When Paradise Turns Inferno

I think we're all still reeling from the horrors of the Carnival Triumph, and I wonder how the cruise lines will be affected by people who are frightened to set foot on a cruise ship.  Will the Triumph's untriumphant landing in Alabama cause thousands of people to cancel their cruises for 2013/2014? It's strange that a ship can be either an escape to paradise or a prison.  

As much as we don't want to think that our vacation will be interrupted by anything from unpleasantness to tragedy, I think it's important to have reasonable expectations when traveling.  There are no guarantees that your Disney trip will have sunny weather--it might rain every day you are there.  What if, after hours of driving in a car with travel-weary children, Mount Rushmore is clouded with fog?  Or, what if you are cruising the Caribbean and a cold front hits the southern US and the weather turns cold and the seas are choppy?  These inconveniences are minor in comparison to what the passengers of the Triumph suffered, especially the little ones and the elderly, but it helps to bring a necessary dose of reality to our "escapist" dreams of  travel.  Life has unexpected and unwelcome surprises in everyday living AND in vacationing.  

What can you do to have reasonable expectations in travel?  First, I think it's important to prepare in every way you can.  I always suggest travel protection for guests.  Lots of people decline vacation insurance, but I think it's good to be able to lean on the security.  Ask yourself these questions: If you are injured on vacation, does your insurance cover you outside the US?  Can you afford to be medically evacuated?  What if your baggage is lost or stolen?  Vacation protection often will reimburse you if you have to cancel your trip or if you get sick during your trip.  

Also, I think it's helpful to have alternative plans for several days during your stay.  What if the weather prohibits you from the excursion you have planned that day?  What if members of your party are too tired to participate in a walking tour and you need to stay local?  Some research and planning may help to not just keep you busy but to do something that you had already prepared to do.  Again, few hardships will compare to what the guests of the Triumph experienced, but being prepared to welcome some everyday life into our vacations can help when the unexpected happens.  

Missing Oxford

The dreariness of January makes me want to hibernate,  I never mind the snow or bad weather until I have to go somewhere, but life is too busy now to be able to stay inside and ignore the cold and constant precipitation.  I remember 15 Januarys ago when I got my wish.... to stay inside until it got warm again.  That was the January I spent at Oxford University at Harris Manchester College during Hilary term. A former student from The Oaks Academy, is spending Hilary term at Oxford now, and I think of her often. 

I can recall in detail my small room in Warrington hall that overlooked Mansfield Road.  It was me, the contents of a suitcase, a bed, wardrobe, sink, and books.  As a student at Oxford, I like all other students had a primary and a secondary course.  I was required to meet with my primary tutor once a week and with my secondary tutor (the president of the college) every other week.  Attending lectures was optional, and so the only times I needed to leave my room was to go to the library and to eat meals.  I studied Victorian Women's Literature and Early Church History, and I literally read, ate and slept for three months straight. 

Being a people person and always having a roommate since I was a baby, I was unaccustomed to having so much solitude.  I actually ended up loving it. . I had a daily schedule that I follwed to the letter.  Get up, eat breakfast, come back to my room and read.  Then, it was lunch, and I returned to my room to read.  I often fell asleep and took a nap (a forgotten luxury) and when I woke up I'd sometimes go for a walk or run at University Parks, a beautiful scenic park with a pond an mature trees that even looked beautiful in the winter.  Then, I'd shower and have dinner, come back and read again, and stay up late to ICQ my now-husband Mark.  Do any of remember ICQ?  The pre-Instant Messanger!  Then, I'd fall into bed around 2am, to repeat the whole process again. 

Those were the days when I could dictate my own schedule, no one asked me for anything, and when I said I was "busy" I really had no idea what I was talking about.  Life is so different now, but I can appreciate both my solitude then and the kids that are hanging on me right now as I write this!  I'm so glad that I have the memories of such a unique time of my life.

New Beginnings in 2013!

As 2013 begins, I'm excited to announce my new affiliation with a local travel agency, The Travel Agent, Inc.   in Carmel, Indiana.  Since 1979, The Travel Agent has provided clients with luxury travel experiences and  has earned the distinction to be part of Virtuoso , an invitation-only network of the world's finest travel agencies.  Being a part of Virtuoso provides agencies like The Travel Agent with preferred connections with hotels, airlines, cruise lines and tour companies.  There is a difference with a Virtuoso agency!

