Hi Tina and Norm. Wishing you a blessed and happy year ahead! 🤩 Looks adventurous and fun! The Amazon experience should be a glorious one. You’ve definitely put a lot of intention into the coming year and may it all be well worth it and work out according to your expectations! That’s what I wish for you both! Wherever you go keep us tuned in, with many, many diverse videos and pictures! That way we can pretend to be travelling as well, by following your journey virtually, especially, those who can’t afford to or for health reasons can’t travel. Bye bye! Take care and be safe! 😊 Have a marvellous time and enjoy your travels! 🛳️ ✈️ 🚘 🚍 🏝️ 🌆 ⛰️ 🌴 Sam 🌷 🇨🇦
The Empire builder is on our list too! We have done the Canadian and the Zepher. We live close to Orlando. Our daughter works at Disney. I also turn 70 this year. Have a great time on your trips.
Hi Tina and Norm! I think you have a great set of plans for 2025. Especially love your trip to Ecuador and Galapagos. I loved my trip to Madeira and I do not think you would be disappointed in that. Don't discount any of the Canary Islands for warm weather this winter. I will be retiring in 2025 and they are near the top of my list to return to. Stay well and have a great Christmas. Cheers, Craig from Hamilton
We are doing a retirement reset tomorrow. After living in Florida for four years we are moving to Delaware. A bit colder but way cheaper. That extra money will be put into travel. For my husband’s 70 th birthday in 2025 we are heading to France again. Haven’t been since 2018.
Twenty-five years ago we went to Orlando with the kids in August. There are no sufficient words to describe the mix of heat and humidity that you will experience there at that time of the year! I was still a young man back then and it knocked the crap out of me. I wouldn't even think of doing it now at my age. The best advice I can give you is don't go out till after sundown. Stay in the a/c. People drop dead every day. Hard to catch your breath, the air is so thick!
@@ThisIsOurRetirementOrlando is the bestest! We've been 3 times. Disney-World and Universal, my daughters being big Harry Potter fans. We find that nice and reasonably priced accommodations are abundant and plan on going back again and again. Next time we plan on taking the new high-speed train from Orlando to Miami. It's called Brightline and takes about 3 hours one way! That would be a cool video for you to do!❤️🍻🥅🏒- Mike from Ottawa
Hi Tina and Norm. WAAAYY back, somewhere buried in the train archives, Valerie Pringle did a "live stream" train ride from Vancouver through to Toronto, then up to Montreal and out to Halifax. There was a camera on the train engine up front, several cameras within the train and one out the back. It was a live stream event, before "Live Streaming" ever came into being.
Wow! That sounds like it would have been an amazing journey 🚂 especially doing a livestream, if we do the Ocean train 🚂 we will have gone all across Canada 🇨🇦 Cheers 🍷🙂🌺
@@ThisIsOurRetirement I'm sure if you look up Valerie Pringle either here on YT or I think CTV, back in the day, the show IS archived somewhere for viewing, but you need to know where to look for it.
You both are inspiring us with some of your travel ideas. We are looking at the Toronto to Vancouver train adventure. My wife will be 70 on August 19. Cheers to the next year of Travel!!!
I’m 69 and went on my first cruise in 11/24. I won’t rush into another cruise but will begin to travel more during the next 5 years while I still feel strong and healthy. My wife is 17 years younger than me with plans to retire early (in 3 1/2 years). The thought of spending our time doing the Lord’s work, enjoying each other and being totally free from the rat 🐀 race is soooooo exciting. I thank you for the inspiration 😊
My cousin has been arranging tours to Costa Rica for 20 years at least. He does it twice a year. 2025 is sold out. We plan to go in 2026. Something to consider for you folks.
Hello there, your travel plans sound wonderful. There’s a lovely boutique hotel just outside of Tobermory called Sweetwater Bay. Would definitely recommend. Great food and ambiance while close to town, the stunning Bruce Penninsula National Park and the Grotto Hiking Trail. So much to see and do on the peninsula with Flowerpot island as well. Safe travels.
Take Air North flight to Yukon in the summer. Go to Skagway and take the narrow gauge railway then stop in Carcross. A trip to Dawson City, Yukon is another historic area to see.
