100 Posts Later, and I Still Can’t Pack Light (Travel Blogging for Older Travelers)

Posted On October 12, 2025

100 Posts Later, and I Still Can’t Pack Light

Starting the Journey: Why I Hit “Publish” in June 2024

I started Just Ole Hutch in June 2024 because I love travel and wanted to learn more about it by doing it. That sounded simple enough. Write a post. Take a trip. Share a few funny travel stories. Repeat. My focus has been on travel blogging for older travelers, and it’s turned into one of the best adventures of my life. I did not know what I was doing, but I knew how to be curious. I knew how to listen to people, notice details, and laugh when things went sideways. I also knew that if I waited until I felt like an expert, I would never start.

Here we are at 100 posts. That number feels big. It feels like a hundred little promises kept. A hundred cups of coffee poured. A hundred times I chose the road, the keyboard, and the learning. If you have been reading along, you know I write for regular folks. I write for anyone who still wants to see the world without draining the bank. I write for anyone who likes practical budget travel tips mixed with a little heart and a little humor. Most of all, I write because it lights me up. The travel releases the spirit. The blogging pins the moment so I can remember how it felt.

Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links below may or may not earn me a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products I actually use or think could help my readers.

Confession Time: I Still Can’t Pack Light

Let’s get this out in the open. I have tried to pack light. I make a clean list. I start strong. Then the night before a trip, I begin to add things. What if I want two hats? What if I finally start jump-ropping in hotel rooms? What if I meet a chef who demands I bring salt from Alabama? By the time I zip the bag, it is one degree shy of a kettlebell.

Packing mistakes travelers make is a long list, and I have checked off most of them. I have packed too many shirts. I have packed shoes I did not wear. I have packed snacks I ate before I got to the airport. Each time I tell myself I have learned my lesson. Each time I end up testing the limits of my suitcase wheels. This is not advice. This is confession. I am a work in progress, and the progress is hilarious.

If you want something helpful, I do have a free tool that keeps me honest before the last-minute chaos. Join my FREE newsletter (Never any spam, just good stuff) and Grab my FREE printable, fillable packing checklist. It will not stop you from adding a second hat, but it will help you see what you truly need.

One Hotel, Two Dreams, and a Board for a Bed

There is a moment from my travels that still makes me laugh. I booked a room in Da Nang, Vietnam, at a Japanese hotel. I saw the photos and imagined soft lighting and cloud-like bedding. It was on the higher end, so I thought I had treated myself. I opened the door and found a very sparse room. The bed felt like a piece of plywood with a sheet pulled tight. I laid down, then sat up, then laid down again. Somewhere in the world a carpenter was proud of his work.

Here is the truth. I slept fine. I woke up laughing. Then I stepped into the warm morning and got a bowl of noodles that fixed everything. That’s travel in a nutshell, the dream and the reality shaking hands. Something goes sideways. Then something small and kind sets it right again. These are the funny travel stories I remember most. Not the time everything was perfect. The time I learned that perfection was never the point.

Vietnam Has My Heart

People ask about my favorite destination. I do not hesitate. Vietnam. The country and the people are amazing. The food wakes you up. The scooters sing. The coffee has personality. The smiles are easy. It feels like a place that shows you life turned up a notch. If the flight were shorter, I would be there more often. Even with the long flight, I would go again tomorrow.

Sharing places like Vietnam through the lens of travel blogging for older travelers reminds me that adventure never has an expiration date.

If you want a taste of why I keep going back, read my Vietnam write-up here: Traveling in Vietnam. I talk about street food, friendly faces, and the kind of mornings that make you glad to be alive.

Travel Lessons Learned from 100 Posts

One hundred posts taught me more than I expected. I learned to slow down long enough to notice the good stuff. I learned that a small kindness in a new place can change your whole day. I learned that asking for help in another language is more about the smile than the grammar. I learned that the road gives back when you show up with a humble heart and an open mind.

The more I write about travel blogging for older travelers, the more I realize it’s about rediscovering confidence, not just destinations.

  • Curiosity beats perfection. Ask the question. Try the food. Take the bus that you are not sure about. Then laugh when you get off one stop too soon.
  • Light is a mindset. I may not pack like a minimalist, but I can travel light in spirit. I can carry less worry and more grace.
  • People make the place. The best memories are conversations. A street vendor. A taxi driver. A grandmother who insists you try a dessert you cannot pronounce.
  • Budget travel is freedom. When money is tight, intention gets sharper. The simple meal tastes better. The long walk turns into a story. The small hotel makes you feel like a neighbor and not just a guest.
  • Writing keeps the journey alive. I may write for myself most days, but the practice matters. It helps me see what the trip taught me. It helps me remember the laugh. It helps me grow.

