The Rules Of This Trip - HEED WELL!

The rules of this trip require all guests to leave such effects with the proprieter as will constitute a sureity against damage or loss caused by excessive ejoyment of our PLEASURES & PASTIMES.  To reduce the incidents of claims made on such effects the management would suggest the following precautions:

1. Do not swing from the chandeliers or jump out of the galleries
2. Do not lay hands on the female staff without warning
3. Do not disturb guests in the pursuit of their natural pleasures
4. Do not make water other than in the place provided
5. Do not throw any drinking vessel, either full or empty
6. Do not indulge in political or religious discussions
7. Do not beg, borrow from, or otherwise importune other guests
8. Do not settle questions of honor on the premises
9. Do not assult the musicians
10. Do not give offense questioning the sanity, legitimacy, potency, or virility of elderly guests
11. It is considered especially ill advised to introduce either ferocious animals or well-known belicose pranksters

Three good articles on planning

I found three good articles on how to work the travel business to your advantage.  The first is a guide on how to have a stress-free vacation from start to finish.  It's common sense stuff we know but should review.  The next bills itsself as the ultimate travel hacking guide.  Here's what we should study because there are plenty of great ideas in here.  The next is for excrement and giggles and its on how to fly first class without paying for it.  It would be nice to get an upgarde on one of the flights but I don't see it happening. 

I have sent out some invitations for other authors to join this blog.  I plan on making anyone who is going with us an author so this will be a team effort.  Please email me at conductormtm@gmail.com so you can be added and we can count you as going on this trip.  Let me know even if you are just interested in going but are unsure.  We probably won't make flight reservations until January at the earliest so you have time to decide.

Dates Have Been Set!

For those of you who have been following the Facebook group, you know that therre was a meeting last night to decide on a few things.  This was attended by Allie, Chris, and myself.  There were a couple of things we decided.  The biggest was a setting a time to go.  We decided that the month of May was the best as weather would be warmer and prices will still be off-peak in many places.  We could depart any day in the month, but we were looking at the 6th or 7th as optimal.  There is room there to have reasonable accomdations for schedule and cheaper fares that may show up.  How long we stay is up to you.  The three of us spoke of anywhere from 10-18 days.  I realize this may not work for everybody, so we figured that we can have this be open-ended.  If you can only stay a week, then come for that long!  I also suppose that if you can't come until the last week, then that will be OK too.

We also talked destinations.  The talk for the last few months has been of a Scandinavian adventure.  This is still a good possibility, but there are other ideas to consider.  For instance, we are all bound by beer.  Why not do a beer tour?  We could start in London and make our way through Chimay, Belgium to the Netherlands (where Mike has friends).  We could go north into Scandinavia and the Baltic or Munich and Prague.  Chris knows the head of the brewer's association in Poland, so Warsaw would be a great stop.  We could go all the way to Kiev and into Russia too.  Even though I just talked up this idea, the point is that our destinations are fluid until we buy our flights.  January and February will be when we do that.  I would budget anywhere from $850 to $1K for that.  We are going to try for reasonably cheap accomodations that conform to my 6-S maxim:  A place to stay must be Secure and Sanitary to Shit, Shower, Shave, and Sleep. 

This will be the primary place for trip information now.  You will have a place to comment, send links to things,  & etc.  Please give me your feedback and ideas so we can make this trip a success!