Making our Christmas Day flight from Santiago de Chile to Boston, Massachusetts, USA was tricky. First, we had no idea if Maya’s neck injury — and the side effects of all the drugs — would be cleared in time for the trip.
Then, we were faced with extremely slow and long lines and inefficient officials at Chilean immigration to receive our exit stamp and be able to leave the country. Impatience. Frustration. Running. Sweating. Being the last two people on the plane…
But we made it! And we looked forward to some rest, comfort, and social times in the US.
(As always, click on or hover over photos in galleries to read their captions.)
Week 1: Fun Times
The day after Christmas (Boxing Day), Mark, Maya, and I arrived at our “home base” (aka official address) in Newburyport. The temperature contrast couldn’t be bigger. We went from 90°F (32°C) to 12°F (-11°C), and the sun set at 4pm! Snow decorated the ground and trees. This would become a theme; our surroundings remained white for the entire time we were there.
After reorganizing our belongings (what stays, what comes to Europe, what gets packed for our next camper, what gets donated), doctors’ visits for Maya and me, and catching up with my mother-in-law, helping where necessary for a handful of days — we already left her again to celebrate the New Year with good friends.
A trip to New England isn’t complete without a multiple-day stay at Denise and Ryan’s place in Uxbridge, MA. This time, our visit coincided with a New Year’s Eve party next door. This was the first real party Mark and I attended in two decades! I learned about Yankee gift swaps and the Saran Wrap ball game. Separation-anxiety-prone Maya had to stay at our friends’ house, so we checked on her every hour.
Unfortunately, Mark wasn’t feeling well, so we left early and started 2026 getting ready for bed. Hopefully, this was not an omen for the new year.
Week 2: Being Sick
Despite wearing masks on the plane and in public buildings and being super careful not to catch anything, we both got sick, most likely from a family member.
Sick in bed
It started with Mark first, and I followed. For some reason, this particular strand of flu was stubborn and lingering. After two weeks of throat aches, congestion, lots of coughing, and little sleep, we finally started feeling better. For Mark’s almost 90-year-old mom, recovery took even longer.
On a positive note: after a lame attempt to sell our Ford F350’s tailgate that had been stored at Ryan’s place for four years, we managed to sell it. In winter. With crappy photos. Doing little effort. The last remnant of Thirsty Bella … gone!
Week 3: Caretaking in Connecticut
Months prior, I had agreed to take care of a family member in Greenwich, CT, for the second week of January. Since I wasn’t feeling great, I took a Covid test (which was negative) and chatted with Brian’s wife about what was going on the night before I was supposed to leave. She wasn’t worried, so we stuck to the plan and I took a 7-hour journey by trains and metro to my new destination.
For a week, I made sure Brian had healthy meals to eat, didn’t forget to take his medicines, kept him company, and took care of — and loved — the property’s dog, Lily. And two cats. Those of you who know me well might snicker at the thought of me actually cooking for someone else. Yeah… It was something! I only messed up one lunch and one dinner. Luckily, Margaret had provided some prepared food and frozen snacks.
One of the reasons I had looked forward to my time here was the promise of me-time and rest. But, due to the tasks at hand and feeling sick (needing naps during my spare time), I didn’t manage to catch up on my writing at all. But I am happy to report that Brian was doing much better by the time I left. I’m sure it wasn’t due to my cooking skills!
Week 4: Work and Health
On my last day in Connecticut, a gigantic translation project landed in my inbox. Just like that time in Rio de Janeiro, my priorities had to shift to full-time work for at least a week. So that’s what I focused on during our fourth week back in the US: making money. Someone has to do it! 🙂
Time to work!
The same week, I also took care of more health checkups, which all went fine. Mammogram. Dental care. Tests. Trying out the bus system, since we didn’t have a borrowed car anymore.
Week 5: A 90th Birthday Party and a Blizzard
The main reason Mark, Maya, and I returned to the US in the midst of winter was a special occasion. Mark’s mom, Carol, would celebrate her 90th birthday. And what a party it was. Despite some issues securing a venue, almost the entire family was present for a cozy, tasty, and social birthday lunch.
Again, we had to leave Maya behind, this time in our room in Carol’s condo. Maya doesn’t do well without one of us. She has separation anxiety, and living with us 24/7 for the seven years we’ve had her doesn’t help this condition. Despite being familiar with this room and us being able to talk — and yell — to her over the internet, she hated being alone. On a video screen, we could see her being anxious and restless, pacing, climbing and scratching on the door, knocking our clothes off the shelf. We heard her bark, whine, and howl. After three hours, I returned home early.