Travel Blogging for Older Travelers

I hear from folks who say they are over 50 and think their travel window has closed. I tell them it has not. The window is still open. It just looks different now. Travel blogging for older travelers means we talk about stairs and elevators. We talk about quiet hotels and good lighting. We talk about comfort that does not eat your budget.

We also talk about joy. The joy of meeting people who turn into friends. The joy of learning a new city at dawn. The joy of realizing you did something you thought you could not do. That joy does not care about the year on your birth certificate. It cares about your willingness to try.

Funny Travel Stories I Still Tell

Over a hundred posts, the bloopers add up. I once ate a mystery snack on a bus and then tried to guess its ingredients for the next hour. I tried to order coffee and ended up with tea that was very proud to be tea. I have worn a rain poncho that made me look like a confused kite. These are not failures. These are the moments that loosen you up. They are how the trip shakes you awake and makes sure you pay attention.

One of my favorites is simple. I took a wrong turn in a market and stumbled into a courtyard where a family was eating lunch. They waved me in. We laughed at the language gap and passed plates around the table. A stranger took my photo and handed me a slice of fruit that tasted like sunshine. I thanked them in the words I knew. They thanked me in the ones they had. It was perfect.

Budget Travel Tips That Still Work

This is a celebration post, not a how-to, but a few budget travel tips keep showing up in my life:

  • Walk more. You see more, spend less, and collect better stories.
  • Eat where the locals line up. Short menu. Fresh food. Good prices.
  • Travel off-peak when you can. It saves money and sanity.
  • Ask your host one simple question: “What would you do if you had one day here?” Then do that.
  • Use a packing checklist. It cuts down on the last-minute panic and the extra weight. Here is mine again: download the printable, fillable checklist, (I’ve decided not to hold this back for newsletter signups. Instead, it’s my gift to anyone who wants it. If you do decide to join my newsletter, I’m happy to have you aboard).

Solo Travel: Why I Still Recommend It

People ask if they should try a solo trip at least once. I say yes. It teaches you that you can handle more than you think. It helps you listen to your own pace. It shows you that you do not need permission to have a good day. If you are curious, read my piece on going alone here: Solo Travel for Older Adults: Embrace the Adventure. You will find travel lessons learned there that you can carry into any trip, even if you go with friends or family.

What 100 Posts Proved to Me

Writing this many entries taught me that consistency wins. Show up and do the work. Learn in public. Laugh at yourself. Ask for help. Thank people by name. Keep a beginner’s mind. You do not need to be the best. You need to be honest. That is the quiet engine behind this site and behind most good trips.

I also learned that it is fine if I write mostly for me. The good kind of selfish keeps you honest. It keeps your voice warm. If you enjoy reading, I am grateful. If a post helps you plan a trip or gives you a smile on a hard day, that is a gift to me. I do not take it for granted.

100 Little Milestones That Matter

When I think about “100,” I do not only see the post count. I see a hundred small moments:

  • 100 times a stranger gave directions with a big grin.
  • 100 sunrises that felt like the world had just started over.
  • 100 cups of coffee that tasted like courage.
  • 100 times I thought I had learned to pack light, then didn’t.
  • 100 notes in my phone that turned into posts like this one.

Those add up. They tell a story about staying curious. They show how travel releases the spirit when you let it.

What I Would Tell New Readers

If this is your first time here, welcome. Expect simple language, real stories, and practical help. Expect laughs. Expect the occasional lesson learned the hard way. Expect respect for your budget. Expect an invitation to try something new at your own pace.

Start with these:

Where I Go from Here

I plan to keep learning, laughing, and sharing what I discover through travel blogging for older travelers, one suitcase at a time. The next 100 posts will have new places, new people, and probably the same suitcase. My goal is simple. Stay helpful. Stay curious. Stay kind.

Thank You for Being Here

If you made it this far, you have already given me the best gift a writer could ask for. Your time. I do not take it lightly. Thank you for reading, for commenting, and for sharing your own stories. This little corner of the internet feels like a kitchen table. I am glad you pulled up a chair.

Medals, Margaritas, and the Next 100

If you have made it through 100 of my posts, you deserve a medal, or at least a margarita. Here is to the road ahead. Here is to the next sunrise in a place you have never seen. Here is to lighter bags and lighter hearts. I will work on the first part. You can hold me to it. So whether you’ve followed from the start or just found me, thank you for being part of this wild ride in travel blogging for older travelers, you’re why I keep hitting “publish.”

Until next time my friend,

Just Ole Hutch

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