did you SCREAM AT HER THE WHOLE TRIP? <BR> <BR>

Not really a difficult companion, more o an "interesting" companion... <BR> <BR>I took a cruise with a good friend years ago. I was lounging in my bunk reading while she took a shower. Suddenly she leapt out of the bathroom, buck naked, and rooted around for her hair dryer. Once she found it, she put one leg up on the dresser and proceeded to dry her crotch with the dryer. She comments to this day about how, uh, delicate she is down there, and I have to bite my tongue, as I would love to mention that perhaps all the blow-drying contributed to the "delicate" nature of her crotch. <BR> <BR>I'm not making any of this up....

ADDITION TO MY RECENT INPUT: <BR> <BR>A THOUGHT RE SOME READERS/WRITERS NOT UNDERSTANDING HOW TENSIONS CAN DEVELOP DURING A TRIP. YOU REALLY DON'T KNOW SOMEONE UNTIL YOU ARE THROWN INTO CLOSE QUARTERS WITH THEM. YOU HAVE BOTH INVESTED A LOT OF RESOURCES IN THIS TRIP AND FEEL YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO GET WHAT YOU WANT. I HAD NOT RECENTLY SPENT A LOT OF TIME WITH THE RELATIVE I TRAVELED WITH;; SAW IT AS A CHANCE TO RENEW OUR CLOSENESS; IT PUT TOO MUCH PRESSURE ON THE VACATION. YOU SHOULD TRAVEL ONLY WITH SOMEONE YOU KNOW VERY, VERY WELL AND LIKE (NOT JUST LOVE) A LOT!

Thanks for sharing that, Janelle.

Luci, dear <BR> <BR>When you type in all caps, it's as if you're yelling at us. Please stop.

MY HUSBAND AND I TRAVELED FROM MILAN TO TURIN TO CINQUE TERRE, TO FLORENCE, SIENNA, ROME & PESARO ON ADRIATIC COAST VIA TRAIN BUT COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT WHICH CLASS WE WERE IN. WE WANTED 2ND BUT INVARIABLY ENDED UP IN SOMEBODY'S RESERVED 1ST CLASS SEAT. HOW ON EARTH DO YOU TELL?! <BR> <BR>AM AN ESL TEACHER WHO SPEAKS NO FOREIGN LANGUAGE. I FIND IT ENLIGHTENING TO TRAVEL IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY AND KNOW HOW MY STUDENTS IN THE U.S.A. FEEL. <BR> <BR> <BR>

Once upon a time when I was a little younger and a little dumber I took an alpine tour with a small group of strangers. Within minutes of joining the group I decided that one older woman “Susan”, also alone, was irritating, vain and rather obnoxious. She talked non-stop about her many previous trips, seemed to brag incessantly about luxury purchases the rest of us could never afford, about her clothes, her cooking, her garden. She talked without stopping for a breath during our first bus ride, and the next and the next, seeming not to notice that not a single person was responding or even looking at her. She complained on and on because one couple had brought their very young child on the tour, pronouncing this to be just so inappropriate, and predicting all sorts of inconveniences that the baby would cause the rest of us to suffer. She complained that our dinner meeting times gave her insufficient time to bathe and relax and style her hair, somehow requiring more time than all the rest of us who also had bodies to rest and bathe and hair to groom. I thought she was just about the most annoying person I’d ever met on a trip. <BR> Then, one day on the tour I had a frightening bout of altitude sickness that I’d never experienced before, and, in my ignorance, I thought I was dying. Susan knew just what it was, explained it to me, made sure no one rushed me, and reassured and sheltered me during this ordeal. I realized that she was very, very kind, and I felt so sorry and ashamed that I’d been thinking nasty thoughts about her (but so thankful that at least I’d kept my mouth shut about those thoughts and not snapped at her). <BR> With this new insight into her kind character, I listened a little more closely to her non-stop monologues. She was intelligent and extremely interesting. <BR> The baby proved not to be a problem at all. Of all of us on the tour, Susan was the most affectionate, stimulating and attentive with the baby. The child would light up every time he saw her. (At least HE was a good judge of character.) <BR> Gradually I came to like Susan. And when I did, she actually stopped talking non-stop, and instead just talked on and off, listening and talking, and sitting sometimes in companionable silence like a regular friend. In short, she was very dear, very good company, and one of my favorite people of all the nice people I’ve met on trips. I hope all her future trip mates get a glimpse of her good qualities and enjoy knowing her, too. <BR> Some corny truths that I learned from this experience: One can be quite irritating, yet quite nice. Talking too much isn’t the worst fault in the world. Neither is showing off, nor even complaining too much. If annoyed with a person I’ve just met, it’s a good idea to hold off on reacting at first. I should always be willing to change my mind about a person. I should be more tolerant of my own obnoxious traits; after all, I’m pretty nice, too. <BR> <BR>Some facts of this true story have been altered a little to protect the innocent . <BR>