There was talk about a massive winter storm, predicted for the weekend of our departure to Europe. As time progressed, we worried our Sunday flight would get cancelled. On Friday, a call to TAP Portugal confirmed our flight on January 25th would be cancelled and we could rebook the trip for free.
We knew we could pull it off to leave the day before, on Saturday, but this was not possible. All flights were cancelled for the entire weekend. How about that same night? There was room on the plane. Could we get ready to leave within eight hours? I thought so. I didn’t want to have anything to do with a New England blizzard! We committed to leaving that Friday night but needed confirmation about Maya.
We frantically put everything in order for our imminent departure. Around 4pm (a couple of hours before we’d have to drive to the airport), we learned that the free voucher was only valid for rebookings AFTER the storm. So we rescheduled for Tuesday to stick with a direct flight and thinking the snow and ice would be cleared off the runway by then and delays would have been solved. Right.
As if this hadn’t been enough stress, we were contacted by a scammer pretending to be working for TAP. He urged us to pay rebooking fees and was very insistent and threatening. He seemed to have access to our booking information, and after realizing he wasn’t legit, we worried about him making changes to our booking. By then, we learned that the Tuesday flight was sold out. Needless to say, many more hours were spent rectifying, confirming, and guaranteeing everything was okay for Tuesday.
Saturday was the coldest day of my life. The temperature was 3°F (-16°C), feeling like -16°F (-27°C!). Taking Maya for walks caused instant tears, snot, numbness, and pain in the face. This visit taught me a lot about the winter climate in New England. In general, the cold and rain are easy to deal with. It’s the icy sidewalks that are scary. I’ve walked all over the world on all kinds of trails, but none were as dangerous as my 45-minute walk home from the doctor’s office during a rainstorm that turned to ice under my feet. Why would anyone live here? It’s a question Mark and I pondered for the entire month.
My icy and rainy walk home from the doctor’s office
We used the extra time of our cancelled flight to book accommodation rentals in southern Spain and Portugal for the coming two months and spent precious time with family members. Mark had to be creative cooking dinners as there wasn’t much food left.
The blizzard arrived on Sunday. It snowed for 24 hours. There was so much snow that the sidewalks had been stacked with five feet of it. To take Maya out, we had to first clear the front door with a shovel, create a path to the road, and walk her on the street. When she tried to squat, her bum touched snow. It wasn’t easy for her to do her business as she sank into the snow up to her belly. The white stuff had covered all the smells as well.
On Monday, it kept snowing and all flights were still cancelled. We feared for Tuesday. We had already lost a free taxi ride by rebooking our Lisbon rental, which we could not postpone any more.
Leaving the US for Europe
Everything was arranged for Tuesday travel day. Mark’s amazing niece gave us a ride to the airport with plenty of time to spare.
We arrived 3.5 hours ahead of time, boarding passes in hand. Without checked luggage, we were ready to go. Except. We couldn’t. One flight after another was cancelled or delayed as we watched the departures screen. Our plane had a two-hour delay. Apparently, Portugal was experiencing a massive storm, so planes couldn’t land. We were sandwiched between winter storms.
Eventually, we boarded the plane after an unorganized process. And then, we sat there, in tiny seats on the second-to-last row. This direct flight from Boston to Lisbon was supposed to take six hours. One hour after the next passed without the plane moving from the gate. Everyone was hungry, uncomfortable, antsy. Mark and I were the only ones wearing face masks. Frustration set in.
Hours of waiting at the gate
After two hours, the captain told us the plane was overweight, so we couldn’t use the runway, which hadn’t been totally cleared of ice. They had overloaded this overbooked plane, the first TAP one to fly in four days. What a mess!
After three stationary, claustrophobic, uncomfortable hours, the pilots had a solution: run the engines hard to waste fuel and lose weight. Our plane was de-iced and moved to a quieter corner of Logan Airport, where we listened to and vibrated with the rumbling engines for an entire hour. It felt like going through a turbulence zone, sitting on the runway. It was crazy. Unheard of. Unprecedented.
Passengers complained, but were not being treated nicely or courteously. After receiving a sandwich, we had quite a bit of trash around us and little space. When I asked a flight attendant if she could take it, the answer was that they didn’t have room for it either. Dealing with TAP Airlines on this trip was awful.
