Why Get Lost?
Choosing a Travel Agent | Travel Books | Info Sources
Weights and Measures | Packing
When's the Perfect Time? | Planning Your Trip

May 12, 2000 - Why Get Lost?

"A compass? You've got to be kidding!" At least that's what some tell us when we include it in our packing list. "But we're not campers."

Neither are we. On our vacations, though, we're constantly finding our way, whether four-wheeling in Colorado, rambling the Swiss Alps or winding through Rome's alleys.

How many directions have you seen, including here, that say, "On exiting the subway turn north?" There's a good reason for that, as north or south are less ambiguous than left or right ... after all, which set of stairs did you climb from the metro station?

Unless you're familiar with the city or area, though, you may be unsure which direction is which. Or on your first day in town after a long transatlantic trip it may be a little clear which direction is up!

A compass is the answer. Better, it will help you gain a confident understanding of the city's layout much quicker.

You don't need a $100 surveyor's compass. Just something that divides your vista up into north, south, east and west. At this writing REI lists 15 compasses for under $10. The handiest for travel costs only $5.50 and clips on your jacket zipper pull or keychain.

Why get lost ... carry a compass!

January 19, 1999
What Tour Would Ed and Julie Recommend?

one! Partly because it's not our way to travel. Our knowledge of tour operators thus is limited and not current.

Also, there are dozens (or hundreds) of tour operators offering hundreds (or thousands) of different tours to Europe. Certainly too many for us to keep an eye on.

So we have a hard time answering this commonly asked question.

ind a travel agent who has extensive experience (most do not) in sending people on tours to Europe. Recommendations from friends and acquaintances are the best source of finding such an agent in your area.

You'll find some help on selecting an agent in Travel Tips. And remember a travel agent can't read your mind ... take the time to begin doing some of the trip planning on your own so you'll know what to ask for. You'll find our ideas on trip planning in European Travel Planning and Books.

here are tours that fit every price category from inexpensive to luxury. It's roughly true that you get what you pay for. The most inexpensive are in cheaper hotels, usually located far from sights and restaurants, include few meals and very limited touring, with many extra cost options. More expensive tours (usually, but not always) will include better hotels located closer to the center of the city and its sights and restaurants, more and better meals, and more extensive sightseeing.

Our article on Package Tours lists some pros and cons about group touring. And if you do choose to look for a tour to join, you'll find in there some questions to ask to help you choose the right tour for you.

lternatives? Thinking of a tour because of low cost? While tours should and can provide some economies, most of us can arrange independent travel near the cost of a tour ... sometimes for a little more, sometimes for less.

Our page on tours has some ideas on alternatives.

February 19, 1998 - Travel Planning

Okay, we admit it: we're obsessive about planning our trips. (Well, Julie admits Ed is obsessive anyway!)

It seems to us that many travelers start thinking about what they're going to do on a trip shortly before they get on the airplane. Sometimes literally a day or two before; often just in the last few weeks. We often wonder why they chose to visit a particular country or countries in the first place.

A posting last week on rec.travel.europe really reached out and caught my eye.

The following posting is from Robyn M. Jay artstuff@csrlink.net
As I learned in later e-mail correspondence she and her husband waited 20 years for their trip to Europe (a honeymoon). Here's what she says about planning their trip:

Our theory was that if it took us 20 years to get to Europe the first time, we were going to see as much as we could for our money, what we fondly refer to as "punching our ticket".

When we prepared for our trip we did as much research as we could on the sights we wanted to visit, so we knew how to get there, when they were open, how much it cost, and the history behind what we were looking at. Planning and researching for the trip was as much fun as actually taking it.

We spent 6 months laying out our itinerary and learning as much as we could on the history and culture
of the areas we travelled through.

Their trip covered 21 cities in 21 days -- much more than we would try to do. But what really impresses me is that while they took a trip that seems like one of those "18 coutries in 14 days" kind of horror trips, they saw what they chose to see in considerable, and intelligent, depth.

Here's Robyn's posting in response to an inquiry about how best to spend a few days in Rome:

On our first day, we visited the Vatican museum in the morning and tried to get into St. Peters, but it was Good Friday, and there was a special service going on. We walked past Castel SantAngelo (Hadrians Tomb) on our way to view the Pantheon, and the Piazza della Minerva, with the elephant obelisk. We stopped in at Santa Maria Sopra Minerva and saw the sarcophegi of St. Catherine de Siena. We then headed over to Piazza Navona, checked out the 3 fountains and Sant'Agnese in Agone. We stopped at the Pasquino, to view any satirical verse (there was one), then checked out Trajan's column and The Victor Emmanuel Monument on the way back to the hotel. In the evening, we went over to the Colosseum, where the Pope walked the Stations of the Cross from the Colosseum to the Forum. Even though we're not Catholic, it was very moving to take part in this ceremony.

