Two Different Voyages

Today we are leaving for 10 days on a boat tour down the Danube River from Vienna ultimately by bus to Munich.  47 years ago I spent a summer in Europe after graduating from college.  We rented a Hillman Imp, stuffed five guys into it and traveled the British Isles.  On the Continent, two of us rented a VW Beetle and basically just headed out aimlessly.  The contrast between then and now is stunning.

Back in the day, as they say,  I slept in fields, abandoned buildings, or the damnably uncomfortable back seat of a VW Beetle.  I got food poisoning and the mumps.  I had my passport, clothes, and cash stolen.  I had no itinerary.  I had no easy way of maintaining contact with anyone stateside.  I took a raft of Kodak film pictures that were just plain bad.  I never quite knew where my next meal would be found.  Often I smelled bad for lack of showering.  Despite relying on the popular book “Europe on Five Dollars A Day”, in the end I ran out of money.

Now I about to travel down a beautiful river on a craft that offers a picture window view of shore from my bedroom.  Every meal is planned with top quality European cuisine.  Side trips every day are fully organized with guides and instructions.  I have a superb camera and a honed ability to use it.  I have a cell phone and internet connections that will keep me instantly linked to family in the states, with the entire world’s collection of information at my fingertips.  All my cash is secure and protected, but not much extra will be needed because most everything is paid in advance.  The boat even has a workout facility.  Best of all, my lifelong love and companion, who is a master at logistics with an acute eye for security, will be by my side.

The contrast with my experience a half century ago certainly says something about age, resources, and attitude toward security.  But it also involves a strange reversal that makes you stop and think.  Nowadays we define adventure as little more than poor planning.  A half century ago we defined planning as the major obstacle to adventure.  Bon Voyage!