Guangxun Jin | 金光勋 | 김광훈

That Was Not Bad

After going on a road trip in 2023 and exploring various places within my province last year, the experiences were very positive. Although I am not much of a traveller and had hardly travelled before, I feel that perhaps travelling once a year or visiting somewhere I’ve never been before is a good choice. So, I am considering whether to travel somewhere this year. After all, having lived in Canada for so many years, I haven’t been anywhere other than Manitoba and the places from my previous road trip. I think exploring and experiencing other regions wouldn’t be a bad idea. Usually, if I had such a thought, I wouldn’t hesitate much; I would simply plan, evaluate the feasibility, and execute it. But this year is different.

Travelling to a distant location is going to cost you, and usually, it’s not exactly a small amount, especially for trips lasting many days. This year, however, I have purchased a lot of equipment: a camera, a desktop PC, a laptop (bought because my old one had served me for seven years and I found one I really liked this year), and a smartphone (for some reason, the signal receiver of my phone suddenly failed, leaving me with no signal; I even suspect it was a deliberate firmware update by the manufacturer to force an upgrade 🤨, but given it was four years old, I just replaced it), and so on. Each of these was a substantial expense, and they are only part of my spending; there are many other unmentioned costs, which also not a small amount. While I don’t buy such big-ticket items every year, the timing for equipment updates and purchases all converged in 2025. I have specific travel destinations in mind, so I have a rough budget. This budget might be more expensive than any single item I’ve bought this year. I feel that continuing to spend at this rate would be quite irrational and might even touch my “bottom line.”

I’m still weighing it. What if I don’t go this year and postpone it until later? If I do that, the annual spending would be spread out and “look better” on paper, giving me a sense of rational spending. But in reality, it’s just a delay, not a cancellation. Although I feel “it’s good to travel once a year,” that’s just a feeling, not a strict plan I must follow. Besides, I only have a few target destinations in mind; even if I go every year, I’ll run out of places soon; it wouldn’t actually be going to travel every single year for rest of my life. So, not going this year doesn’t necessarily mean the travel budget is permanently saved—it’s just deferred. If I don’t go this year, when would the next time be? Next year? No, I have other plans for next year. So, the earliest would be the year after. At this point, I realized that the cost isn’t just money, but also time. If the expense is going to happen anyway, just the timing is different, then why wait two years? Isn’t those two years of waiting a cost in itself? Moreover, it’s not that I can’t afford it; I just want my spending to be more “rational and reasonable.”

After realizing that time is also a cost, I’ve roughly decided to go on this trip. To be honest, my decision isn’t unshakable; I still waver a bit, worrying about whether I’m being “irrational.” Since the decision is mostly there, I need to at least settle on a rough time and destination.

Just like before, I want to avoid the peak months of July and August, but I still want to travel while the weather is good. That leaves June and September. June is a bit too early, and I have other plans at the time. So, September it is. What about later? I’ve been notified that a colleague is anxious to return back to home country for a break and is waiting for necessary documents, expected in October or November. I might be unable to travel then due to being short-staffed. Although this timing is just an estimate and could change, I have to factor it in. Thus, scheduling for October or later is too unstable. Regarding the location, I’ve been to other provinces in Central Canada. This time, it’s a choice between the East (centered around Toronto) and the West (centered around Vancouver). Currently, I’m leaning toward the Toronto area in the East. Why? Because Toronto is adjacent to Quebec province, and I might be able to visit Quebec province from there. I’m very interested in the cathedrals in Quebec province and want to see them with my own eyes.

So, the conclusion is to travel to the Eastern region — Toronto and Quebec province around September. Hmm, I suppose that’s the plan… I guess.

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To be continued

Details to be added, and will take time…