Does frequent travel make you feel better, happier, more awesome? Or do you get frustrated with the process?
Being able to Travel Wise, means the ability to go places, do things, have positive experiences, while going through the process without being so hampered by the new experiences, that you break down.
Travel Wise may need further explanation. On one of our first family vacations, we traveled to Walt Disney World. Although I had been to Walt Disney World several years before, I had travelled with a group, l was single, and my friendships had changed since then.
In the time since I had first visited Disney, many, many, updates to the park had occurred. Ironically, some of the experiences at Epcot had stayed largely the same, however. To be fair, Walt Disney World is updating Epcot at this writing.
To prepare for this trip to Disney, I had spoken at length with someone who regularly visited Disney World in the recent years. My wife and I, and our family, were prepared for the trip.
We enjoyed the flight together as a family. We navigated the hotel stay, and accommodations. The “Fast Lane” passes worked a little, but navigating the four parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and getting to the appropriate venues within the time constraints, quickly became frustrating, as we missed events we planned for, and had our hearts set on. Some amusements shut down during the heat.
I reached a turning point on Main Street USA, when I had two competing feelings: 1.) I was mad because the trip was not going as I had expected. and 2.) I was excited to be faced with a new adventure, set before me. I was experiencing Disney as I had done, as a child, through my television, mostly; now with my family, in person, with all the characters of my childhood, having a parade down the lane!
My expectations had interaction with my reality of this travel experience: What I had expected was competing with a more interesting reality; and I was beginning to enjoy it!
I saw Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Chip and Dale, possibly: Huey, Duey, and Louie, Donald’s nephews, triplets!, Cinderella, the Seven Dwarfs, and many more characters!
I felt special, like someone who was experiencing a rarified occurrence that few have managed to capture in a lifetime; juxtaposed between the multitudes, even throngs of people filling up the street on either side! Man, that was hot!
Let’s understand something about the state of Florida, in 2022; it is hot, very very hot! One needs to prepare to sweat, and sweat profusely. You should be prepared to hydrate, drink lots of water, Gatorade, or other water related drinks to keep from having a health emergency. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one in the Blogosphere!
But, navigating and mitigating the unexpected is a Travel Wise, thing to do. We endured the heat, and on one of our last nights at Disney World enjoyed a memorable, award winning laser light show. Seriously, someone should feel proud about the quality, and the experience!
Traveling in our nicely appointed rental vehicle, approaching the airport, and making our flight home, made me feel like a Baller! I enjoyed the attention to my needs, and the professionalism of the crew, and the staff, as we headed home.
But, how do you handle it when things go wrong? What if the staff misses it? How do you recover from negative experiences and save the enjoyment factor of your trip? If you Travel Wise, you should prepare for “what to do if” or “what if” situations.
What was your favorite Travel Wise experience? How did you navigate what happened to stay on track? Post a response in the Comment section of this Blog Post! Thanks so much for sharing! Happy Trails!