 An Itinerary For Everyone
A few years ago as I packed for our European vacation, my sister reminded me of a valuable tip. She said, “Make sure that everyone traveling with you and someone at home has a copy of your itinerary.” She then told me about how her and her husband were almost separated when their train in Germany departed before she was completely on board.
I thanked her for the tip, reassuring her that everyone in our traveling party did indeed have a copy of the itinerary – printed small enough to fit in a wallet and a full blown copy in my folder.
Arriving in Munich after dark, we were greeted with a blast of cold air as we took the train into the city of Munich to our hotel. Prepared every year for the cold, beautiful wintry scenes of the German Christmas Markets, I had packed all that was needed to keep us warm and cozy.
Right before we got to our station, my husband grabbed my backpack and said he would take care of the luggage if I got the stroller. (The trains in Germany don’t wait for anyone – this is why they are wonderfully on time and dangerously efficient!)
Thinking that was a good idea, I jumped off at the stop and quickly got the stroller down with my sleeping 18 month old son all bundled up with blankets. Wow – that breeze in the train station was cold!
 I turned to mention this to my husband and our friend – and gasped as I saw the doors closing and an elderly woman with her luggage in the way of them getting off of the train! Disbelief sunk in as a I watched the train take off at high speed and the quiet of the empty, cold station sunk in.
Well – what to do? I knew that somehow they would make their way back to me – but when? It was getting later and it was our first time in Munich. Should I go to the other side where the train comes in? Should I go to our hotel? Wait a minute – I don’t have any idea where our hotel is – because my itinerary was in my backpack! The backpack my husband lovingly wanted to carry for me…. and now that was with him as well as all my money, my passport, and any hope I had of making it alone in a foreign city!
Deciding to stay right where I was, I looked enviously at my bundled son and tried not to shiver (I had left my gloves, hat and scarf in my backpack). Actually, I tried not to cry.
When you arrive in Europe, you have already traveled far and long. Between the cold and the tiredness seeping in my bones, came the realization that I had not a clue how long it would take for them to come back to me. I was glad that before we got off the train, we all knew what station it was that we wanted – that way I knew my husband at least knew how to get back to me!
 On my husband’s end – he knew that I was independent enough to be ok, so he did not panic. However, the next station was a dark, outside platform and he wasn’t sure that the train would be stopping at that one going the other direction – so he chose to go to the next main station.
Lucky for us, it was the very next stop and he quickly was on his way back to me. (Well, it didn’t seem very quick to me standing in the cold – trying to polish up my German enough to ask for help if needed.)
SO – lesson learned. I share this lesson so it won’t happen to you. Yes, everyone needs a copy of the itinerary – and they need to carry it on their person! NOT in a bag that can be handed over to someone else without thought.
And good idea to carry small amount of money in the correct currency for immediate use in situation’s like this or if my husband needed to take a taxi back to me.
Keep everyone in your traveling party aware of what hotel, what train station, etc. Have an emergency plan for situations like the above. Where will you meet?
It is quite common for one person to navigate and the other to care for the kids and follow. However, it is essential that each adult and even children in their teenage years to be aware of their surroundings. This is another reason I like everyone to carry cell phones (which we now do)! Many international countries are not as convenient as ours – keep that in mind when planning and making an emergency plan. Many small European villages do not have taxi service in the village or late at night. And there are not 24 hour stores like we have here around every corner.
OK – getting off topic on that one – but just keep that itinerary lesson in mind!
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