There is a popular saying that is recited every day by many seasoned travelers: “Been there. Done that.” I suppose if this were totally true, every family in America, Canada, and the world would have families of consisting of only one child. The facts prove otherwise which endorse the feeling that some things are worth experiencing more than once … or twice. Another example: potato chips.
I will spare you the specifics but a few years back, my wife and I were introduced to the European River Cruise. We took advantage of an opportunity and found ourselves soon cruising down The Danube from Vilshofen, Germany to Budapest, Hungary. To say we enjoyed every second of that vacation would be doing a great trip an injustice. In a word: It was Incredible. (Okay. Three words.)
That single experience led us to pursue future opportunities which introduced us to four additional rivers: The Rhine, The Rhone, The Seine and The Douro. We visited Amsterdam, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Spain, Portugal and in all likelihood, a few more countries I may have overlooked. You would think that we could say in all honesty, “Been there – Done that.”
The memories of each individual cruise will continue to linger for years to come. Not only do we remember the quaint villages, historic cities, the local ambiance and friendly people along the way, but the sincere and cordial hospitality that was directed our way by the ship’s professional staff was nothing short of superb. We still recollect individual staff members that made each voyage memorable.
I tell you this because just his past week my wife and I were riding our bikes along the Erie Canal in Herkimer, New York (Upstate) when we were reminded of our bike rides along various European rivers. That is when the idea hit us … or should I say hit me. (I hasten to add my wife endorsed the idea immediately.)
In five years, we both will turn 80 and wouldn’t it be fun if we returned to the river for a full two-week excursion? Perhaps, from Amsterdam all the way down river to Budapest. We could start depositing our loose change in an empty coffee container starting today with a much-anticipated goal in mind.
Although we have no intention of wishing the next five years of our life away, we are both excited that we have something to look forward to for a milestone birthday.
I am sharing our plans with you today for two reasons. The first being that you can return to the “scene of the crime” for reasons of your own without having to explain the method behind your madness. I suppose I am suggesting, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Or how about a popular quote from the movie Casablanca, “Play it again Sam.”
Secondly, I am reminding you that there is logic behind planning and saving well-ahead of time to ease the accompanying financial investment. We have deployed this practice in the past and it works like a charm.
In looking back over the page, I see I failed to mention all eight of our river cruises, and the one in the planning stage, were on AmaWaterways. And make no mistake about it, we would have it no other way. Been there. Going again.
Mike Marchev is always looking for a few more proactive travel professionals to join his Sales and Marketing Club, mike@mikemarchev.com.
*** You want more to think about? Check out my weekly podcast (Miked Up Marchev). Also listed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google, and iHeartRadio.