JetLag

Normally, when I fly to Europe I am in the working and touring mode.  That’s to say that upon arrival in Europe, I usually have to begin leading tours and showing people around.  So to prepare for this I get my “body clock” ready at home by getting up at 4:00 a.m. and going to bed by 9:00 p.m.  I do this for about four days before I depart.  Then usually, when I get to Europe I am pretty much on schedule.  However this vacation trip to the Cinque Terre is different.

Charlotte and I did not prepare before leaving for our trip.  We both had been busy and by the time the day of out flight rolled around,  all we could do was get up and get to the airport.  We traveled from Jacksonville to Newark and then on to Milan.  No problems with the flights, just a lot of flying.  Once we arrived in Milan we took a train down to the Cinque Terre.  That was another three hours added to the travel.  So all in all, we traveled about 20 hours by plane and train to get to our destination. But being on vacation in the Cinque Terre means no agenda.  There are no tours to lead, no place we have to be, and no schedule.  Today we slept until noon!

As we were laying out at the beach yesterday, we began thinking of the “first day” experience for most of my tour groups.  It usually involves hitting the ground running to see the sights.  Normally we go all day and finally get back to the hotel after dark.  In some respects this is a necessity because of all the sights and activities we have to pack in during the tour.  But wouldn’t it be nice to start a tour in a place like the Cinque Terre where all you had to do for the first day or two was to chill out and enjoy the location? 

What do you think?