Rose Brooks

Episode 275 – Why Blog?

Forewarning: I might have become a wee bit addicted to blogging daily while we were on our cruise. I’m finding it difficult not to post something every day now that we’re in a one month travel hiatus, but no one needs a picture of my empty coffee cup, a list of our annual medical appointments, or a description of making the bed in our temporary lodgings. Nonetheless, I feel compelled to write today, so here’s my rambling justification for why I blog.

Dear Diary,

I’m getting old(er), and time seems to be moving faster.

By the end of 2022, Ted and I will have visited 90 cities in 31 countries. We’ll have seen hundreds of historic sites, tried countless new foods, listened to new and unfamiliar sounds, and met many dozens of people with a myriad of different backgrounds. We’ll have travelled by plane, boat, train, subway, tram, funicular, bus, car, and on foot.

We’ll have spent time with family, friends, acquaintances, and strangers. We’ll have seen deserts and lush forests and orchards; mountains and valleys; glaciers, oceans, lakes, rivers and canals.

We’ll have celebrated holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries; welcomed new lives, and mourned the loss of loved ones who’ve left us.

Every day has had something memorable about it, and yet individual days are far too easy to forget.

PICKLES comic strip from 2012-05-29

So, in essence, this blog is the diary that I never took the time to keep when I was young, when available time seemed endless and memory infallible. I am writing to the “you” that is really me – talking to myself, as it were. Sometimes there are exciting things to share; other times there are more mundane things that I want to look back on later (like packing lists, and which website I used to book train tickets).

Because the words that I use, the priorities I choose, the opinions I express, and even the pictures I select are all intended to help me remember how I felt when I experienced particular places and events, in my head I begin each episode with an unwritten “Dear Diary” (actually, “Dear Barbie & Josie”, like an open letter to my best friends).

I don’t do that formally when I write because I thought it might scare people away, and it makes me very very happy to have people interested enough to follow along!

So, why blog? Initially for myself, for our family and friends, and as a way to maintain memories now that I don’t create physical scrapbooks. The unexpected bonus has been the opportunity to provide entertainment, inspiration, and maybe even some joy to the followers we’ve gathered.

It’s a hobby I’m enjoying as I do it, and also enjoying when I go back to read old entries.

There’s lots more to come. I hope folks will continue to enjoy our journey with us.

27 comments

  1. Rose – I thoroughly enjoyed your world cruise blog. We were originally booked for 2020-21, rebooked for the one you just took, and are now scheduled on the 2023-24 cruise. We usually keep a daily travel log when travelling on our own. I wonder if you would share how you keep track of all the sites and corresponding photos when you are on a tour/excursion. We want to enjoy the experience and not slow down the group.

    We had planned to travel for 2 years and then retire to the Phoenix area before the pandemic turned everything upside down. Instead we bought our home in 2020 and are scheduled to spend 3 months in Europe this fall before taking the world cruise next year followed by more European travel.

    Thanks for any tips you can share. Wishing you safe and fun travels.

    Lynda

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    • Honestly, I just listen REALLY carefully to our guide, and then count on Ted’s photos to remind me of what was said. The real ”secret” is dumping everything I can remember into the Notes on my ipad before getting into the evening’s drinks, and trying to complete the day’s blog entry before going to sleep.

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  2. I have never blogged, however, during my travels I got into the habit of sending detailed emails to a growing list of family and friends and I have since collated them.
    Without that written reminder of what I did at the time, I would be at a loss to remember whole trips, let alone their details.
    Thank you once again for your efforts and I look forward to your continuing travels and thoughts. .

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  3. Have so enjoyed reading your adventures. Thank you.

    One question, if you decide to do a post looking back on the trip as a whole, did you ever feel overwhelmed by so much new to see? I remember thinking when you were in Egypt especially, I felt like xhausted just reading!

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    • We regularly felt jaw-droppingly awed, but honestly never overwhelmed. That said, I’d never attempt a full trip overview – there’d be no way to succinctly summarize so many wonderful experiences.

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  5. We’re glad you do put pen to paper (or whatever your fingertips touch these days)!
    And me thinks there’s one more reason for your list: because writers write, and you’re a writer! And a traveler, which is humbling, cause it’s a lesson on what a tiny space we take up on this gorgeous planet 🌎 Thank you!

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  6. I have referred to my blog so many times to “remember “ where we were. I really don’t care if 1 person or 10 people read it because I read it years later. Your blog is brilliant!

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  7. I used to keep a travel diary but keep a much more detailed account (with pictures) since I started blogging. I laughed at your comment about finding it difficult not to post after so many days of doing so – I am the same way. I enjoyed reading about your world cruise since I was supposed to be on one that was canceled. I will take a vicarious cruise if that is all that is available to me. Thanks for all your work in putting together the blog each day.

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  8. I’ve enjoyed your blogs immensely. Miss them now, actually. You write beautifully. Keep on expressing yourself. You will have so many good times to look back on.
    Xx
    Marita

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  9. I started blogging for the same reasons. But back in the day that I did so, our pace of travel was slower. Shorter, more infrequent trips with plenty of time at home to write. Now, not so much. Our travels have increased in length … and frequency. I find it more difficult to “live in the moment” and stay on top of the stories in real-time at the same time. So, I’ve switched to a simpler form of blogging — footprints, really — that I hope will keep me on the straight and narrow. My private journal will have all the nitty-gritty, and the public posts will be a summary of sorts that will often be more dependent on photos than on words to tell the story.

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  11. Thank you so much for making the diary of your world cruise available to all of us. As a fellow Ontarian in a similar time period of life and with a love of exploring new places and cruising as a means of arriving at the different locations, it has been so enjoyable reading of all your adventures. At a time when there were so many negativities in life you inspired us to see the good in kind acts and inspired us to seize the opportunity again and plan trips, starting this month!   Look forward to following along again in the future. Kristine

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  13. I am so pleased every time I see an email in my inbox from your blog site, it’s a total delight to hear your thoughts and find out what is happening lately. I hope you continue, and thanks again for sharing.
    We’re going on the Viking world cruise in 2023-2024 (which we’ve rescheduled for the 3rd time since 2020 😜) and your perspective has been a wonderful introduction about what to expect.
    Enjoy your “in between” time! Diane

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  14. As a fellow World Cruiser I enjoyed your daily blog and am sure I will enjoy those you post as you continue your travels. Thank you

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  15. Oh, I so-o-o-o get it, Rose!!!

    As you know, I don’t blog, I don’t scrapbook, and I don’t remember. I try making ePhoto books after I’ve been somewhere special; it seems to help. As long as I remember to do them!

    Keep talking to that Diary person, my friend…. She’s a good match for you.

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  17. Made me cry! So many of your blogs remind me of past books, memories or events. They opened the world to me! So many feel as I do that we’re traveling with you T h a n k y o u !!! The Last Lecture was written for the future. This is yours 🖖 live long and prosper 🖖 Love you

    >

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  18. We have enjoyed following your world cruise aboard the Viking Star!! We love Viking!! You have given us some food for thought in how we will keep records of our travels!! Thanks so much! Suzy and Frank

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