My husband and I are a travel team. I am 60 and he is 78. We are both clergy of mainline churches and are both "progressives". He's retired and I soon will be. We married in 1995 -- my first and his second, r yrs. after his wife of 37 years died of a brain tumor. He is a life-long photographer -- and has had a few shows although it is a hobby for him.

I love planning travel and all of our trips have started at my computer screen. Neither of us like tours -- unless it is a small boat cruise looking for whales, etc. -- or a day trip to somewhere we couldn't get to otherwise. We both traveled before we married and have returned together to Scotland and Northern England. We will return to Russia and a Volga boat cruise thru to St. Petersburg later thsi year. He was there when his best friends were stationed with the State Department as the US ambassador and wife in the late 80's. Our trips have included Alaska (small ship cruise for whaling) then self-tour to Denali and Seward; Hawaii (self-catering); Banff and Alberta Canada (hostels with a bedroom), self-driving or trains to Prague/Budapest/Krakow/Berlin; lived in South Africa (outside Cape Town) for two years working with the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and toured much of SA ('97-98) and also went to Namibia and Victoria Falls/Hwange in Zimbabwe.

We like to stay simply, although a medical condition my husband has requires a private bathroom.

We enjoy nature, culture and history -- although my husband is more of a museum person than I. We like to try restaurants where the locals eat and go "off the beaten path" even in tourist cities. Driving around South Africa is our own car brought us to amazing places we never would have seen on a cruise.

We also have traveled many places in the USA. My husband has been in all states EXCEPT North Dakota. I've done most of the midwest, the south and some of New England. We both love Chicago, I went to school in Milwaukee. I lived in Texas and Georgia for four years. One of my favorite areas in the Savanna and the Golden Isles. I love New York City, but have a longing to go to upstate New York someday.

My dream US vacation -- which we hope to take by 2010 -- is to drive up US 1 from Monterrey, CA to at least Portland, and maybe all the way to Seattle with some side trips into Yosemite and Crater Lake. And I'd love to see Glacier National Park before they all melt.

We also love whales and will go most anywhere to see them. Our next "whale trip" will be to the Sea of Cortez.

We are members of the Evergreen Club -- a hospitality membership group where people offer a room and breakfast for $15/couple to other members. It's a great way to meet people and find out the real facts about where you are staying -- plus helpful sightseeing tips. Plus we love to show people around Kansas City, as well. I believe the European group is "Affordable Travel".

We are news junkies and also have a deep desire to see the US through the eyes of others -- and that has been a sobering experience, even before the current administration. I'll talk to seagulls if there isn't anyone else around, so we're always able to get into conversation with people -- at least those who understand and can speak some basic English.

We're off to Italy soon. Have a friend who was a high school exchange student there and still stays in contact with her "extended family" there. The "auntie" will be touring us around Venice so we get to those "out of the way" places and find out some local information.

We try to find some music experience -- locally based -- and/or craft market on any trip we go on. We do NOT like to shop or play golf and eat and drink a lot and beaches are fun only if you can stand there and watch whales. We do like sun -- but even as an amateur photographer, we find good light is whatever you have and can make of it!!

We usually try to find those "hop on/hop off" tours whenever we can so we can wander where we want around major sites we want to see.