Green’s Travel Tips

August 2007

As I See It…

One of my mother’s favorite sayings was…”If, If, stood in the corner stiff.” Thought I’d run it past you as I see it relating to travel.

IF I had more time I would take a vacation.

I hear this so often from people. There are those who just work, work, work and don’t think they have time for anything else. Maybe they should think about the true meaning of recreation...it means to re-create. One boss I worked for said that if I didn’t have time for a vacation I was no good to him. His feelings were that a really good employee or manager has to be able to schedule his/her time efficiently. That includes arranging for the work to continue when they are not there.

IF I had more money I would take time off.

Oh boy, do I like that one. I will never have enough money if I work until I am 100 years old. Budgeting is common in our lives. My wife and I believe in vacations and our budget has a separate line for vacation. If we run short in some category we adjust in another; but we never rob from the vacation line. It is too high a priority with us.

IF I were not afraid of motion sickness I’d take the family on a cruise.

There are so many things in life that we have to learn to control and overcome. I get motion discomfort. I used to take medication. Then I could go where I wanted with relative comfort. One day a neighbor woman offered me her pressure bracelets. They are like a knit cuff with a plastic button. When worn as directed the button pushes on a pressure point and it controls motion discomfort. No, it doesn’t make sense to me either but it works. One woman recently told me she used to wear them to control morning sickness when she was pregnant. Look for them at your drug store.

IF only I had some idea of where to go first on vacation.

Gee, I bet I can help you! I better be able to. We have just scheduled our 12th cruise, have been on 5-6 escorted land tours and visited 49 countries. Yes, there are plenty of places I have not been, but I have studied many cruise destinations as well as land opportunities. However, you have to help. You have to evaluate what is most important to you and in what order. I always have a few places I want to add to my travel list: Egypt, Amazon River, Antarctica, New Zealand and ????. When we are thinking of our next trip, we will sit down and prioritize this list and then add or delete before making the final plan. Give me a call and we can talk about your ideas.

“IF, If, stood in the corner stiff.”

Why, because when you accept IF as a control in your life you have a slim to nothing chance of ever accomplishing much of anything.

My grandson Sean is doing great going through Marine basic training. We’re very proud of him. However if, IF was paramount in his mind he could not make it. We all need to strive for positive thinking, taking control of our lives and doing what is important to us.

One last quote from my Mother: “You better do it (whenever I was struggling to make a decision). You’ll be a long time dead.”

Price of Gas…

This subject is on all our minds. When we think about going out for an afternoon drive the gas price will effect how far we go. Maybe this is the time to put driving vacations on hold and taking an all expense cruise or escorted land tour. You will probably be amazed at the total cost of a trip when all things are considered.

New Entry Requirements for Canada –

Please be advised that the Canadian Government has implemented some new entry requirements, which may affect individuals who might be planning a future trip to Canada. Effective this year (2007), anyone with a criminal record (including a DWI charge) should contact the Canadian Embassy or nearest Consulate General “before” travel, to be granted access into the country. To inquire about the new entry regulations and to obtain the forms required to request entry into Canada, we are suggesting that you contact the Canadian Embassy at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue – NW, Washington, DC 20001 or call them directly at (202) 682-1740. Additional web information can also be obtained at www.canadianembassy.org

Europe Travel…

Now is a great time to plan a trip to Europe. There are many more ships offering cruises to many different destinations. There are also many excellent escorted land tours available. The pricing is excellent and Europe is waiting to show you the land of many of our forefathers.

I am always asked which is better, a cruise or land tour. Honestly both vacations are great. You all know the advantage of cruising with the same room, unpack once and then choose from a variety of land excursions in every port. It’s fun to go to bed and then wake up in another city and often in another country.

Escorted land tours offer a one-price trip including all the attraction visits with a few optional tours. You get to visit more of the country and usually get to see more of the local people and learn their way of life. The tour company’s study what the traveler wants. Now you can book a more leisurely trip. They offer a few less cities, but the advantage is you stay 2-3 nights in the same location.

I just hung up the phone. I called a young student we met in China when we visited there. Her name is Ren YiJin (they use their last name first). She has adopted an American name –Candy. She is such a nice young woman. What fun to meet people and communicate in future years. Soon I will call friends we made while in Germany. Travel is just great!

“There have been no dragons in my life; only small children and stepping in gum.

I could have handled dragons.” Anonymous

Member Bob Green

480/664-7354