Travel to a ”T”

PRAGUE, Czech Republic – When I hit 40, I experienced that typical midlife crisis. I re-evaluated my life and realized that most, maybe even all of the things I’d always wanted to do, I had done. I found myself wondering, “What’s next?”

Then it came to me. There’s a whole wide world out there just waiting to be explored. So I came up with a plan – a nice, long 26-year plan to see the world.

I’d start with “A” and go through the alphabet, one letter a year. I only have one rule: My destination must be outside the continental 48 states.

I also gave myself the flexibility to pick a region rather than a precise destination. For instance, the first year, “A” was for “Alps.” I really wanted to go to Australia, but that was a little (OK, a lot) out of my budget. So we ended up in the small town of Kandersteg, Switzerland. It’s a quiet place and a well-kept secret. But in April, the flowers are blooming and the weather is sunny and cool.

I spent almost eight months trying to decide what to do for “B.” My husband tried to talk me into Berlin, but since we had both lived there as teenagers, I wasn’t too intrigued by that choice. Besides, I reasoned, with a whole world to choose from, why go somewhere you’ve already been?

“B” ended up being for Belize. I found a great resort on the Internet and cheap round-trip tickets. We went in November. It turned out to be the perfect time of year. Being the slow tourist season, we were the only guests of the resort for half the week.

We canoed through a cave, climbed on Mayan ruins and rode horseback through a tropical jungle. The sun was blazing at times, but the pool at the resort was the perfect place to cool off.

“C” was a little easier. I picked the Czech Republic. Eastern Europe has always fascinated me. Once again, I turned to the Internet for cheap airfare. We flew round-trip from Washington’s Dulles International Airport to Prague for just $563.50 each. Of course, we had a three-hour layover each way in Amsterdam, but it was worth the savings.

Besides, Holland’s Schipol Airport is not a bad place to spend a layover. We wandered through the international terminal checking out the art sculptures, stopped at the high-speed Internet access computers set up on the concourse to check our e-mail and send notes home, and enjoyed one of the best cups of airport coffee I’ve ever had – with fresh pastries.

I also used the Web to find a hotel in Prague. But you take something of a risk picking a hotel without having seen it. So after narrowing my choices down to a few, I spent several days surfing down sites where travelers give opinions of hotels.

That ended up being a wise decision. The first two hotels I was considering were soundly panned by previous guests. I finally picked the Hotel U Tri Korunek and made the reservations online. Total cost for seven nights including a hot breakfast every morning was about $400.

I really wasn’t sure what there was to see and do in the Czech capital, so next stop was the bookstore. I picked up Lonely Planet’s guide for Prague, a city map, chose a couple of must-see locations and left the bulk of the week to chance.

My husband wondered if we could pop over to Poland, since we were going to be so close. After some more research, we settled on a day trip to Czestochowa. It’s a religious pilgrimage site and home of the Black Madonna, a Catholic icon.

Booking train tickets from Prague turned out to be more than I could figure out on my own, so I went to a travel agent in my hometown in Virginia. We decided to take an overnight train that would arrive early in the morning, spend about half the day and take an afternoon train back to Prague. The cost for both tickets, including a two-person sleeper berth, was $409.

The week in Prague was an absolute delight. The churches are magnificent. We spent an entire day exploring the Prague Castle. We visited the Karlov Most (Charles Bridge) at least three times and we wandered the old heart of the city admiring the art and architecture for almost two whole days. Prague, as it turns out, is extremely affordable.

The guide book had said Czech cuisine includes a lot of wild game, so we looked for a restaurant to try some. Most of the restaurants post the daily specials and menus outside. It’s a very European thing to do and helps you decide whether or not to go inside for dinner.

That’s how we found the charming U Certa restaurant. A big board posted next to a funny-looking plastic statue of a devil – “certa” means devil – touted the wild boar, venison steaks and hare. It was exactly what we had been looking for.

My husband opted for the venison steak; I ordered the boar. Each came with a fried potato pancake or dumpling. Since we knew there would be a lot of sharing, we each picked one. The dumpling looked like it had been cut off a dumpling loaf. It was a slice of half-inch-thick heaven, especially when dipped into the gravy for the meat.

We had a four-course meal, with dessert and drinks, for about $40. We ended up at that restaurant twice and tried the skewered venison and hare the second time around.

To save a few dollars here and there, we even opted for a ready-made roast chicken and fresh baked rolls from a grocery store a couple of nights. Throw in some wine and fresh tomatoes, and you’ve got a picnic dinner in your hotel room for a few dollars.

My next stop will be Dublin. That’s where I’ve decided to go for “D.” I’ve been lucky with offseason travel, so I’ll try it again this year.

I’ve got an idea of where I want to go in the years ahead. Fiji is calling to me for “F.” I want to get to every continent at least once. (That may not be too easy when it comes to Antarctica, given the expense and the fact that “A” was for Alps.) I may try a safari in Kenya if I can save up enough cash.

It doesn’t really matter, though. As long as I keep traveling, I’ll always have something to look forward to.