Hi from Rick: Joys of Before and After
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| Anticipation before — and reminiscing after — makes the thrill of experiencing Paris' masterpiece-packed Orsay go on and on and on... |
While there's a kind of giddy fun in deciding to take a trip at the last minute, that's not my favorite way.
I get the most travel joy taking a trip I've planned and dreamed about for a long time. The anticipation gives me months of pleasure. It can be turned up whenever I want, just by learning a little more about my destination as it draws ever-closer. It's practical, too: the more I learn about a place, the more I'll get out of the experience once I'm there.
This same kind of "experience-lengthening" happens after I get home, when I enjoy the pictures I took, listen to music that inspired me, or reminisce with someone I shared that trip with. No matter how short the trip may have been, its magic can linger a lifetime.
A couple of things are happening here at Europe Through the Back Door that brings all this to mind.
First, our early booking discount of $100 per tour will end on December 31st. If you're dreaming of taking a tour in 2011, it literally pays to decide now — in addition to kicking in that anticipation part of the experience.
Second, if you traveled on one of our tours in 2010, please sign up for our big tour reunion party here on January 15th. Seeing hundreds of tour buddies and guides sharing photos, stories and laughs — and rekindling friendships — always makes this the happiest day of the year for me. We're flying in lots of guides for this big bash. (And if you're not a 2010 tour alum, you're invited to meet our guides at our January 15th Test Drive a Tour Guide event.)
We're seeing a surge of interest in France now, and when you read this month's Tour News you'll understand why. You'll find France guide interviews, tour member raves, back-to-back combinations, and some irresistible "tastes" of our four different France tours.
Thanks for your interest in what we do. We appreciate your traveling with us...before...during...and after.
Happy travels,
Rick