for a long haul flight with lie flat seat, then I’m in. Great job Tanya showcasing the amenities kit.
A very interesting video and thank you for doing all the calculations. The surcharge for Business Class is insane! The airline certainly needs these wealthy guests to cross-subsidize the flight, but boy! Almost ten times the price of Economy Class. Wow.
Thanks for your comment. It really is amazing how much more business class is than economy or even premium economy. But, it must make sense financially for the airlines.
Hi Justina! After only being gone for a week on this trip, I already feel like I overpacked. Why do bags seem to get heavier as we get older? Thanks for commenting.
Oh boy, good questions. For gratuities, I honestly don't remember but I don't think they were expected. Housekeeping is pretty minimal, if at all, and you don't develop the kind of service relationship you usually do on a regular cruise. We only went on one excursion, to the Russian border in Kirkenes, and it was reasonable. You really don't need to go on excursions at most of these little towns. Drinks are comparable to off-shore Norwegian prices, that is, expensive by US standards. We didn't go to the specialty restaurant so I can't tell you the cost. Sorry, this wasn't more helpful. Have fun!
Thx! Nice info, I’m torn between going Bergen to Svalbard or starting out with the coastal express going Bergen-Kirkenes then back down to Trondheim then train down to Oslo- exploring along the way.
Thanks for your comment. We'll be in Svalbard later this month for 3 weeks but we're flying up to Longyearbyen to meet our ship there rather than sailing all the way from Bergen. Our ship goes back down to Tromsø along the route so then I would be able to give you a better answer. In any case, you can't go wrong with the coastal express.
We usually rent a motorhome in Europe for 5 or 6 weeks so we need to bring some extra gear to have along in the motorhome. (We also buy some stuff such as coffee maker, broom, floor mats, which we give away when we're finnished) We pack 1 large suitcase with the stuff we need in the RV, 2 carry ons with with clothing and ablution kits, 1 backpack with laptop, ipad, etc, and 1 shoulder bag with gps, chargers, etc, and my wifes purse of course. Not bad to manouver around with but we do need to taxi around vs public transport. It works but definitely cannot call it "packing light" Enjoy your 3 month journey, we're looking forward to your videos. We head home back to Calgary tomorrow.
We each travel long term with a 40 lb suitcase and a 15 lb backpack. We do a lot of serious hiking, so we need more gear that won’t allow us to just use carry-on bags.
That's a good point. There are a lot of situations where gear and/or extra food is required and those would definitely call for heavier packing. Even so, 40 pounds is not too bad for getting around. Thanks for the comment.
You're 100% right. Always try to find some humour in any situation. We've had any number of incidents that were on the verge of disaster, but somehow we survived. A friend of hours has an expression which may be somewhat morbid but sums up the same frame of mind, "well no one died" By the way we're in Spain now and on our way to Tarragona for 3 days.
Um, word of warning, the weather of the Norwegian coast can be rough in the autumn. That's when most of the autumn storms arrive. And the weather might be bad enough for the ship to be forced to cancel certain destinations because it's simply too dangerous to sail on. And even if it's not expect to use those seasickness bags then. Definitely invest in medication against seasickness etc, just in case, and perhaps other measures too. Visibility might be low as well. The tourist seasons are there for a reason and it's cheaper during this period because of the greater risk of a bad experience. Don't get me wrong, you might be lucky. Just, you know, make a informed decision. That said, this ship will make good use of the islands and skerries to avoid the worst weather, something that's possible for most of the route. So it's not as bad as sailing on the open Atlantic.
Look like my last comment got deleted.??? Anyway, we are starting a 3 month trip starting in July traveling from Florida to Poland, then Lithuania and ending in Riga for 3 weeks at mid July. My wife is from Riga. Then it is onto Georgia, Turkey, Greece and hopefully ending in Lisbon for a repositioning cruise back to Florida. However, after Riga is still up in the air. Depends on how my back procedures goes next week. Being 74 does have its downside. Anyway, maybe I'll see you in Riga for a beer and a sauna.
Hi manfromjax. Don't know why any comments were deleted. Glad you're hitting the road for 3 months! I think you'll really love Georgia. We've been there a couple of times and we really enjoy the food, country and people. It sounds like you have a fun itinerary planned. Thank you for commenting and enjoy!
Well, I have some tips. When I visit my girlfriend in Montellano I first walk to the Super Pola super market near my house and buy the large economy size laundry detergent, a bundle of 24 rolls of toilet paper, an apple and a mango if they are in season. I save 50 pesos by walking, 10 pesos each on the rolls of toilet paper and 200 pesos on the economy size laundry detergent. Then I walk up to the main highway and catch a Gua Gua bus which takes me directly to the bus stop in Montellano. That costs only 50 pesos as compared to spending 100 pesos taking a moto to the public taxi stand and then a public taxi to Montellano. Now I can save 50 more pesos by walking the half mile to my girlfriend's house from the bus stop instead of using a moto taxi. This is a dilemma because I like to support the local Montellano economy so sometimes I take the moto. At my girlfriend's house her 5 year old boy loves to see me arrive because he wants to chase me around to get ahold of my shopping bag to find the apple or mango or sometimes grapes. My girlfriend is thrilled to see me arrive because today is laundry day and she has no detergent. Toilet paper is a bonus. Then I can walk back to the bus stop or take a moto and then catch a Gua Gua which drops me off a block from my house. Now you're asking, "What about points?" I score a lot of points with my girlfriend and her son...and isn't that what counts?
