Earlier in the year, or maybe even in 2024, we thought about visiting Italy because we like pasta. But as I wrote in the blog about our trip to Prince Edward County, it was too difficult to get all my girls' and my schedules to line up nicely for a trip across the ocean. Then in July, things changed. M1's last day of work would be August 22, M2 got her summer school exam date and it was August 16, M3's volunteering would end a week earlier. We thought this just might give us enough time to visit somewhere in Europe for a week - leave the evening of the 22nd after M1 finishes work and come back in time for school starting.
We were advised against going to Italy because there was some celebration going on and it would be very crowded. Our next choice was Paris, because M2 likes baguettes and croissants. You see, our vacation destinations are not chosen based on landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or activities like riding a gondola along a canal, but based on food.
M1 and I started looking for flights and hotels and they were very expensive! It was the second week of July and according to a travel agent, this was considered last minute travel to Europe. There was still a lot of choice in terms of airlines, hotels, and Airbnb's but it was all these choices that got me stressed out. They were expensive and I was afraid to make the wrong decision. I waited a day and the flight tickets increased in price. Then one hotel got fully booked. What if I book an Airbnb and it's not as advertised? You always hear horror stories about Airbnbs. But then another guy booked one and got a really good deal. All this uncertainty was driving me crazy! When we finally booked our flights with Air Canada and hotel at Best Western, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
My super-organized co-worker, Marion, gave me a spreadsheet she uses to plan all her vacations. It calculated what we would need to spend on flights, hotels, transportation, food, activities, etc. It had a packing checklist and a to-do list - everything from passports and eSims to clearing phone storage for pictures and making sure perishable food is thrown out before leaving. One of my good friends, Wilson, just went to Paris earlier in the summer and so did two other co-workers. They had lots of suggestions of restaurants to try and places to visit. But again, all this choice caused me stress. I was googling all these places and trying to book them in advance and then M1 pointed out, "We don't have to go to every place that your friends recommend, you know." That's when I realized I was going crazy again.
So we only booked a few restaurants and activities. In particular, we got a Paris City Pass which allowed us to choose 2 "high tier" attactions and 3 "lower tier" attractions. We ended up choosing a bus tour and the Louvre as the high tier attactions and the other 3 were a Seine boat tour, Arc de Triomphe, and a Chocolate Museum. We will visit the Eiffel Tower on our own.
All this was done by the end of July and I thought I could relax a bit. The girls started to get excited and began packing certain clothes for the trip. M3 worked on transitions (I don't really know what this is) and a countdown video for the trip. She filmed short clips of us each day and was going to put it together in one video.
Unfortunately, this countdown video is missing the last week because that's when the Air Canada strike took place. This sent my blood pressure sky rocketing (and M3 was too scared to bother me with her videos). Do I try to rebook with another airline? My tickets are non-refundable so I would lose out on that. Other airlines are now charging even higher prices. They say Air Canada will pay for my tickets on another airline but I know that will be difficult to accomplish. How long would I have to wait on the phone to get that to happen? If Air Canada cancels, I get my money back. Do I wait for that? But then I need to cancel the hotel and some of the activities we booked before the deadline for penalties. Maybe they'll give me a break because of the strike? All these questions swirling in my head.
Well, yadda yadda yadda, the labour dispute was settled on Tuesday and we were able to fly out on the Friday as scheduled. Many people say it's a lot of fun planning for a vacation but this time for me, it was extremely stressful. I just hope we have a fun and relaxing time so it's all worthwhile. (Spoiler alert: It was a great vacation ... stay tuned.)
Big Oh
No comments:
Post a Comment