FEAR GRIPS AMERICA - PART II
 

Using FF tickets I plan trips one year in advance.

Last summer I tentatively booked tickets for this summer to Greece to go island hopping. About a week after placing the tickets on hold I began having reservations with the uncertainty in the Middle East, instead I opted for Maui. I leave for Maui next week.

This year I find myself in the same predicament for next summer. I am debating four trips for next summer: returning to Maui and taking friends, an Alaskan cruise, Greek Islands/Med. cruise, or Bangkok/Angkor Wat. With the latter two I feel uneasy booking one year out (Mideast unrest and SARS).

Are other people having the same uneasy feelings? I have had no qualms with international in the past and still do not with the exception of SARS in Asia and the recent flareup of terrorism around the Med. Am I being rational? I feel that a luxury ship bobbing in the Med. with thousands of Euro. and Americans would have a big X on it.

Do others have the same concerns about international travel?

Big Daddy-

Go with the odds. What's the probability of something really bad happening? You can stay home and die in bed or take your chances and see more of the world. We were in Saigon and planning to leave for Phnom Pen in the summer of '97. The day before we were to leave, we heard (on CNN) that Madeline Albright was cancelling a visit to Phnom Pen due to security concerns. My husband wondered if we should change our plans. I talked him into going to Cambodia anyway. Had a truly marvelous visit to the spectacular Angkor sites and then spent an additional day in Phnom Pen. The next day, safely ensconced in our Bangkok hotel, we saw the news reports of "thousands fleeing Phnom Pen." The coup had just occurred, tanks and heavy artillery were in the streets, and there were bullet holes in the windows of the departure lounge where we'd been seated the day before. My husband said "Sometimes I wonder about your judgement." My reply: "Well you can't fault my timing."

Here's the flip side of your fears. I was doing a little research on the price of weekend trips to New York. I was surprised to find that the airfares and hotel prices for the July 4 weekend were significantly lower than for the weekends on either side of July 4. Which led me to wonder whether people (Americans and others) want to avoid NYC on July 4? Or is it just that NYC is not a favoured destination for Americans when it comes to celebrating July 4 - maybe it's a countryside, beach, Washington DC type holiday weekend, instead of an NYC holiday weekend (as compared with New Year's, for example, where people do want to celebrate in NYC)?

Historically, NYC has not been a prime tourist destination over the Fourth of July. So, it's not surprising that air and hotel rates are cheap.
One reason, of course, is that it can be very hot that time of the year.

Another reason might be because everybody that can, leaves the city and goes to the beach/mountains!
Leads in plays are often away, with an understudy in their place.
The city is nice and empty on the Fourth:)

Remember...we have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Since Sept. 11th, I have travelled to Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and England. Iam not letting anything or anyone interfere with my vacation plans. Life is too short...go and have a great time.

If you're looking for a luxury ship with Americans and Europeans cruising in the Med with a BIG X on it, try Celebrity Cruises!

In my opinion, most of the seeds of fear are being spread by those terror mongers that call themselves "our government".
Iraq was not the threat it was made out to be;most of the intelligence was skewed, and frankly, the American public is being misled.

Whatever led you to book this trip is still valid.

Unless there was a major terroist alert (and even then, I would consider the source), I would proceed with my plans.

None of us are promised tomorrow, are we?

HOWEVER, (and I hate qualifiers, don't you?) if you have any personal reservations, don't do it. Otherwise, it is not a vacation/holiday. If you can't manage to get away from it all, why bother?

Thanks for the advice, HowardR.

I decided to go ahead, and booked a $180 ticket, and got a reservation through Quikbook at my favourite NYC hotel (the Mansfield) for $120.

I've lived through an NYC summer, but I can bear it for a couple of days (and I'll be in much hotter places later this summer).