We were supposed to be in the southern hemisphere this winter, when it is summer there. South America, Africa, Seychelles. Well, that part of the cruise was cancelled and we couldn’t quite get over it. Our calendar was totally empty and we just got back our refunded money that was already spent in our minds. So we found a last-minute condo on Sanibel Island, Florida, where our friends Tom and Charmaine were already basking, and booked it for the first week of February. On top of having a relaxing vacation, I decided to make this a practice run of sorts, to see what worked and what didn’t for travel.
We had a condo in Colorado for many years, so our vacations in winter went from cold to colder. I never realized how hard it is to be reasonable about packing for a warm weather holiday when you are doing it in arctic temperatures. It just feels so risky. But, aside from medicines and hygiene supplies, there are a couple of things I will almost never travel without. I consider them insurance. That is my North Face (“never stop exploring”) waterproof belted Stella Grace trench coat that can work for dress and casual and, did I mention, it is waterPROOF? And my North Face thermoball jacket, which weighs next to nothing and stuffs into it’s own pocket. I don’t care if it’s the tropics, there is always air-conditioning. I get cold. I also took my new camera, my travel sketching supplies, downloaded magazines, workout DVDs (yes, I know….but I actually used them twice!), and some new clothes I had bought for the upcoming cruise.
Once you make it over the causeway and onto Sanibel Island, it is wise to just stay contentedly marooned there for the duration of your vacation. The auto traffic in winter’s high season is pretty intolerable, especially during morning and evening rush hour when the workers come and go. But, no matter. It’s easy, fun, and efficient to rent a bike and peddle wherever you need to go. The island has a complex system of bike/walk trails everywhere to which the right-of-way is readily granted and mandatory.
But, there’s as much or as little to do as you want. The island is dedicated to it’s unique wildlife and nature preservation and has vast reserves to explore. There are quaint and beachy shops, friendly laid-back locals, a great farmer’s market on Sunday mornings that easily satisfied our culinary desires, also a wide range of restaurants, plus golf and tennis for those enthusiasts. Walking on the beach is a favorite lazy pastime and Sanibel is famous for it’s “shelling”. At any given hour, there are people all up and down the beach doing the “Sanibel Stoop”, in search of crustaceous treasures. And we visited our snowbird neighbors, Doug and Betty, while they were docked at nearby Captiva Island on their beautiful home-away-from-home boat.
While the weather was not hot, it was generally warm and pleasant and a welcome escape from the two snowstorms we missed back home. It was a great getaway and enough to satisfy our taste for summer. Meanwhile, I will start packing…..again!
Great update, Kristy!!! I love Sanibel Island. Very very relaxing like you said