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Avoiding stress and the ABC syndrome while on tour.

Aug 04 '01 Write an essay on this topic.

The Bottom Line Pace yourself, Enjoy yourself, and don't try to see it all in one trip. It won't work.

I was stationed in the UK (England) for 5 years and took a
LOT of tours and trips while there.

Unfortunately for me I spent a lot of time at work
too.

In the 5 years that I was there I saw a LOT of Europe and
especially England, Scotland, and Ireland, but I still
want to see MORE MORE MORE.

The best trip that I took was with a friend on the train
system using a EURRAIL pass. For more information on that
you can see my posting on this site at
(http://www.epinions.com/trvl-review-675B-2024CD9F-3A4ECDEA-prod4)

Since the European Union has gotten well under way, it is
becoming increasingly more difficult for us tourists to
get the REAL souvenirs that we can brag about. By that I
mean pass port stamps.

In my time in the UK I was able to visit almost a dozen
countries (some multiple times) and only have about half a
dozen stamps to show for it.

With the formation of the EU and it actually seeming to work
so far, most of the countries involved have relaxed their
borders. Once you get into Europe then it will be hard to
find emigration officers or customs officers to stamp them.

A prime example of this was when I went to Callaise from
Dover by ferry.

My friends and I got off of the ferry in France and went up to the booth for non-EU residents awaiting the first stamp in out passport books of our trip. There was
NOT A SOUL there.

We proceeded to an official looking person in uniform and
asked about it. He simply looked at us as if we had
suddenly grown a third eye on a stalk each from our heads
and pointed us to the port authority office.

Upon our arrival there the door was closed and a sign
instructing us to "Ring Bell for Service"

We rang the bell and waited....and waited... and waited.
We gave up after 15 min of waiting and ringing the bell
about once every 3 or so min and no response at all.

In Italy we had to mug the conductor who came through
checking pass ports for a stamp. He also I'm afraid
thought us daffed.

Back to the real topic of this posting now....

General Iteneraries for the European Continent.

There are several approaches to this.

1. The Cram session
Run amock throughout the continent snapping photos and
taking videos so fast that you'll have top get them
processed or downloaded and see the videos to figure out
where all you went.

While covering a LOT of territory this way, you won't
REALLY enjoy yourself or relax much. In the end, you'll
need a vacation after your vacation.

2. The meticulous planning approach...
This CAN be good in that if ALL goes EXACTLY
as planned out, you'll be able to do and see all that is
on your itenerary.

On the other hand, it only takes 1 missed train or delayed
flight to wreck the entire shebang for you.
This type usually hasn't a lot of flexability built in
and leave you cutting out things and places to get back on
schedule. If you are the steriotypical "type A
personality" then PLEASE remember to program in some flex
time throughout the trip or you'll most likely go home
disgruntled, exhausted, and missing a LOT of fun.

3. The shotgun approach...
This is where you have plans as far as
Item 1. Get on a plane for Europe.
After that it is x days or weeks spent going and doing
whatever and when ever the winds and transportation move
you.
This CAN BE a great way to do things but it is
EXTREMELY hard to pack and budget for.

If you have no plans at all then you could end up in
Bulgaria at a party when suddenly you realize "OH MY GOD!
I have to be back at work in 3 days and my ticket is only
good for London Heath Row and I don't have train, bus,
freey, plane fare back to London."

I guarantee that it'll take longer than 3 days to get back
to London let alone back to dreary old work from Bulgaria
if you are walking and hitch hiking.

and finally...
4. The combination free flow, planned trip
I know that it sounds like a conflict of terms with free
flow and planned but here's how it works.

When you decide to take this dream trip make a list of
places and things that you MUST hit.

Now, cut that list in half at least. If you are like my
friend Paula and I you have at least 6 months worth of
things and places to cover in 3.5 weeks.

To help cut it down try being more speciffic.
Rome, Vatican City and the Spanish steps and a GREAT HUGE
traditional 150 course meal. (okay so it was more like 8
but after eating it all it FELT like 150) instead of DO
ITALY on the list.

Start off with a forced march to the furthest point and
meaander back to where you started. That way if you end
up going a bit more free flow, you might just end up in
Calaise when you realise that you have to be back to work
in 3 days and your flight leaves from London. It is a bit
of a swim across the channel but you SHOULD be able to
make it in a day and a half at most. (ferry crossing in
fair weather is usually about 90-95 min if my memory is
still serving me well) and you can easy hitch hike to
London from Dover in a day at most a day and a half.

To save money and time while trying to take in all the
items on your list, consider taking the train.

You can see a LOT of the country that you have decided to
pass up and if the feeling strikes you you can jump off
and onto a train again MUCH easier than you can a plane.
(especially if it's moving)

another bonus to taking the tain is that you can maximize
your time and money by taking a nite train and sleeping
while traveling. I found the movement and sounds of the
train relaxing and saved the cost of a hostel or hotel to
spend on cheesy souvenirs for the family.

Remember the flex time that I mentioned?
Use it wisely, if a little rustic town appeals to you,
spend the day there then hop a night train to your next
destination or spend a couple.

When I went on the marathon trip we hit 9 countries in 27
days and were not rushed at all with our list of 1 item
and 5 places on our combined MUST DO list.

Granted, we were treating this as more of a scouting trip
for future expeditions in the next 2 years but we still
had a BLAST even when Paula lost her pass port in Munich,
Germany ad we had to spend 2 extra nights in Rome to get
it replaced since we got there after the office closed on
Friday.

We relaxed, saw the sites, did a LOT of walking and eating,
and met some GREAT people.

What is ABC syndrome? and How do I avoid it?

Europe is RICH in history and culture. Most of the history seems to be concentrated in the Glorious buildings.
(Churces, Cathedrals and Castles are in the majority with
palaces thrown in for good measure)

ABC syndrome as put to us by our guide in Munich (Mike's
Bike Tours are a MUST if in Munich or Amsterdam BTW)is
what is suffered by tourists (especially American tourists
it seems) when after about 1/2 of your trip you have seen
so MANY of these "GREAT HISTORIC STRUCTURES" that
you start to say "Oh look Another Bloody Castle. Another
Bloody Church. Another Bloody Cathedral"

Even the most die hard religious historical fan can suffer
from over load. The best way to avoid this is to
A. Pace yourself. Promise that you'll "do" no more than X
number of the big "c's" a day.
B. Unwind with a bit of the local area "beverage" Beers and
wines in Germany and Austria, Wines in France and Italy,
and BEERS BEERS BEERS in the UK.
C. Find a FUN tour guide. (hence my praise of Mike's Bike
tours in Munich) A fun guide can make even a city RIFE
with ancient churches, chappels, cathedrals, palaces, and
castles a BLAST as well as educational.

Remember to pack the essentials but try to travel as light
as possible. I made it almost a month with 3 changes of
clothes (2 shorts 1 pants pluss a weeks worth of undies),
a cam corder with 3 batteries and a charger, a camera, and
loads of film for both, and basic toiletries, and had no
problems other than having to post a lot of souvenirs home
at the half way point.

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