If you visit Halifax you should go to see Shakespeare by the sea. It’s an outdoor theatre . The plays are out in by professional performers at an outdoor theatre. They provide lawn chairs and water.
Hi Both...Looks like your 2025 is rounding up nicely. Just curious if you have been to Malta. We loved it there. For a weekly pass of 20 Euros (back then) we could meet at main part of city and travel around very easily. Friendly people and the history is amazing. Somewhere we would like to go back too...Stay safe and keep well ..F&D xx
Hi Tina and Norm, so exciting to hear you’re planning out your 2025. Just as an FYI, Italy is expecting more than double their average number of visitors through Italy starting in January 2025 throughout the year due to the 50 year jubilee that would be taking place. We were just in Rome in November and it was busy then, cannot even conceive of that many additional people travelling through Italy. You might want to hold off for another year to visit Italy. I would highly recommend Madeira Island. We visited there two years ago and absolutely love the island. Renting a car is absolutely the best way of seeing the island if that is doable for you. We stayed right in the main city Funchal. Absolutely loved our stay there. I should mention, though the only possible downside is that the island does not have beaches that you can walk along as the Algarve does, if that is important to you. It does have lots of other beautiful areas to explore. I am sure whatever you do you will enjoy it. It is always great to get away and change up the pace.
Winnipegers here who have been going to Quarteira/Vilamoura for 11 years with no regrets! We, too, love the train to travel so suggest you would probably enjoy the train trip to Churchill end of October/ beginning of November to see the polar bears as they wait to head out onto Hudson Bay. Book early or you may land on wait list for the following year.
In Quarteria we stay in the Dom Jose Beach Hotel. Right on the beach. Love the Prom for walking. We have also rented an apartment in Vilamoura. Apts Moura Praia. A bit pricey but lovely. But hotel great value and lots of reasonable restaurants around. You can go half board or b&b.
We have a travel insurance policy that covers us for 31 days as many trips as we want in a year , after that we take a top up with Toronto Dominion Bank Teresa Cheers 🍷🙂🌺
Merry Christmas to you both! We did the Hawaii cruise 18 years ago on NCL. Had a fantastic trip. Also did Orlando in August and yes it is stinking hot but we climatized very quickly. 🥵Safe travels.
Many many visits to Orlando over the years. We will never go in the summer again. Even a trip in May and another in Sept were unbearably humid and hot. Please take a hand held battery fan with you and lots of frozen water bottles
Thx for sharing your great ideas! How about VBT tours? John and I were thinking about doing the bicycling one (I think they’re electric bikes)we love Maine & being active!! We have friends who have used this group to tour Italy. We’re not retired yet, however trying to do some bigger trips while in our 50’s. Merry Christmas friends 🎄
Take the ferry to Manitoulin then after you're done exploring touristy Manitoulin hop off the island and take hwy 17 east toward SS Marie, but before you get there pop onto hwy 548 onto ST joseph island, completely different than manitoulin, almost no one is on the island as they are all weekend cottagers or work in SS marie. Take 548 through Richards landing down towards the government dock at sailor's encampment. drive up to I line road past sailor's encampment and up the hill next to the gilbertson mansion and then turn your car around at the top of that hill and look down the north channel and with luck they'll be a freighter in the river. Then turn around and take 548 round the entire island stopping at gilbertson pancake house to take in the view down that hill , maybe go to K line road and head to kentvale general store ..Hilton beach and then continue off the island. Head east again on 17 into the soo and maybe jump the international bridge into the US and go south into the Lower Peninsula and travel the west coast of the state until you get to Ludington and take the SS badger across lake MI to Manitowoc and then travel down to Chicago and snag a train to Seattle. .
Thanks for sharing your travel plans. Be sure to book Pearl Harbor shore excursion early. Pearl Harbor is Very popular so tends to sell out early, also because of popularity it is very difficult to do on your own. On a different note, your thoughts on “net worth” opened our eyes, giving different thoughts about future travel. One important note is travel was much easier in our 60’s than our 80’s.
