Kindness of Strangers

Before planning a round-the-world trip took possession of our lives, we used to spend most Sundays reading the New York Times.  I hate to reinforce gender stereotypes, but I gravitated towards the Style and Arts & Entertainment sections, whereas Maikael snatched up the Business and Real Estate pages.  The one section we shared equal interest in was Travel.  Maikael and I would pour over tales of Iceland and India, Bali and Bulgaria, ooing and ahing at the gorgeous photography.  “We’ve got to go there someday!” we exclaimed, reading an article by Edward Albee on Easter Island.  Then, our emotional balloon deflated.  We’d brandish our scissors, snip the article, and slip it, with a sigh, into a plain, manila folder labeled, “Trips to Take.” 

 Over the years that folder bulged, eventually forcing me to organize it into regions of the world.  It was discouraging to see the file growing; we didn’t seem to be crossing many locations off the list.  Seeing our ambitious travel goals in black and white helped us solidify our dream of traveling for an extended period, and when we began putting together an itinerary for this trip our first steps was to revisit our New York Times file. 

Needing more time to plan our trip, we reluctantly cancelled our weekly subscription early last fall.  Last Sunday, Maikael picked up a copy of the Sunday Times for a coworker and brought the remains home. I immediately flipped to Travel; it felt like visiting an old friend.  I was delighted to see an article about viewing Goya’s art in Madrid, a city I would be visiting in just under three weeks!  For once I was able to clip the article and, rather than stuff it into the folder, tuck it into my travel guide for Spain. 

Editor’s note:  Even if you don’t subscribe to the New York Times, you can access their fantastic archive of travel-related stories and guides via their website at www.nytimes.com  (click on “Travel”), allowing you to search by region or country.  We have consistently found their recommendations to be spot-on, and the writers always seem to have a fresh perspective and unique take on whatever location they’re highlighting.