The St. MartinCozy Chat

I really did not enjoy renting a car and driving in a foreign country. The thought had stressed me out before we even got to the island and created quite a bit of anxiety. And, as it turns out, that anxiety wasn’t entirely unfounded.

We stayed on the French side of the island, and although it was beautiful and had incredible French food, the road infrastructure left a lot to be desired, especially compared to what we’re used to in the U.S. There were potholes everywhere, speed bumps painted the same color as the road so we couldn’t see them until we were practically flying over them, and so much traffic. It could easily take us over an hour just to drive a few miles.

I learned my lesson. In the future, I absolutely do not want to go anywhere in the Caribbean where renting a car is necessary. The stress and frustration of driving took away from what was supposed to be a relaxing getaway. I’m on vacation. I don’t want to spend it sitting in traffic, gripping the steering wheel!

We would stay on the Dutch side, St. Maarten. It’s more commercialized, yes, but it also seemed much easier to get around. We would have been able to walk more instead of constantly driving, sitting in traffic, and getting increasingly hot and frustrated.

As much as I loved the beauty and food on the French side, I think I’d happily trade a little of that charm for convenience next time. And we could always visit the French side when we wanted to.

This time, I did something I’d never done on a trip before: I paid for professional photos of my mom and me.

Yes, it was an investment, but I’m so glad I went for it. Instead of bringing home another thing, we have beautiful photos of the two of us together, taken by a professional, to remember the trip by.

As my parents get older, having these kinds of mementos feels more and more important to me. Years from now, I have a feeling those photos will mean far more to me than anything I could have bought in a souvenir shop.