Potholes in the Road

by Bill Edwards

As some of you know, last fall I spent 2 weeks in Europe — a 7 night cruise on the Azamara Journey between Monte Carlo and Rome with additional time at both ends in Nice and Rome. In a nutshell it was an absolutely wonderful trip – the ship AND the itinerary. But since returning I’ve been thinking about what were my favorite things about the trip and my favorite stops.

Being a cruise agent since 1985 I’ve noticed a few changes in my thinking over these past almost 30 years – call it the aging process if you want—I won’t be offended! But where I used to be focused on details of a trip, I now seem to look more at the “big” picture and how the things that we DO and DO NOT have control over affect our perception of a vacation. Let me cite a couple of examples:

Lovely Cinque Terre

The weather – which we never have control over – affects your experiences and how you remember a port of call. I’d so looked forward to Cinque Terre – the pastel painted villages that literally hang on the cliffs overlooking the azure seas of the Mediterranean. Well – our day there was overcast and a little bit drizzly at times. It didn’t ruin things for us by any means but in contrast to our stop later in the cruise at Ravello on the Amalfi coast – what a difference. The weather was perfect and thus, in my mind, I would rank Ravello as one of my favorite stops on the entire trip.

Location – Location – Location. How many times have you heard that word used in relation to buying real estate? Well it applies just as importantly

The Always Impressive Colosseum in Rome

to the location of your hotel on a trip—which is something one DOES have control over. I have to be honest and say that while I was looking forward to visiting Rome for the first time I did NOT think I was going to like it. I had visions in my mind of a dirty, bustling city with somewhat rude people. Was I ever surprised in so many ways! Not only was it much cleaner than I expected – the locals were nice — and again it didn’t hurt that the weather was near perfect. But I think what really helped was the location of where we stayed. We were just steps down a side street from the Pantheon. We walked EVERYWHERE – the Colosseum and Forum, Piazza Navona, and the Vatican. How many times do we “scrimp” on hotel costs rather than pay for location and thereby enjoy more of what a city has to offer?

So in the end – yes we can control some things; others we can’t. Keep your travel eye on the big picture and…

“Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey” – Fitzhugh Mullan