The Travel Agent has invited me to be their Disney Specialist to inform the agency on all of Disney Parks' expansions, promotions, special events and training opportunities.  I'm extremely excited to join this professional team of advisers to research what I enjoy most--the Disney experience.  While I will focus on the Disney Destinations (Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, Adventures By Disney and Aulani, a Disney Resort and Spa in Hawai'i), I am also expanding beyond Disney to meet the needs of a wider client base.  I now book cruises on all major cruise lines.   I also provide travel planning for couples' vacation packages (such as Sandals) , honeymoon packages, and any family vacation in North America and the Caribbean.

Take a moment to browse The Travel Agent's site.  Our motto is "We sell the world and we want you to see it."  Maybe you will be inspired to make 2013 the year to take the trip of your dreams!

Leisure and Shoveling

After I wrote my first post, I spent the next hour shoveling six inches of snow off our driveway with my husband and son.  About halfway through, my back was getting far too comfortable at a 90 degree angle and it hurt to stand up straight.  Ethan, my ten-year old son, asked "How much longer until we're done?"  I kept trying to estimate how many minutes it would take for us to complete the task, and reminded him that I was cold and wet too.   As usual, manual labor takes much longer than we think it will.  Frustration was starting to build. 

Instead of another optimistic estimate, I tried another approach. I told Ethan that being on vacation makes me want to work hard when I get home.  Coming from an entire week of no dishes, no chores and complete leisure and amusement actually created this drive in me to shovel with some gusto!  I don't know if it was much of a pep talk for him, but I had a wintery epiphany.  Regular cycles of work and rest are important for happiness!  Too much relaxation makes us lazy and too much work makes us grumpy, and our bodies know when it's time to return to work and back to our normal schedule.

Case in point: Last Friday, after three days at the parks we offered the kids another day in the Magic Kingdom or we could leave and go home to see their cousins.  Guess what they chose?  Yup, their cousins.  Sometimes the daily grind is more exciting than Dumbo.

Sometimes it takes a blizzard to start a blog.

I've been putting off writing a travel blog until I had a day that required nothing of me, when no one asked me for a meal, for help tying a shoe, or for completing a to-do list.  That day was not today, but the fact that we are in the middle of a blizzard has made TV watching paramount and I'm upstairs at the computer unnoticed!  How long can I get away with this?  Well, the length of my first post will answer that question!

I love to travel, whether it's a road trip to see family in Tennessee or a trip to Europe or a family vacation in Disney World which we just returned from three days ago. I like going to new places or returning to familiar destinations, and the journey is just as exciting as the destination.  Packing snacks, DVDs, and activity bags for the kids give me a rush of adreneline like nothing else.  I'm a people person and usually don't like prolonged alone time, but something in me comes alive when I'm in a new place where no one knows me and I can talk to strangers and make friends faster than I ever would at home.  I stay up late, get up early, and pack as much as I can into those days of un-ordinary because I know that daily life resumes too quickly. 

As I said, I am just returning from a trip with my life partner in state-hopping, Mark, and our four sight-seeing apprentices.  I'm surrounded by laundry, half-opened mail, mis-matched shoes and some very delicious Christmas cookies.  I should be cleaning, sorting and filing, but I'm still reveling in the memories of our Disney trip and trying to relive each moment.  What I love so much about a great trip is that I can't stop myself from mentally planning the next trip to that same destination even before I've unpacked.  I improve each aspect of the lodging, food, activities and transportation in my mind and want to cement those plans with a hard core date and time when we will return. Not much could be improved on this last trip, though.  I'll talk about more in future posts, but it was nearly perfect thanks to my parents who watched our tiniest tourist so we could focus on the older ones and experience all Disney World had to offer for the holidays.  Thanks, Nana! 

I know that the purpose of my blog and what I talk about will emerge and take form as I add more posts, but for now, I want to share some of my favorite travel memories from various perspectives:  a lover of travel, a travel agent, a mom and a travel partner.  The title of my blog, Still Wishing... comes from my Facebook page Wishing Star Vacations and from the fact that, no matter how many trips I take, I'm still wishing for the next adventure, the next excursion, the next getaway. 

One of my favorite Christmas presents was from my sister-in-law and her family.  They gifted us with a certificate toward a night at a lodge at one of Indiana's six state parks.  I have already decided that I want to visit the Potawatomi Inn in Angola, IN.  A huge beach on Lake James, hiking and biking trails, craft centers for the kids, two pools, a restaurant...sounds perfect to me!  After we get back from the trip, I'll review it and let you know what I think of Potawatomi Inn for a family overnight destination.  See, the blog is aleady writing itself...

 

So until next time, Happy Traveling!  Oops!  I mean, Happy Being Snowed In!