Passau, GR

Why is it that I can go away and have a wonderful vacation and a week after I get back it feels like I have never been gone? The one thing that was different was reviewing over 2000 photos.  Yow.

I love to travel. It doesn’t matter how I travel, boat, plane, RV, biking…I love to travel. I have found that it wakes me up and helps me be more aware of what I have in my life. I also find that I have time to contemplate my life. Yet, most of all,

Traveling is Fun.

My sister, Ginny, and I just got back from my very first group tour, to Prague, the Danube River (including Passau, Vienna, Bratislava & Budapest), and Innsbruck. Was it fun? Yes it was. It was delightful from beginning to end. I saw so many places and events that I have never seen before. Every place we went was so different and historically interesting.

Ginny & I on the Amadeus

It was fun to travel with Ginny. We, for the most part, got along well. There were a few sister moments but they came and went. We have traveled in the USA before but this was our first big trip out of the country. There are many things I appreciate about Ginny. The best one on this trip was that she was willing to walk away from the group activities and be a bit adventurous and go out on our own. I love to travel this way so it was fun to have someone along who liked to do this. We took a gondola to the top the alps in Italy as well as one in Austria. While I went off for mini-hikes she sat and took in the view and it worked out so well.

Group touring is interesting. There were 136 people on this tour, with only 2 tour managers. They were busy. Since I work as a tour guide and tour manager I knew that there will always be a few fussy ones on a trip. Ginny and I made a pact to steer clear of that group. We did. What I thought was interesting was that the other people who were positive and upbeat ended up hanging out together. I guess they made a similar pact. I met many very nice people on this trip. Each one made me feel joy. It was fun to laugh and have a good time with others. It was also good to get away from everyone too.

Ginny & Ingrid (our tour manager)

Here is my latest list “What to do to Survive a Group Tour”

• Be as independent as possible.
• Don’t expect the Tour manager to have all the answers. They won’t.
• Don’t fuss and whine….have a good time and know that life will be different. I am not home!!!
• Spend time with the group and then get off on my own.
• Don’t be afraid to venture out by myself. People are very kind and helpful.
• Don’t choose to do all the optionals (buy-in day or half day tours). Having free time gives me more time to explore and see things that no one else on the tour will see.
• Make my accommodations as nice as I can so I can easily use my room for an escape and a nice to place for quiet time.
• If there is a library on board, find it.
• Go outside often.
• Take a lot of photos but not so many that you miss the wonders with your own eyes.

Click Here for Photos of the Trip

• Look for the positive people on the tour. Enjoy doing things with others.
• Sit with many different people at meals you never know who you might meet and what you might have in common.
• If I am traveling with someone else, be very clear with each other on your expectations. Ginny and I discussed having the freedom to go do something on our own if the other person did not want to go.
• Get a money conversion chart to take with you. We were in so many countries and not all were on the Euro.
• Most of all remember, I spent good money to take this tour so go have the darn best time that you can. Each time may be a moment in time that will never repeat.

This trip felt like my returning to the world after a hard year. it was so much fun and I loved how beautiful everything was. It was magical to sit on deck and all of a sudden, there was a castle or a palace. It was like every book I have ever read brought to life on the hillsides of the Danube. It was relaxing. For 2 weeks I was surrounded by all things new and I felt my mind and heart expand as I treasured the moments.

A town along the Danube

Since Jim’s death I strongly go by the belief that I want to get the most out of every single moment of my life. Hopefully this was the start of my adventure out into the world. It still remains a one step at a time process.

So all my friends and readers, go out, explore, discover and delight in your world each day. I will be doing this one step at a time and maybe just maybe we will meet on the journey. Travel On.