Returning to Canada after a time away almost always triggers immediate wanderlust. It’s not that we don’t enjoy being back and nearer to family, but we are increasingly aware that our window for longterm travel is slowly closing, and want to take advantage of every opportunity.

The older we get, the more expensive our travel insurance will get, and the less adaptable to timezone changes and interrupted sleep patterns our bodies will get. We want to pack in as much as possible while we’re healthy and active.

Sadly, we’re also realizing just how unpredictable life can be. In the past few months two friends have lost their life partners far too early, and several others have had health crises that impact their ability to travel outside Canada.

With those things on our minds, not long after returning from our almost 5 month world cruise we realized that – after I returned from Germany with son #2, and Ted and I completed our river cruise – we would have 2 whole months without a trip!

Two months = an open window.

So we’re off again next week, on a slightly “spur-of-the-moment” cruise.

Lest folks think I’m the only one always looking at travel offers, Ted’s social media feed is full of them too. For a while now he has been seeing offers from a U.S.-based travel agent for discounts on Viking cruises that we never see in Canada. Frankly, it’s been bugging us but – especially right now – we didn’t want to deal with a U.S.travel agent. Frankly, we’re not even making bookings on U.S.-owned cruise lines or with U.S.-owned tour companies. It’s our own little “elbows up” move.

But we really liked the deal they had for a week-long cruise around the boot of Italy.

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So … we did what has become our go-to: we messaged Carol, our amazing travel agent.

It took a few days, but Carol got Viking to match the offer for us.

Having put her to that effort, it would have been rude not to book the cruise, right?

So off we go again.

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We’ve been to Venice and Šibenik before – and Rome, which this trip only uses as an embarkation point – but everything else will be new.

The offer included only a “Guaranteed” cabin, but since Viking’s ocean ships only have balcony cabins, and this is a very short cruise, we’re simply going to be surprised when our cabin gets assigned at boarding.

Also, since this was an un-budgetted add-on to our year, we’re not taking any optional (i.e. extra cost) excursions except for one in Bari. The “deal” price already included our flights, shipboard gratuities, and the Silver Spirits drink package – and Viking does not charge for specialty dining or use of the spa – so having prepaid it all in June it’s now “free”. Ted says my logic is astounding.

All that remains is checking the weather forecast and packing.