We have talked a lot about travel insurance, we think it’s so important to have , ours is a yearly policy with BMO and covers us up to 31 days Cheers 🍷🙂🍻
Friends did an Approach tour of Italy and loved it. Everything taken care of
Mackinac Island might be a fun place to explore. Happy travels!!!
Hi Tina and Norm.
Wishing you a blessed and happy year ahead! 🤩 Looks adventurous and fun!
The Amazon experience should be a glorious one.
You’ve definitely put a lot of intention into the coming year and may it all be well worth it and work out according to your expectations! That’s what I wish for you both!
Wherever you go keep us tuned in, with many, many diverse videos and pictures! That way we can pretend to be travelling as well, by following your journey virtually, especially, those who can’t afford to or for health reasons can’t travel.
Bye bye! Take care and be safe! 😊
Have a marvellous time and enjoy your travels! 🛳️ ✈️ 🚘 🚍 🏝️ 🌆 ⛰️ 🌴
Sam 🌷 🇨🇦
The Empire builder is on our list too! We have done the Canadian and the Zepher. We live close to Orlando. Our daughter works at Disney. I also turn 70 this year. Have a great time on your trips.
Hi Tina and Norm! I think you have a great set of plans for 2025. Especially love your trip to Ecuador and Galapagos. I loved my trip to Madeira and I do not think you would be disappointed in that. Don't discount any of the Canary Islands for warm weather this winter. I will be retiring in 2025 and they are near the top of my list to return to. Stay well and have a great Christmas. Cheers, Craig from Hamilton
When you’re seasoned, every year is a milestone birthday! Enjoy it and your travels!
We are doing a retirement reset tomorrow. After living in Florida for four years we are moving to Delaware. A bit colder but way cheaper. That extra money will be put into travel. For my husband’s 70 th birthday in 2025 we are heading to France again. Haven’t been since 2018.
Twenty-five years ago we went to Orlando with the kids in August. There are no sufficient words to describe the mix of heat and humidity that you will experience there at that time of the year! I was still a young man back then and it knocked the crap out of me. I wouldn't even think of doing it now at my age. The best advice I can give you is don't go out till after sundown. Stay in the a/c. People drop dead every day. Hard to catch your breath, the air is so thick!
Thanks for sharing your experience. We will pick and choose our days out and if not stay in the A/C Cheers 🇺🇸🍻🇨🇦
@@ThisIsOurRetirementOrlando is the bestest! We've been 3 times. Disney-World and Universal, my daughters being big Harry Potter fans. We find that nice and reasonably priced accommodations are abundant and plan on going back again and again. Next time we plan on taking the new high-speed train from Orlando to Miami. It's called Brightline and takes about 3 hours one way! That would be a cool video for you to do!❤️🍻🥅🏒- Mike from Ottawa
After watching your train tour in March, snow 4 days on Canada Rail, we decided to do a Gate 1 trip to NZ in May 26. Thanks. ✌️
Hi Tina and Norm. WAAAYY back, somewhere buried in the train archives, Valerie Pringle did a "live stream" train ride from Vancouver through to Toronto, then up to Montreal and out to Halifax. There was a camera on the train engine up front, several cameras within the train and one out the back. It was a live stream event, before "Live Streaming" ever came into being.
Wow! That sounds like it would have been an amazing journey 🚂 especially doing a livestream, if we do the Ocean train 🚂 we will have gone all across Canada 🇨🇦 Cheers 🍷🙂🌺
@@ThisIsOurRetirement I'm sure if you look up Valerie Pringle either here on YT or I think CTV, back in the day, the show IS archived somewhere for viewing, but you need to know where to look for it.
You both are inspiring us with some of your travel ideas. We are looking at the Toronto to Vancouver train adventure. My wife will be 70 on August 19. Cheers to the next year of Travel!!!
Norm will be 70 on August 10 that will be a great month , hope you do the train trip 🚂 we loved it 🙂🍻
Happy holidays! Safe travels.
I’m 69 and went on my first cruise in 11/24. I won’t rush into another cruise but will begin to travel more during the next 5 years while I still feel strong and healthy. My wife is 17 years younger than me with plans to retire early (in 3 1/2 years). The thought of spending our time doing the Lord’s work, enjoying each other and being totally free from the rat 🐀 race is soooooo exciting. I thank you for the inspiration 😊
Your welcome Mark hopefully your wife might decide to retire earlier to be with you while you are still fit enough to travel Cheers 🍻🙂
Your fortunate that money is no object for you!!
