problem with travel in europe
Jun 6th, 2002, 05:55 AM
#3
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There is a difficult travel companions thread somewhere on this forum, which indicates your troubles are shared. One thing you can do is make sure you have a reasonably tight itinerary before you leave for Europe. If the friends and/or wife want to give input, great, but they need to do it before you leave. Too often it is the people who did no research or planning that try to dictate what to do once you are in Europe.
Jun 6th, 2002, 06:11 AM
#4
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A group of 12 friends decided to go to Europe last year, I have to say it was one of the worst vacations I've ever had. We were going to several countries by train. I am a woman, but I never realized how long some women took to get dressed especially 3 that were in our group. We were late getting started every day, they were slow in doing everything. A schedule was a waste of time it just didn't work, we even payed for private tours on bus and the driver would get really angry because he was always thrown off schedule by the same 3. Half way through the trip while we were at the train station in Rome which they were late getting to, the rest of our group decided they couldn't continue like this and asked them to get their act together. While they were deciding what they were going to do, the train to Venice left with the rest of the group and they were left standing at the train station. We continued on our trip and had a wonderful time without them, the next time we saw them was on the plane coming back home. The moral of the story is to know the people you travel with very well or you could spend a great deal of money and have a horrible time.
Jun 6th, 2002, 06:28 AM
#5
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Never, ever, go on a trip to Europe with a person who you do not personaly know for:<BR>- being a good early morning person<BR>- being an untiring walker<BR>- not being a scrooge<BR>- not being a difficult eater<BR>- not being a compulsive shopper<BR>- not being an ethnocentric, always comparing things with the way they are at "home".<BR>- unwilling to learn a few foreign language phrases<BR>- not being interested in history and geography, architecture and art<BR><BR>In the end, I always find that the only person that I know enough to travel with is my wife of 28 years.<BR>
Jun 6th, 2002, 07:16 AM
#7
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I forget the title but H.Allen Smith wrote a very funny short story about two couples vationing together.They quickly go from best friends to mortal enemies.<BR> My wife and I have traveled several times with my brother & sister in law and it worked out well.The other 3 are happy to let me do the planning & they are very agreeable.We are all early risers & very prompt.We sometimes have one day when each couple goes their on way to give everyone a little break.<BR> I don't think I would like traveling with a very large group since the inevitable diversity of habits,interests, etc. could cause problems.
Jun 6th, 2002, 07:22 AM
#8
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Louis said it perfectly. I'm fortunate that I have 3 (yes, three!) different friends with whom I can travel well. But only one of them at a time - more than 2 people gets ungainly in a hurry. Maybe you should turn your wife loose with her friends, and you can run around on your own? I find some time alone is always a good thing when travelling. It gives you an opportunity to really deeply address how your experience is affecting you, personally, on a fundamental gut level. Best of luck; you have a tough nut to crack here.
