About me
Welcome!
I’m Martha Miller, a writer and author passionate about seeing new places, living abroad and not wrecking the planet or my bank account while I do it. If this sounds like you, I hope you find inspiration here. My book and blog are written to share my experiences and encourage you to get out there and follow your dreams!
I grew up in the United States and moved to Italy and Spain well into my adult years. I don’t keep track of how many countries I’ve visited, because really who cares, I’m not in a competition. I go to places I’ve been dreaming about when I can afford to and when I can get the logistics to work. This satisfies my travel itch for a while. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m often thinking about where to go next before I even get unpacked!
Distractions are EVERYWHERE and are destructive to pursuing our dreams. In this post, I share a zero-cost, simple way to get you on track to where you want to be “Lifelong Dreams: Do they have to wait that long?“
When I look back, it’s the trips I didn’t take I regret the most. Prague, I finally got to experience your beauty! I It took more than 20 years, and I will be writing about you soon!
Here’s a piece about a trip to the Balkans that I worried would cost too much after I was too far in the planning to back out. “One Trip, 8 Lessons: 4 Foolish Things I Did & 4 Things I Did Right.”
There’s much more on the blog so take a peek.
Thanks so much for stopping by!
Martha
If you don’t want to miss new posts, scroll back up to the top of this page and subscribe. I post sporadically when I’ve got something I’m excited about and want to share. And don’t worry, I won’t do anything with your data because, frankly, I have no idea how to do that and wouldn’t want to anyway.
Hi,
I wanted you to know that you planted a seed, and now we’re going to water it to see how it grows. My wife, Tami, and I are going to Rome next week. It will be our first trip together overseas, and we’re excited. I did a quick search for a book about Rome and found yours after I read an article in the Wall Street Journal about how a traveler made it his practice to visit places he read about in novels and true crime stories. He said that such places were often off the tourist paths and much richer. So, Rick Steves’ tour book and your book will be our guides.
We did a search of the street your apartment was on and the restaurant that you said you visited on your last day. I asked myself whether you kept up with such things. The door of your apartment is now appears covered in vines; the restaurant seems to be closed, but there is a restaurant next door by the same name. Same place, but different location, maybe? Tami found that Google keeps a photographic history of locations. It was fun to see how your door changed, not so much, over the years until it now looks to be covered. Rome, time, history. The photo history begs the question of what stories and memories were made there over the last 20 years since you were there. It made me think about our own adventures, how it is so easy to think of places to be frozen in time.
All this to say that your book, your story, inspired us, gave us a link to another real person we can think about when we visit, and hopefully, walk some of your paths….without the “slurch.”
I once dreamed of being a writer. Instead, I became an engineer. At 63, I realize that may never be a writer, but I’ve started writing notes such as this to let people know that they’ve made a difference. I think we all want such affirmation. Money, although good, rarely communicates whether the activities for which we’ve been compensated make a difference, whether anyone cares. I also think about the things that I did 20+ years ago. Much is hard to remember. Many more memories get in the way.
Blather, blather, I’ll stop. I’m sure you get the point.
Thank you for sharing your life back then. But, wait, I have another thought.
We attended a Ben Folds concert last Friday night. Lindsay Kraft, an American actress, opened the show by vamping on the piano. She started with a reflection about beginnings and endings. She said that we often think we know where a beginning is leading, but we don’t really understand the significance of a beginning until we see the ending. I leave it to you to connect the dots between your book and our travel. The story is not over.
Warm regards,
David Burke
P.S. Go see Ben Folds if you get the chance.
Hi David,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. Your letter is beautiful and fills me with joy! My intention in writing about our life was exactly what you’ve expressed, to encourage others to take chances and live their dreams. I’m thrilled you and Tami will be walking the same cobbles down Vicolo del Bologna and all around Trastevere in just a few days! You’re right about how things will have changed. The last time we visited was about eight years ago and the door looked quite different then. Friends Marty and Sherry, who are mentioned in the book and took the cover photo, were there recently and sent me new photos that match what you’re saying. It was kind of a shock. I must get back soon! Have a wonderful time and please feel free to keep in touch. Thank you, again! Martha