"Planning" the Trip

Last spring, Joel was invited to speak at an international conference in Antwerp, Belgium. I never thought I'd be able to go with him, as I'm still growing my business. The trip just wasn't in the budget - that is not until October.

So, we immediately started preparations. Courtesy of Rebecca Redding in Congressman Howard Coble's Asheboro office, we received our passports in two days.

After talking with a multitude of people who had been abroad, I spent a few days getting lost in cyber-information overload and contacted Travel Associates in Asheboro to secure our air and train passes. That was the only way, that I know of, we could get an open jaw - landing in Paris and departing from Amsterdam 10 days later. I am not - and never have been - a travel agent and required assistance from the professionals.

Karen Durda, a good friend who has been to Europe on several occasions, helped me locate a hotel in Paris. It seemed there was a citywide convention of packaging companies going on in Paris so many hotels were booked.

Celeste Montegue, a neighbor who has traveled to Armenia with First Baptist Church in Asheboro, loaned me her travel bag, a shoulder bag that crosses your body. It's perfect to hold the necessities - passport, money, Kleenex and lipstick. (It wound up holding a lot more.)

Joe and Pokcha Richardson, next door neighbors, had the awesome task of cat-sitting. Feed three times a day. Let the cats out. Bring in the mail. The list goes on of things they did for us while we were away. Joe has the capability of talking around the world via computer - and that did come in handy. He was the pivot person to contact family members back in the States.

Many people told us to pack our bags - and then take out half. We followed that sage wisdom.

On suggestion from my parents, who have been abroad several times, Joel and I planned that we would spend a couple of days in Paris, take the train to Antwerp, visit Brugges while we were there, and then take the Eurorail to Germany - ride a ferry up the Rhine River and see the castles - and then get to Amsterdam for the return flight.

I hadn't made hotel reservations past his convention, so we were just going to have to "wing" this trip. In the end, that worked very well.

PHOTO - This is a "Smart Car" that runs on unleaded gas or diesel. It spans about 6 feet in length and can hold 4 tiny people. "Smart Cars" were quite popular. Needless to say, neither Joel nor I would be able to get into one! (To learn more about these tiny vehicles and see the convertible style, log onto www.smart.com.)