Flexibility
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
Anne had some good thoughts about flexibility in travel. We got to talking and I ask her to write down her ideas as an opening for today’s blog. Here is what she wrote in quotes:
“Last week we celebrated 35 years of being together. It will be another 13 months before we celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary.
Needless to say, there have been a lot of changes during this time: job changes, residential changes, losing and gaining family members and friends. We’ve learned patience, adjustability and a lot of give and take. But the one constant that has existed through these years is the need to adapt to changes, regardless of how much control we have over any situation.
The ability to adjust and adapt has never been more important than it is now in the present world of traveling during COVID.
Just like any relationship, patience is also a required trait to be able to travel and enjoy your trip. Being open to whatever the experience provides, rather than being locked into a single, set in concrete itinerary will make the trip much more fun.”
So, let’s explore together and learn about flexibility during travel—thanks Anne, for sparking the idea for the blog and providing a great opening!
Pre-planning for the Trip
During this time of ever-changing regulations, there are some steps that can help you still realize a trip and possibly enjoy it even more than any initial plan you had originally scheduled.
Obviously, it is very important to check with the correct government entity to verify what is required for your destination. Our first advice—make sure you know the requirements of the places you want to visit.
Knowing the documents needed and procedures will help you plan for an easier trip. This is easier said than done, as government regulations seem to change often and add concerns.
We believe most of this is misunderstood requirements but some, like the possibility of a quarantine, cause people to become extremely over anxious.
Even Anne, with her knowledge of the various travel requirements of the 4 countries in Europe we were planning to visit, was apprehensive about various face mask requirements listed on websites—she packed 4 different types; medical basic, FFP2, Kn95, N95, and even face shields. We only needed the basic medical ones—you just can’t use the cloth ones.
Wearing masks in Europe can lead to some great experiences—these 6 pictures are at a small restaurant locals eat at—Anne found it from asking our hotel staff—it was so good we went back a second time!
Masked up and ready to go inside
Going inside
Looking great Anne
Hank ready to eat
My Meatballs—they were excellent
Anne’s Vol-au-Vent—a wonderful chicken dish so good, we came back a second time so I could have a whole dish
The other concern is COVID testing to get back into the United States or perhaps will be required in the future for entrance—relax, Europe has great testing sites in all the airports that are easy, quick and reliable. We should note what a great job some vendors, especially AmaWaterways has done to make this process easier—Europe certainly ahead of the US in testing for COVID.
Now that you have determined the government requirements to travel, then determine what you would do if part of the trip is cancelled, interrupted or needs to change (this is where we can really help—we can fix most travel difficulties that might arise—as you know we are a text message, phone call or email away).
Here is some sound advice—don’t try to do too much in a short time. This is what I like to call the rookie Europe travel mistake—you want to see everything and fear missing out on something that the trip becomes so hectic it is not fun anymore.
Opportunistic Time Costs
In travel, I believe there are things you can do that will increase the value of your time. Some may cost more money, some may just involve careful planning and some may just be a special opportunity that suddenly comes up.
While planning a great trip, I think you need to balance all three of these factors to get the best results. The last factor is just more important nowadays—you need flexibility!
So, how do you make the perfect balanced trip? I think the first step is to identify your core values of travel—why are you going and what do you want to experience?
Here are my core values when I travel or think about planning a trip—perhaps these will help you understand why you travel and what you want to experience on your future trips.
My Core Values for Travel
When I travel I do so for several key reasons. They are:
· To add balance to my life,
· To look for beauty,
· To satisfy my curiosity about a place,
· To help me grow as a person with new experiences and cultures,
· To help me to gain knowledge and learning, and
· To help me seek pleasure, happiness and wisdom.
8 Rules We Use to add Flexibility to our Trips
They are:
1) Make sure there is time to share with your travel companions;
2) Remember and celebrate important dates (milestones);
3) Connect with the locals;
4) Put away devices for most of the trip;
5) Laugh and be positive;
6) Make your significant other feel special;
7) Show kindness to others, and
8) Be thankful.
Photo bombed—we always get along with the locals and it adds fun to our experiences
Brugge is known for mussels—Anne’s large meal
An Example—Our Recent Trip Required Flexibility
We were in Europe in August 2021, traveling in COVID times. Yet it was not COVID that changed our plans—it was our rail connections! Here is a tip to avoid these problems—always ask the hotel staff if they know about any transportation disruptions—even though we did, at check in, the rail workers decided to extend their work stoppage longer than originally planned and we learned about the problem the day before we had planned to leave Brugge.
Ready to go to Brugge after a wonderful river cruise on the Rhine
What a wonderful view of Brugge at night
Ready to go 2 days later
As seems to happen at times in Europe, the German rail workers decided to strike on Mondays and Tuesday during the month of August 2021 for better wages. As a result, we had to alter our plans and spend the last 2 days of our trip in Brugge—Anne was delighted to say the least!
It does bring up a lesson learned—always check your transportation arrangements prior to the next segment. Anne cancelled our hotel arrangements and made a new seat reservation for us. We lost a minor $11 or so for a previous train seat reservation that we decided just wasn’t worth the hassle of standing in line at a rail station ticket office for a refund.
It is true we lost 2 days to visit Frankfurt and stay in the old town area, but here is what we gained—2 more wonderful days in Brugge! Since Anne is always making great connections with hotel staff members, it was easy to fix for the most part.
The truth of the matter—we just used our 8 rules to add flexibility to our trip, but we really didn’t think of them as a checklist—it just has become our way of travel and as you can see—it is all about your attitude and being flexible.
It was relaxing, Anne found a local artist who made awesome jewelry that was one of a kind and not cost prohibitive, we wandered, and we revisited 2 great restaurants a second time and it was just plain fun! We only used our devices to fix the connection problems and just spent time together.
Awesome rings
Some of the wonderful items Anne found while wandering
Relaxing in Brugge
Please go back and re-read the list above of our 8 factors—we used them all (the milestone was the return to Europe after almost 20 months) and you will see we just adjusted our expectations and had a blast!
My Final Thoughts
I think it is clear that being flexible during your travels will help make the experience better. We would encourage to apply flexibility to your travels and the experience can be wonderful!
We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts. We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe. We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you. We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.
When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip. You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience. And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process. We think we have all these qualities.
Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!
HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