On our second day we spent the morning viewing the Colosseum (from the inside) and walking around the Forum and the Palentine. We then went back to St. Peters Cathedral, which we were successful in getting into. Next we made our way over to the Piazzo del Campidoglia, then headed over to Piazza della Bocca della Verita and saw the temples of the Forum Boarium. Walked across the street to Santa Maria in Cosmedian and put our hand in the Mouth of Truth. We then strolled down the Circus Maximus on our way back to the hotel.

On our third day we walked over to the Trevi Fountain, by way of Piazza Barberini and the Quatro Fontane, then on to the Spanish Steps. We walked up to the Piazza del Popolo, and past Augustus' Mausoleum. We eventually made our way to Santa Maria della Concezione to see the crypts of the Capuchian Monks (the way coolest thing that we saw in Rome). The American Embassy was right up the street, and although we couldn't get in, we strolled around it. We then headed down to the Pyramid of Caius Cestius and the Aruelian Wall (check out the cats). On the way back to the hotel, we stopped in at the Santa Maria Maggiore.

We left Rome Monday morning, to visit Paestum. We had an hour to spare in the morning before catching our train so we went down to St. Peter's in Chains and saw Michaelangelo's Moses.

Most people doing a "21 cities in 21 days" tour brag about how much ground they cover, but actually see and experience little. Someone obsessed with Rome, like Julie and Ed, couldn't lay out a better plan for a quick but in-depth visit of our favorite city. Robyn and her husband took the time necessary to thoughtfully plan their trip. Because of that planning I'll wager few, if any, 1997 visitors to Europe had a more enjoyable vacation. In Robyn's words, We enjoyed our trip to Europe three-fold; in our planning, our taking and our memories.

The rest of the story? It won't be 20 years until the next trip; they've caught the "Europe bug" and will be in the Nethrerlands for a short visit this spring.

October 26, 1997 - Travel Books

We may have more invested in travel books than in travel itself! Like so many, we're inveterate armchair travelers -- and, Ed's a bit of 'nut' when it comes to planning our trips.

We've filled our newest bookcases with something over five feet of reference books for only our favorite European destinations of Switzerland, Rome and Bavaria. And this is after considerable weeding-out of duplicates, books out of date and books we found wanting.Collecting the books has been almost as much fun as the traveling for Ed.

Few bookstores carry more than a handful of books even on such popular destinations. Even large stores (e.g. Barnes and Noble) carry few more at any given time.

Travel books are both fun and useful, but so many are trash, frankly. After so many years of reading and travel and, more important, matching up reality to the books, we have some definite ideas about which ones are the most useful for the areas in which we have the most knowledge.

Better yet, we can tell you where to get them. If you visit our page on travel books you'll find our pick of the best, and where you can get them. A few are out of print or not available in this country. The majority, though, can be ordered from the comfort of your seat in front of your computer, often at a discount.

The next best thing to traveling is reading about it; take a look at our recommendations. And if you can travel to one or more of our favorite spots, a small investment in books to help plan the trip will pay big dividends in terms of your limited travel time and your limited travel dollars.

October 12, 1997 - Travel Info Sources

The 'net has made it incredibly easy to reach out and obtain information from previous travelers about places you're interested in visiting. At the same time, it's made it equally easy to get mis-information.

Start your research early enough that you have time to get a sense of where to find reliable travel information.

Take advantage of the archives of the rec.travel.europe newsgroup -- these are maintained by AltaVista and DejaNews among others. Do a search on your topic of interest (e.g. "Rome"). You'll find lots of useful answers from such a search, and you'll notice that many of the answers come from a relative handful of people. These are probably good subject matter experts, and you may want to contact them directly with specific questions.

You can do essentially the same thing if you're an AOL member through the travel forums. (Same applies in one form or another to Prodigy and CompuServ.)

Having found people from whom you can solicit advice, you do want to 'qualify' those sources. Unfortunately, as we scan, for example, rec.travel.europe we're often struck by the misinformation given in an assured fashion.

It seems to us that many who have made one trip to Europe or one quick visit to a city become instant 'experts', qualified, in their minds, to answer any question, whether accurately or not.

Cross-check the 'experts', and look for serious differences in their opinions on similar issues. Probably, not assuredly -- only probably, the majority is right. If you find a source consistently in the minority, its probably one to dismiss.

Try to find out the breadth of background of your chosen experts. So many Americans make one trip to Europe and find much that is different to them than at home. Different is better, and they're mighty impressed with what they see. They think that wherever they have been must be the finest destination on earth. (Central Park must look like heaven to someone who has only seen Bronx tenements all their life.)

If you find an experienced traveler who has seen many cities and countries over the years, you'll have a source that can put things into perspective. Every country has much to recommend it, but it's all relative.

As well, weather is a tricky thing, and can strongly influence ones opinion of a destination. (We're convinced our relative dislike of Florence is colored, at least in part, by the fact that it was a dismal, rainy day on our first visit.) You should generally be able to better-trust a source who has the advantage of many visits to a destination, over the years and in all seasons.

Take advantage of the reach of the Internet in planning your travels, but don't let yourself be taken advantage of by self-described experts who are more experienced in blowing their own horns than in travel.

