I saw on the forum that farmers are blocking access to Mont St Michel. I am going there in Sept and I thought I would ask advice from more seasoned travelers on how they handle events like this. How do you find out about things like this when the local news (in print and broadcast) is in a language you don't speak? Do you ask at your hotel before you leave in the morning if there would be any problems on your route?

That's not a bad idea, but a lot of hotel staff wouldn't have a clue either, except for things right in their city.

I do look at local news all the time when I travel, and read the papers but of course, only where I know the language (French and Spanish). I stay in at least mid-level hotels now and they all have TVs and I like to relax at the end of the day and watch the news/weather. So hopefully something like that would come up. If you have a tablet or smartphone, you can probably check local stuff, also.

That particular event is certainly mentioned in English-language news, also, you don't have to know the local language. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...at-prices.html

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/0...0PU0XP20150721



Some of this I suppose is just random bad luck when something like that happens and it affects your plans. I wouldn't ever ask a hotel about something like that unless it were a major sidetrip for me, not just when I go out every day.

But I always keep up on the news from TV and reading papers at home, that's just an interest of mine, so I do on vacation, also. If you never pay attention to the news, it could be a problem. There are various English language news websites, all the British papers, for one thing.

How do you plan to travel? If by bus, for instance, if you arrive to buy a ticket to Mont St-Michel, I have no doubt that if the bus can't get there the ticket seller will know.

If by car or bus, I suggest you simply have a back-up plan and go somewhere else. I always have a list of possibilities and never get to them all. And then people I meet along the way make suggestions and I occasionally head off to a place I didn't know to put on the list.

Just in general, things happen and the more flexible you're prepared to be, the less a deviation imposed upon you by events will effect your trip. It will change what you do but not necessarily how much you enjoy yourself.

You can - and should - always Google for information like this. Just type in whichever key words apply and reams of stuff will pop up. After you wade through a lot of the info, you can find out what's true or exaggerated. There will usually be info in English, or GoogleTranslate works well enough for you to get the gist of things.

Hi Mike,

>how to handle trip interruptions

Take Zoloft.


Enjoy your visit.

I probably wouldn't know until I got there -- I scan headlines, but don't spend much time on the internet when I travel unless I have a very specific need.

But I always travel with a plan B.

You have a less than 1% chance of encountering such a situation, but when in doubt just enter a possible subject (i.e. "museum strike Paris") on Google News. It's how a lot of people found out earlier this year that the Seine was at flood stage for a few days and the tourist boats were not running.

Have a plan B

Where you are you are within a few km of St Malo, Dinan, Fougeres each of which is a "site" in it self.

We tend to bring the Rough Guide with us and pop into any TI we see to just pick up stuff. If it rains suddenly and beach looks damp, have a musuem to visit.

This is a good question, though I think this particular issue is not likely to be a problem in September.

But as RoseAnn Rosannadanna used to say, "There's always something."

In many years of business and pleasure travel, I have found it rarer to have things go according to plan than to have them not go according to plan. A Plan B or at least a strong sense of the alternatives is essential if you are going to avoid angst.

We have traveled with a well-organized friend who always has three possibilities for the day ahead. It is a good approach.

I was on the road from Courtrai to Lille this morning and was blocked for an hour on the autoroute by huge loads of manure left on the road by the farmers.

The electronic information boards on the road gave people the necessary information for an alternative route and the problem was quickly solved.

The problem with Mont Saint Michel is that the last bit does not really have an alternate route unless you have a boat -- and then only at high tide.

There is a newspaper called the Local, freely available on the internet, with English language editions for Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. In France, there is also an English Language paper called the Connexion, but I find it less current than the local.

You might want to book mark these to see if you find a regular check useful.

The International Herald Tribune is English and in all of Western Europe, I believe, if you really want to buy a newspaper. They are expensive in Europe (newspapers). I'm lucky enough that the hotels I stay in regularly now often have free newspapers, indluding that one.

Blockages continued this morning and what was evident is that protesters did not at all announce ahead of time what their plans were. In retrospect, it seems obvious. If they had said what their plans were, obviously the riot squad would have been there to stop them.

So if this sort of situation occurs during anyone's visit, do not expect to get advance warning from the media. It is not at all like a planned ATC or museum strike.