Once there was a tribe of frogs, hopping through the forest. Two of them, who could never stay together with the rest of the tribe, hopped off the path, and fell into a deep pit. The others rushed to the edge of the pit, looked down over into its bottom, and realized that there was no hope of either of the frogs ever jumping out. <BR> <BR>They wailed and beat their breasts. They exhorted to the two frogs in the pit to realize that there was something greater than this life. <BR> <BR>One of them laid down, held his breath and died. The other jumped up. And again. And again. The other frogs croaked louder, "Stop, stop, you will hurt yourself, and your death will be made all the more miserable by the pain". <BR> <BR>Yet harder he strained to jump as high as he could. He ripped tendons. His eyes nearly bulged out as he put his last effort into the final jump - - which took him to the top. <BR> <BR>The others cried out - - We can't believe you did that! - - Whatever possessed you? We were sure that you would die, and we were in such pain for you! <BR> <BR>In their midst, the survivor could read their lips, and signed back to them. Have you forgotten that I am deaf? I don't know what you were shouting, but I assumed it was words of encouragement. <BR> <BR>===================================== <BR> <BR>Look for the good in what others are saying. It might just make all the difference. <BR> <BR>

Froggie, did we post around the same time, or did you read mine and then write and post yours? If the latter, how did you do it so fast? <BR>And P.S. Are you also the one who corrected the website I listed on that other post? If so I'm really really impressed.

Yes. I read yours, then wrote mine. <BR> <BR>And I corrected the URL. <BR> <BR>And you should be. <BR>

And I am. (I'm a fast writer. So I know fast when I see it.) Go ahead and let it go to your head.

I will. <BR> <BR>I'm surprised, though. You usually mis-spell some words. <BR> <BR>

I don't know who you THINK I am. But you are ruining the good impression you made by now trying to get in some unnecessary nasty digs. You shouldn't need to. You're obviously very very bright. Actually, I generally spell pretty well, but I type terribly, resulting in many teerible spel;inha in pistingz.

Oh. sorry. <BR> <BR>So maybe you are not who I think you are. Write to me. <BR>

Huh? So who are you and who do you think I am? (I will not give you the satisfaction of guessing who you are; you started this business of claiming to know who I am, which is just a wee bit creepy. (Plus, if you're who I suspect you are, based on this nonsense, you were wrong the last time. I would *never* do this, remember?)) And I AM writing to you!

eek! Don't guess on this thread, please. i really did want the above story to be anon. Sorry. Thanks.

Oh. <BR> <BR>I never did know who you are that time either. <BR>

The worst travel companion is a SMOKER.

No one makes me more insane while travelling than my mother! She is negative, inflexible, and spoiled. My sister & I went to Europe with her once and she was always complaining about everything. She also kept asking "So where are we going? How long before we get there? Why don't you know?" When we were wandering cities for the very first time. We would go out of our way to accomodate her and plan tours, and she would complain the whole time and make us feel bad. Talk about dredging up family ISSUES! I was glad there were two of us there to dilute the complaints. <BR> <BR>I was shocked when we returned home and she said she had a good time! She keeps talking about returning to Europe with us, even though she knows we dread the thought!!

To GASP: <BR>1) If you are so appalled by smoke, then why do you go to Europe in the first place (this is the Europe board; I'm assuming that is your destination); and 2) Why would you travel with a smoker in the first place?