October 7, 1997 - Weights & Measures

Few Europeans are surprised when Americans don't speak their language, or any European language. It's largely understood that most Americans receive little useful language training. As well, most Europeans accept that English is the single most broadly understood 'universal' language. Many Europeans, and perhaps most of the younger generation, have a working knowledge of English. In any event, while it's very useful (and courteous) to know a little of the language of the country you're visiting, most Europeans won't surprised or disappointed or consider you an ignoramous if you don't speak their language fluently.

On the other hand, the Metric System, for measurement, is much like English for communication: it's understood and used by the vast majority of the modern world. Travelers run the risk of seeming uneducated (at best ... ignorant at worst) if we can't understand a conversation about distance, speed, quantity or weight using the world's units of measure.

Probably most of us have spent at least a day or two in school learning about the Metric System. And probably most of us have forgotten much or all of what we learned. Before you set off to travel the world take some time to refamiliarize yourself with the universal language of measurement. Most guide- and phrase-books contain section about common weights and measures.

We've put together an article on the most common Metric measures, including a quick-reference section with conversions, both precise and also useful approximations you can work out in your head. Let us know if there's other information we can include in there that would be helpful. And let us know if you've got a handy 'rule-of-thumb' conversion method that you find useful in your travels.

August 25, 1997 - Packing

Now in a separate article.

August 11, 1997 - When's the Perfect Time?

Anytime is better than no time! That's our basic maxim in answer to the question, "Should we go to (anywhere) in (sometime)?" If you've only one chance to get away and this is it, and you've always had a destination in mind, seize the moment and go ... especially if it's likely to be your only chance for a few years, or ever.

The right time very much varies by destination. Do some careful research, because we see much mis-information being offered about when to visit our favorite destinations, Rome and the Swiss Alps.

Fiction: "Rome shuts down in August."
Fact: It just isn't so.

We've enjoyed ourselves in Rome in every month of the year. Though, wintry months are less enjoyable since so much of our joy of Rome comes from the outdoors, with ancient sights and outdoor tables.

It is true that August is the traditional holiday month for Italians. As a result beaches and the mountains are crowded with Italians as well as travelers from around the world. This is a particularly congested month if the beaches or mountains are on your agenda.

On the other hand, Rome is no more crowded in August than in most of July and early September. And most restaurants and all but the smallest shops are open in August. The Roman tourist industry is not, after all, ignorant of the fact that this is a popular travel month. Their business is taking care of visitors, and they stay open when the tourists are in town.

You will find a modest number of restaurants that close for one or two (or even three) weeks in August, though there are also some that do the same in July. Many small shops do close for the better part of August, but the ones most attractive to tourists (read: most expensive) are open.

On the other hand August is usually very hot, as are July and very early September. For that reason, as well as crowds, we prefer to visit from the early part of May through mid-June, or from the middle of September to the middle of October. The weather is usually good and the crowds are diminished. Early October is usually the perfect time to enjoy Rome.

Switzerland also is enjoyable in one way or another year-'round.

As long as you stay in the lowlands Switzerland is usually a joy from May through October. The peak tourist season is from June through September. Like most northern climates you'll find more rain and outside of that period, and of course some snow and quite chilly weather.

The glory of Switzerland, though, is its mountains, and here you have to contend with mountain weather. (Every Eden has its serpent.) There is a good reason many hotels in the mountain regions close between mid-April and early June, and between early- or mid-September and mid-December: the weather is quirky at best, trip-spoiling at worst.

In those 'tween-season times there are the occasional spectactularly beautiful days, but for the most part the most reliable forecast is to expect at the least mountain-obscuring clouds, or fog, or drizzle/light show, or worse. The reason one visits the mountains is to see them. Whether planning on rambling through them on foot or riding past them on a train, clouds and fog will frustrate your expectations.

Fiction: "The mountains are overrun with visitors in July and August."
Fact: "Overrun" is relative, and the tourist burden in the mountains at that time is greater with good reason -- excellent, usually dependable, weather.

The "crowds" on the train platforms are a bit irksome at times, but really can't be compared to the crowds one finds at US beaches or in major cities like New York, Paris, London or Rome. And, the crowds thin out quickly the further you get from the trains and the village centers. A five minute walk will take you from the "madding crowd" to serene, pastoral settings, and you'll wonder what all the nonsense about "crowds" was about.

And regardless of how many others are enjoying the scenery with you, you'll see it, not bemoan the fog, clouds and drizzle. While there's an occasional short summer storm in the mountains or, rarely, a day or two of bad weather, extended periods of less-than sparkling skies are rare. If you want to get your money's worth, mid-June through late-August are the time to go to the mountains.

If the Engadine is on your agenda, you can stretch the end of that period slightly. While the snows in the Berner Alps begin to close walking trails by mid-September, the Engadine is mainly snowfree for some time into and perhaps through October.

Skiers, of course, will want to target their visits from the middle of December through the end of March or very early in April.

Don't let misinformation steer you away from an enjoyable visit.

July 21, 1997 - Travel Agents

We've moved this note to a page of its own.

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