But, eventually, we took flight. My TV screen didn’t work, so I tried to rest. After ten hours (instead of six) in the plane in addition to the extra two hours of waiting in the airport, we finally arrived in Lisbon with a 54-hour delay. Our European adventure could start!
Welcome to rainy Lisbon!
Two more things:
- Fellow traveler, adventurer, sailor, and author Bron Hogan invited me to talk about my less than ordinary lifestyle on her inspiring podcast “Travel with Us a While”. You can listen to the 25-minute recording here.
The nicely created blog version about my nomadic lifestyle chat contains photos and less “rambling”. 🙂 It can be read here.
- Since I’m not posting monthly expense reports anymore, I am going to show a quick overview of our January 2026 costs here, for anyone interested. It was the second-most expensive month of our 22 nomadic years, after that month in 2014 when Mark and I had to fly home and leave our sailboat in Tahiti because of Mark’s cancer diagnosis.
January was extremely expensive because it covered some of our upcoming rentals, plane tickets, a rental car for two months, Maya’s travel permits, contributing to Carol’s 90th birthday party, and random costs.
January 2026 Expenses:
- Accommodation: $1,090 (apartments)
- Travel: $649 (plane tickets)
- Transportation: $633 ($623 rental car, $10 Bolt taxis)
- Dog: $429 ($410 import permits, $19 pills)
- Gifts: $375 (Carol’s party and donations)
- Dining out:$110 (take-out Chinese, two meals Lisbon)
- Groceries: $109
- Clothing: $72 (jeans Mark, shoes Liesbet)
- Miscellaneous: $50 (driver’s license Liesbet)
- Car: $33 (fuel)
- Medical: $17 (bandages, masks)
- Utilities: $11 (internet via e-SIM)
- Alcohol: $9
- Postage: $7
- Drinking out: $2
TOTAL: $3,596
Next up: Four days in Lisbon, Portugal
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February 19, 2026 at 9:43 am
Oof, I’m with you about wondering why anyone would live up there! (At least in the winter). The flight to Portugal sounds nightmareish. Glad y’all made it through!
February 19, 2026 at 2:35 pm
Thanks, Theresa. So far, New England had never been too cold for us, becuase we stuck to summer visits. I think that’s wise. 🙂 Where do you live?
February 19, 2026 at 10:06 am
Wow! Just getting on a plane and out of Chile sounded like a crazy ordeal. Glad to hear Maya “past” all required regulations. Carmen and I are not into snow. We will do almost anything to be some else other than a location that snows. But three times we found ourselves in June in snow. The best laid plans of mice and men. So sorry to hear about the prolonged flu. Damn! That 90th birthday party sounds wonderful. What a milestone. Holy smokes! A scammer?!?!? How in the world were they able to get your reservation information? That is scary. OK, you are now talking insane temperatures 3° F. That is crazy!!! I love your question: “Why would anyone live here?” Yep, why???? Your story of Sunday is absolutely amazing. And the photos!!!! And then more delays, and then sitting there while the jets wasted fuel. You can’t make this shit up. Glad you finally made it to Europe. Were you able to see Laura from Chapter3 Travels while in Lisbon? Just wondering. Thanks for sharing. What a story!!!! Jim
February 19, 2026 at 2:42 pm
Hi Jim,
Thanks for your attention span and thoughtful comments on our latest US adventure. 🙂
I hear you about the best laid plans. Like you, we usually avoid snow and cold. Once we did a house sit in Colorado in September and woke up to inches of snow on the roof of our then camper. The owners of the house hadn’t even turned their heating system on or explained how it worked, so we had to make a log fire to stay warm!
We think the scammer who called us had been fed information and details from an actual TAP employee. We reported the incident to the genuine airline company.
I often feel our life is crazy. Too crazy for anyone to ever make it up. I’m so happy with somewhat of a break from it all right now.
Unfortunately, I never got in touch with Laura (my messages went unanswered), so we didn’t meet up with them. I don’t even know if they’re still living in Lisbon at this point. I wish I had her Facebook info or something like that. Oh well…
February 19, 2026 at 10:13 am
As you say, I believe “this was a one-off! Even Florida was extremely cold in January.
But now you’re cozy in Andalusia, Spain. Happy travels in a different clime, a different terrain. 😀
February 19, 2026 at 2:43 pm
Hi Marian,
The bad weather kept following us to Portugal and Spain, but Mark and I kept telling ourselves that, despite the rain and wind, at least it was not freezing or snowing anymore! 🙂 Andalusia is pretty nice at the moment. The sun even came out a few days ago.