Actually we have saved really hard for years to be able to enjoy our retirement together 🌺
Amazon warehouse LOL…Tina how do you put up with all of Norm’s jokes 😂
My cousin has been arranging tours to Costa Rica for 20 years at least. He does it twice a year. 2025 is sold out. We plan to go in 2026. Something to consider for you folks.
Hello there, your travel plans sound wonderful. There’s a lovely boutique hotel just outside of Tobermory called Sweetwater Bay. Would definitely recommend. Great food and ambiance while close to town, the stunning Bruce Penninsula National Park and the Grotto Hiking Trail. So much to see and do on the peninsula with Flowerpot island as well. Safe travels.
a little more expensive to travel these days with the Canadian dollar being beaten like a rented mule
Take Air North flight to Yukon in the summer. Go to Skagway and take the narrow gauge railway then stop in Carcross. A trip to Dawson City, Yukon is another historic area to see.
That sounds like a great adventure - we will have to check it out! Thanks 🍻🙂
Way to go...would love to hear your tips for cruises
Cruises can be a great deal if you plan ahead 🏖️🙂we have lots of videos of cruises 🚢 we have done 🍷🙂
Thanks you two.. Can I ask what hotel you stayed at in Niagara Falls? Keep your awesome videos coming.
August in orlando, i had a meeting thete once at that time. Its sweltering!
If you visit Halifax you should go to see Shakespeare by the sea. It’s an outdoor theatre . The plays are out in by professional performers at an outdoor theatre. They provide lawn chairs and water.
Thanks for the tip Lynda 🍷🙂🌺
August in Orlando. Perfect! 🥵🥵🥵🥵
Yep ! the things we need to do Cheers 🍷🙂🍻🇺🇸🇨🇦
Hi Both...Looks like your 2025 is rounding up nicely. Just curious if you have been to Malta. We loved it there. For a weekly pass of 20 Euros (back then) we could meet at main part of city and travel around very easily. Friendly people and the history is amazing. Somewhere we would like to go back too...Stay safe and keep well ..F&D xx
We have often thought of Malta 🇲🇹 but not got there yet Cheers Guys 🍻🙂🍷
Sounds like a fabulous year of fun and travel! Will be interested in the HAL cruise as it is one that is on our list. Merry Christmas!!
Hi Tina and Norm, so exciting to hear you’re planning out your 2025. Just as an FYI, Italy is expecting more than double their average number of visitors through Italy starting in January 2025 throughout the year due to the 50 year jubilee that would be taking place. We were just in Rome in November and it was busy then, cannot even conceive of that many additional people travelling through Italy. You might want to hold off for another year to visit Italy. I would highly recommend Madeira Island. We visited there two years ago and absolutely love the island. Renting a car is absolutely the best way of seeing the island if that is doable for you. We stayed right in the main city Funchal. Absolutely loved our stay there. I should mention, though the only possible downside is that the island does not have beaches that you can walk along as the Algarve does, if that is important to you. It does have lots of other beautiful areas to explore. I am sure whatever you do you will enjoy it. It is always great to get away and change up the pace.
Winnipegers here who have been going to Quarteira/Vilamoura for 11 years with no regrets! We, too, love the train to travel so suggest you would probably enjoy the train trip to Churchill end of October/ beginning of November to see the polar bears as they wait to head out onto Hudson Bay. Book early or you may land on wait list for the following year.
Churchill sounds amazing, we'll have to check it out! Thanks Linda In Quarteria do you stay in a hotel or an apartment 🍷🙂🌺
In Quarteria we stay in the Dom Jose Beach Hotel. Right on the beach. Love the Prom for walking. We have also rented an apartment in Vilamoura. Apts Moura Praia.
A bit pricey but lovely. But hotel great value and lots of reasonable restaurants around. You can go half board or b&b.
Thanks for sharing, wandering what kind of travel insurance you use for longer than 40 days travel.
