I know what you are thinking. You only have two weeks for your big overseas vacation and you want to maximize time and see as much of that new country as possible. You’ve probably spent months planning your trip-and even longer saving up for it and nothing, I mean nothing, is going to get in your way.
You are going to love it … just as soon as you can wake up and regain your energy from that stuffy red-eye and eight-hour time change.
Is it jet lag? Uhm … I don’t know. You might have read this post and learned how to handle that.
Maybe it is stress and exhaustion? Before your trip has even begun? Nope. Can’t be that.
Then what is it?
It is nothing, my friends … nothing that a little pre-trip planning can’t cure.
photo credit: ianmunroe
Here are three tips for planning the first day of the rest of your vacation.
1. Arrive prepared
I know many people like to travel without set plans or with an open itinerary, and personally, I think that is great. But you should know where you are going to sleep the first night you arrive. Arrange transfers in advance, have the hotel or B&B address and phone number in a convenient place and make arrangements to check into your hotel as soon as you arrive.
photo credit: Enigma 80
2. Take a breather
You’d be surprised at how many people fly into a major airport-like Rome, for example, and hit the ground running. They rent a car and immediately head out for a new destination.
Even if you aren’t going to spend your vacation in your arrival city, plan to spend at least one night there to rest and get oriented to your new time zone. Nothing is worse than starting your vacation on a tired note-and if you hop off of a plane and into a Smart Car for a six-hour road trip … you won’t just be tired. You’ll be worn out.
photo credit: Epioles
3. Don’t over plan
Don’t misread Tip #2 and think you can go to sleep as soon as your flight lands-unless you arrive at the normal sleeping time for that country. But do check in to your hotel and get acquainted with the area. Ask the front desk staff for shopping or dining recommendations or take a short walk around the city.
Don’t plan to do anything that day except get oriented to the city, purchase toiletries and rest. If you are in Italy, consider having a glass of wine in a nearby piazza. You’ll enjoy your first night, without exhausting yourself.
What other tips do you recommend for a great first vacation day?
Don’t forget to see what tips Robin has for you to today at My Melange.
Until next time … Buon Viaggio!
San Jose Mercury News, Calif., Action Line column: How to get an accident off insurance records.
San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, CA) July 30, 2007 Byline: Dennis Rockstroh Jul. 30–Q Here’s a goodie: I noticed on my auto insurance renewal there was a “point” listed; after a phone call, I found it was due to an old police report citing me in an accident. The case ended up being dismissed.
The Department of Motor Vehicles concurred it is there.
I phoned the Monterey County Superior Court Traffic Division to inquire what transpires when a case is dismissed with respect to the DMV. The court notifies DMV electronically. (I have the court papers with the dismissal.) DMV has no record of the court notification and does not want a fax of the court document; they require a “supplemental police report.” I’d think court documents would supersede a police report, but noooooo. go to website superior court traffic
Well, the Monterey police refuse to supply a supplemental report to update the DMV record, citing, “It’s not my job,” “That’s another department,” “The court needs to handle this” and on and on.
No solution.
All I need is for a document that says the case, #xxxxxx was dismissed on 7/12/06.
An original must be sent to the DMV in Sacramento to update my driving record, at which time I need to get a copy of my clean driving history, submit to my insurance company to get my rate reduced by $700 and a refund for the past year of overcharges.
Can you help??? I’m desperate.
Dena Donnelly Monterey A OK, Dena. I sent your complaint to the DMV.
A DMV rep called you and was able to confirm that your case was dismissed because the witness of the accident did not appear.
The rep explained that the dismissal of your citation is handled as a separate matter and that the reporting of the accident on your driving record will not be changed unless the police agency is willing to provide a supplemental report showing you were not at fault. in our site superior court traffic
The DMV told you that someone will help you as much as they can, but you still need to send additional documentation to DMV for review. The rep gave you her name and number and will follow up on this.
So, the wheels are turning, so speak.
Q For a week we had no garbage collection on Lyle Drive in San Jose.
I have called a number of times to no avail.
As a result, my entire street looks pretty similar to what we saw in the news with Waste Management in the East Bay.
K.O.
San Jose A GreenTeam has some mechanical and work order problems, K.O.
But the garbage was finally collected.
The city and GreenTeam send their apologies to you and your neighbors.
Mail: San Jose Mercury News, 750 Ridder Park Drive, San Jose, Calif. 95190 Phone recording: (888) 688-6400.
Fax: (408) 288-8060.
Please include full name, address and phone number.
Because of the volume of requests, I cannot respond to everyone.
For tips, self-help, news and discussion, see the Consumer Action Line Web log. Go to www.mercurynews.com. Click on “all blogs.” Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
I agree with all these tips especially if you just landed after a long trans-Atlantic trip!
You’d be surprised how many people don’t plan for this and try to hit the ground running. They are exhausted much too early in their vacations this way.
.-= nyc/caribbean ragazza´s last blog ..Oggi sciopero! (Bloggers in Italy on strike today) =-.
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Your advice sounds spot-on to me. Nothing to add!
Thanks, Kim.
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stay awake – if you have to nap, try to do it early in the day and for for under an hour. have an early dinner and go to bed at an early (but reasonable) hour. say by 9pm. that way you get a good night’s rest and your internal clock adjusts itself to your new time zone. I always caution travelers not to expect themselves to hit the ground running. people just don’t realize how tired they will actually be…
works for me – I rarely suffer from jet lag =)
Me, either. I don’t ever sleep, though. Ever. Not until it is after 9:00, like you said.
.-= stacy´s last blog ..EUREKA! =-.
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I agree with all these tips, we do hardly anything on our first day, even though we only have to come from the UK.
We normally only have to drive and hour or so to our destination, when we have been to Italy, and we just settle in. Our first port of call though is a supermarche, so far we have been lucky and have been given directions from owners and they are normally on our way to the apartment. Once that is done, we can relax, and normally just stay around the town we are in. We have the food for the evening meal, and breakfast and wine for the night!! Then we have a fridge stocked and can decide whether to eat in or out..:-)
That *does* sound relaxing! What a way to start your vacations!
.-= Anne´s last blog ..Bloggers Strike in Italy =-.
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Great post! If I have the time and energy, I try to grab a few snacks and take a look at the public transportation system. It always takes a little time to figure new ones out.
Great (and very true) point. Thanks, Alisa.
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