February 19, 2026 at 10:23 am
That NE USA world is way too cold for me, as is the MidWest where my Sis lives. California was comfortable albeit a gut punch as usual to the wallet. Two more oil companies left the state so gas prices will go up beyond the most expensive in the nation.
Of course, we hear horror stories about Europe so I’ll await your reports.
February 19, 2026 at 2:45 pm
Hi Jacqui,
Things seem to have been turned upside down in many parts of the world. Life seems to be challenging no matter where you live or what you do. Sigh. But, we shall all make the best of it. How about an electric or hybrid car?
February 19, 2026 at 11:07 am
What a traveling nightmare. I’ve never heard of burning fuel to reduce weight. It’s too bad Mark’s mom’s birthday wasn’t at a time that was more conducive to being outdoors. Best of luck on your next adventures. I’ll be following along.
February 19, 2026 at 2:48 pm
Hi Pete,
We so desperately wanted and waited for a break. Some rest and peace. Without challenges. But no matter what we try or where we (temporarily) live, there are always challenges. I guess it comes with the territory. Or the lifestyle.
That burning fuel episode was truly surreal. And, the flight crew mentioned it was unprecedented. Such a waste of money, resources, and time!!
February 19, 2026 at 12:42 pm
Looks like your greatest adventure is just behind you! Welcome to Europe! Feel free to drop by anytime and be our guests!
February 19, 2026 at 2:50 pm
Hello Michael,
I was just thinking about you both today, wondering when you’re next escapade would take place and where…
Let’s hope Europe brings us some awesome times and a new camper soon!!! Whenever we are in your area, we will let you know, of course. We’re all looking forward to seeing you, Sabine, and Sam again.
February 19, 2026 at 2:02 pm
Liesbet, I do hope that Spain and Portugal are treating you much better. The snow in New England is beautiful, but no way I’d want to live there.
February 19, 2026 at 2:53 pm
Hi Suzanne,
I totally agree about not living in New England!!! We are happy to visit in the summer time but that’ll be it. If we have a say in it, anyway. You never know if and when my MIL will need us there full-time.
We had a rough start on the Iberian peninsula, but I think we’ve finally turned the corner regarding all the rain and wind. Andalusia has been beautiful.
February 19, 2026 at 2:12 pm
Nothing is ever easy for you, is it? What a horrible ordeal! The thought of being trapped in the plane for hours makes my skin crawl, and I would have been very anxious indeed at the thought of burning fuel to lighten the load. What if they’d had to extend the flight at the other end? Would they have run out of fuel? YIKES! But at least you’re finally in Europe. Here’s hoping things go smoothly for you!
February 19, 2026 at 2:57 pm
Hi Diane,
Yeah. I don’t know what it is. The harder we try for an easy period without challenges, the less it happens. We seem to attract unique situations and weather patterns wherever we travel. Even here in southern Spain and Portugal!! What to do?
Running out of fuel at the end of the journey did cross my mind. And we had another challenge (with Maya) on the plane as well, which I didn’t even mention. So, yes, our skin was indeed crawling and our tolerance and patience were seriously tested!!
Thank you for your well wishes. Europe was off to a rough start, but I think we are finally getting in the groove of better weather and less stress. 🙂
February 19, 2026 at 2:27 pm
New England is still snow covered and cold!
February 19, 2026 at 2:58 pm
Really??? Wow. I’m glad we are not there anymore. I’m sure the prettiness has worn off by now. But spring is almost around the corner. One more month. 🙂
February 19, 2026 at 4:51 pm
Glad your New England nightmare is over, you’re both feeling better, as you finally got over to Europe. Wishing you calmer days, warmer weather, and good health.
February 23, 2026 at 3:24 pm
Thanks, Annie. I admit: the three of us are feeling happier and better in southern Europe at the moment. We don’t have too much responsibility (since we are homeless – camperless – and on our own) at the moment, the weather is finally sunny, and we are finding a good balance between work and leisure. 🙂
February 19, 2026 at 5:34 pm
I can’t imagine living in New England either. But, I’m glad a lot of people are okay with snow… if they weren’t, California would be even more overcrowded than it is. 😎🌴
I’m sorry that you were targeted by the scammer. That they had so much information about your travel plans is worrisome.