We have a travel insurance policy that covers us for 31 days as many trips as we want in a year , after that we take a top up with Toronto Dominion Bank Teresa Cheers 🍷🙂🌺
We have a cruise booked to Hawaii in April on HAL, i hope you are on that one! We would love to meet you!!
Wonderful we are looking forward to it too with HAL 🍷🚢🍻
If you get to Big Island walk the Onomea Trail and visit Akaka Falls. Also hapuna beach in Kona area
Merry Christmas to you both! We did the Hawaii cruise 18 years ago on NCL. Had a fantastic trip. Also did Orlando in August and yes it is stinking hot but we climatized very quickly. 🥵Safe travels.
Many many visits to Orlando over the years. We will never go in the summer again. Even a trip in May and another in Sept were unbearably humid and hot. Please take a hand held battery fan with you and lots of frozen water bottles
Thx for sharing your great ideas! How about VBT tours? John and I were thinking about doing the bicycling one (I think they’re electric bikes)we love Maine & being active!!
We have friends who have used this group to tour Italy.
We’re not retired yet, however trying to do some bigger trips while in our 50’s.
Merry Christmas friends 🎄
Try the ultimate Orient Express!
Go Go Going, in your Go Go years!!
Would love cruise shopping tips
Will do!
It is important to seize your time
Haven't checked all your videos - but as for a suggestion - have you tried to see the Northern Lights?
We did try that when we went to Iceland but didn’t see them 🍻🙂
Australia also has a trans-continental train. Of course there is trans-Siberia too, but this one has to wait until peace is restored.
Great ideas 🙂🍻🚂
Take the ferry to Manitoulin then after you're done exploring touristy Manitoulin hop off the island and take hwy 17 east toward SS Marie, but before you get there pop onto hwy 548 onto ST joseph island, completely different than manitoulin, almost no one is on the island as they are all weekend cottagers or work in SS marie. Take 548 through Richards landing down towards the government dock at sailor's encampment. drive up to I line road past sailor's encampment and up the hill next to the gilbertson mansion and then turn your car around at the top of that hill and look down the north channel and with luck they'll be a freighter in the river. Then turn around and take 548 round the entire island stopping at gilbertson pancake house to take in the view down that hill , maybe go to K line road and head to kentvale general store ..Hilton beach and then continue off the island. Head east again on 17 into the soo and maybe jump the international bridge into the US and go south into the Lower Peninsula and travel the west coast of the state until you get to Ludington and take the SS badger across lake MI to Manitowoc and then travel down to Chicago and snag a train to Seattle. .
That sounds like a great adventure - we will have to check it out!Thanks Mark 🍻🙂
Question, have you ever done a Viking Cruise?
No we haven’t Barbara 🍷🙂🌺
I wouldn’t recommend it, they make you row and pillage😉
You have to see Pearl Harbour in Honolulu, it is so amazing.
We thought we would but the line ups and time makes it difficult
GET THERE !!!@@ThisIsOurRetirement
Hey norm and Tina , do u find the prices of hotels in the falls atrocious,it appears to be Vegas north
If you look Terry there are some great deals to be found Cheers 🇺🇸🍻🇨🇦
Have you been to Churchill to visit the polar bears before they become extinct? I can't remember if you have.
Thanks for sharing your travel plans. Be sure to book Pearl Harbor shore excursion early. Pearl Harbor is Very popular so tends to sell out early, also because of popularity it is very difficult to do on your own.
On a different note, your thoughts on “net worth” opened our eyes, giving different thoughts about future travel. One important note is travel was much easier in our 60’s than our 80’s.
Yes travel does get a little more difficult as we age but it’s still so important to keep exploring.Thanks for the tip on Pearl Harbour Cheers 🍻🙂
Can ... Can I come with? ... oh ... OK ... Well have fun!
Great to hear from you Jeff Cheers 🍻🙂
Me too!!!!
Go to Israel! Greatest trip ever!
BTW. Have you ever done a piece on travel insurance?
I’m a Leo as well (August 7). They rock.
We have talked a lot about travel insurance, we think it’s so important to have , ours is a yearly policy with BMO and covers us up to 31 days Cheers 🍷🙂🍻