Hope your trip is terrific, Rex. I am in awe of your ability to mobilize so quickly in light of a deal!

Thanks, T, elle...

I/we mobilized quickly because of pent-up &quot;plan-itis&quot;. We didn't make it to Europe at all in 2004, due to spending something like 10-20 &quot;trips worth&quot; (if the cost of a &quot;trip&quot; is $1000-2000 per person, excluding the &quot;cost&quot; of <i>lost income</i>) - - on our first daughter's wedding. And with another daughter getting married in 2006, we have struggled to figure out how/when we would fit a trip in somewhere/sometime <i>this</i> year...

So, my wife has been saying, repeatedly, we just have to think about some kind of shorter trip... (like a lot of self-employed people, the income loss can be quite a bit more expensive than the cost of the trip itself)

...and so, when this phenomenally low fare came along, I felt like I hardly had to think about it - - putting it over the Memorial Day weekend (when I wasn't scheduled to work anyhow) was a big help to both of our schedules.

It's about being willing/prepared to fit in a short trip when even a hint of an opportunity appeared on the horizon.

Rex, that's a great planning idea. I'll tell my husband he needs to be more flexible. I've enjoyed reading your posts for around 5 years now. Will look forward to a trip report. The area you're going sounds especially intriguing.