February 23, 2026 at 3:29 pm
Haha, that’s a good point, Janis. We’ve often said to each other that it’s a good thing not everyone wants to live in a camper (abroad), or it would get way too crowded and touristy. 🙂 The same counts for where people decide to live.
Regarding the scammer, we think he was fed personal information about our booking from a genuine TAP representative. We reported this event to a customer service rep. Not sure if anything was done with this, but, after putting extra security measures in place, nothing happened to our previous booking.
What an ordeal, though. The entire TAP airlines flight… And I’m dealing with a complain now but they don’t think a six-hour delay is a big deal or their fault. Of course.
February 20, 2026 at 8:00 am
Considering you guys have spent most of your time together traveling, you sure seem to hit all the bad stuff doing it. And I knew a lot of people who got that nasty flu over the holidays. At least your were there for Mark’s mother’s birthday.
February 23, 2026 at 3:32 pm
Hi Alex,
Of course we weren’t (and never are) the only ones going through all these hassles and issues. Many people apparently caught this nasty flu or a version of it. And hundreds of other people had to deal with this nasty TAP airlines experience, and thousands of people had delayed flights due to the blizzard – and then the freak storm in Portugal.
I think we have to deal with all the bad stuff, because of the very fact that we travel a lot and often not in a conventional way. It’s almost like we are constantly asking for trouble, because of the way we choose to live. Talk about a conundrum…
February 20, 2026 at 1:00 pm
As the saying goes, it never rains but it pours! Or, in this case, snows.
February 23, 2026 at 3:33 pm
Haha, Anabel. I really can’t remember or recount all those times that it has – figuratively – been pouring for us. I guess it comes with the territory. Luckily, it’s rarely been snow. 🙂
February 22, 2026 at 8:05 pm
It is always nice to visit with friends. But I have no interest in snow. It is pretty the first day and then just annoying, or worse. The snow turned to ice, and we were basically trapped for a week. But it is almost all melted now. But, of course, we don’t have to poop and pee in it like poor Maya and our current charge, Penny.
Planes are so uncomfortable. I hate that you had such a delay!
So nice that Carol’s birthday party went so well. 90 years is incredible!
February 23, 2026 at 3:40 pm
It sounds like you and me are on the same page when it comes to snow, Duwan. I guess some people (like us and many travelers I know) would rather avoid the white stuff all together and forever. I remember your blog post (or was it Facebook post) where you all got stuck in the house because of the snow and ice. At least, we were located in a city with well-plowed roads. I did realize that.
The more we try to have a stress-free flight (especially with Maya), the less it works out. This particular flight from Boston to Lisbon was supposed to be the easiest one ever. No layovers and just six hours on the plane. Right…
Carol is doing amazing with her 90 years of age. She looks amazing, is loved by many family members, and is still mostly self-sufficient, but we are still very grateful for Mark’s niece living upstairs and checking in on her often. It’s such a weight off our shoulders.
February 23, 2026 at 11:06 am
What a nightmare of a read. Not only the travel chaos, but both of you becoming ill, too. And through it all, you played nurse and looked after somebody who was also ill. You made me laugh about what you said about your cooking, though. It reminded me of the time I took care of a friend, and the first meal I did was a pizza. All I had to do was put it in the oven. Silly me forget to remove the plastic base it was on. I’ll never forget the smell of melting plastic coming from an oven. Nor does he.
Glad you made it safely to Europe, even though the travels gods did all they could to stop you getting there. Yes, it’s been very, very wet and cold, but signs of spring have arrived, so I hear. Enjoy!
February 23, 2026 at 3:48 pm
Hi Hugh,
We’ve been experiencing some interesting months. But when does it ever get boring for us anyway? 🙂
Now your story made me laugh. Forgetting the plastic foil in an oven… That must indeed have smelled awful. Some people are just not meant to cook. Luckily, you and I have other charms and talents. And, we have partners who enjoy cooking and are good at it.
In my case, I managed to mess up over-hard eggs for my brother-in-law’s breakfast (I’d never even heard of such a thing, since we cook our eggs over-easy), I ruined the first and only time I made nachos in the oven (to my defense, this was with shredded goat cheese, which I also have no experience with), and a pre-made naan bread I baked for him was still cold in the middle when I served it. Oh well, my efforts and company were there!
Oh, and I burned my mouth on the second day there, because I wanted to make sure that Brian’s lunch was hot enough this time. In addition to wearing a mask for a week, I had a painful mouth as well. And I was sick. Fun times.
I’m happy to report that the sun had returned to Andalusia. Happy almost spring!