As the Ash Settles

Today, I finished my Venice work, checked out of my hotel, and — as I normally do when leaving Venice — walked across the entire town as if hiking through the mountains, with my backpack on my back. It’s a half-hour walk. I leave an hour early, intending to enjoy a photo safari along the way. I put my day bag inside my big bag so it hangs on me heavier than usual, but my hands are free for the photo fun.

I walked by the blue signs all over town pointing to the hospital. (My hotel was near the hospital, so I always had blue signs pointing me home.) I walked by the hotel where my friend Ilaria works, and recalled how sad she was that her dog Molly had died. For a decade, I never saw Ilaria without Molly. She died nearly a year ago, but in my guidebook listing of the hotel, it still mentions “faithful Molly.” So my readers always ask Ilaria about Molly, and it makes her cry. Like everyone else, I asked about Molly. And Ilaria cried. As I’ve updated my guidebooks over the years, I’ve had to pay my last respects to both pets and people with my laptop’s delete button. It’s always sad. But Molly is now gone from the book, and Ilaria will have fewer reminders of her loss.

Arriving at the Venice train station, I saw something I’ve never seen before: a ragtag line of travelers stretching from the station all the way to the Grand Canal. They were waiting to book train tickets out of town. And it occurred to me that needless confusion accompanies natural disasters like the Iceland volcano eruption.

These people were like refugees. They’ll be standing there for the better part of the day, trying to get out. But just yesterday, I dropped into a travel agency (as recommended in my book to avoid the congestion that comes with even a normal day at the train station) and, for a €3 fee, purchased my train ticket (Eurostar express to Bologna, and then a slow connection to Ravenna). Anyone can book tickets either online or from travel agencies…and avoid the chaos at the station.

I flew from London to Venice the day before the eruption. In the days since, I’ve talked with countless hoteliers and tourists about the frustration this has brought. Of the 50 hotels I visited in Venice, about 40 of them had rooms available. Still, people were saying they couldn’t find rooms. My understanding is that in most places, there are not actually more people than usual — just as many can’t get in as can’t get out. The hotel/customer churn has just stopped. Hoteliers I met were kind and helpful to people, sympathizing with them, working with them, and helping them manage. My understanding is that most hotels were keeping only the first night’s deposit of pre-paid rooms from people who couldn’t get here. My standard operating procedure as I research is to pretend I need a room like a regular tourist in order to be quoted the true asking price. The eruption made my work frustrating: I couldn’t get an honest room price. Hotels were deeply discounting rooms because there were so many beds unfilled by people unable to get here.

The eruption is a headache for people on all sides of the tourism industry. Obviously it’s a pain for travelers. But remember, it’s a pain for travel providers, too. Airlines, tour operators, hotels, and tour guides all work on a tight margin. Spring is a time to come out of a slow winter and make enough money to be viable. When all planes are grounded, everyone loses. And, while businesses with integrity will be as fair as they can be, they can’t absorb everything. Airlines are letting people rebook with great flexibility, but they’ll never be able to fly the planes they once sold out. Tour companies (like ours) will let people move to another tour for no loss, but they’ll never be able to do the tours they once sold out. And travelers will be all packed up and (especially if inflexible with vacation time) unable to go.

 Travelers will be losing some money, and you can’t blame providers for padding their fallout. That’s why travel insurance exists. Trip interruption and cancelation insurance costs about 5 percent of what you’re insuring (e.g., $200 to cover a $4,000 flight and tour). I never get it because I don’t think there’s a one-in-20 chance I’ll need it. But if I end up needing it, it’s my own fault. I gambled and went without insurance. I generally win. This time I lost. Ash from volcanic eruptions is legally considered a weather problem, and that’s something good travel insurance covers. If you’ve lost some money and are upset about that — if I may be blunt — you need to get over it. You should have purchased insurance. That’s what it’s for.

The media will likely give prospective travelers a skewed idea of what it’s like in Europe with the ash problem. My feeling is that, once you’re here (and out of the airport), things are normal. While the train station was jammed, I was on a train for three hours today…empty seats all around me. Most people I’ve met are thankful they’re stuck here (on vacation) rather than at home (wishing they were on vacation).

The sky is blue. The only ash I’ve seen is on the Web. And everyone around me seems to be simply enjoying Italy.

I’m in Ravenna now. Much as I was enchanted by the elegant decay and musty charm of traffic-free Venice, it’s refreshing to be back in the real world. And, while Venice is viable only with tourism, Ravenna is a slice of Italy that seems oblivious to tourism. Prices are a third less than in Venice. Ravenna is the bike-friendly city of Italy. Hotels give their guests loaner bikes. I just did my hotel and restaurant rounds by bike — rolling by 1,400-year-old churches that, like brick fortresses, hold the world’s most exquisite mosaics. (Tomorrow, I’ll see them. My favorite church is so old, it depicts Jesus ancient Roman-style — clean-shaven — on one side, and the bearded medieval Jesus we know on the other. That holy shave marks the cusp of the ancient/medieval art world.)

Finishing my chores, I sat down to dinner in a jolly place that felt like Ravenna’s community dining room. I had to say out loud, “Life is good.”

(All this volcano news reminds me of an old joke: Know how to catch an Icelandic moose? Dig a hole. Fill it with ashes. Line it with peas. When the moose comes to take a pea, you kick him in the ash hole.)

If you’re currently traveling through Europe (or trying to travel through Europe), share your own stories on my Graffiti Wall’s Icelandic Eruption forum.

Comments

35 Replies to “As the Ash Settles”

  1. most people i’ve met are thankful they’re stuck here. True if you can handle the extra hotel bills. Not everybody is on expense account, a pension, or can write off their trip on their income taxes.

  2. I wake up every morning hopeing the volcano is calming down, or the high presure over Europe passes. We are suppose to be in Ireland in about two weeks. I figured out today, what is putting a big bummer of a spin on it for me is not the possibility of not going, but spending the last two weeks (which is usually very exciting) not knowing if we are going.

  3. Judy, I somewhat empathize–I’m scheduled to leave for Europe in a liitle more than 3 weeks. I have a feeling everything will work out though–but if it doesn’t, there’s always either Germany or Buenos Aires in September:)…

  4. Alfran: Go to Buenos Aires. The city is celebrating its 200th birthday this year, and many of their attractions (closed when I was there in October 2009) are open and recently refurbished. Their subway is chaep and efficient, and the food is great. Enjoy!

  5. Just took a peak at your last few entries….what a glorious reminder of Venetian pleasures! I had spent many trips to Venice without trying a sgroppino and holy night what a mistake….I’ve since made up for this. Least favorite and most expensive….Hotel Danieli. Taverna San Trovaso is my #1….creamy and just the right amount of vodka. A big thanks to you….you are a lifesaver! Purchased your entire series. Spend late nights watching episodes. Husband and I have traveled extensively…til his major series of strokes. He was a writer, Sports Illustrated, for 40 years. He filed a story and an hour later went down. He can’t read, write or speak…..but he understands everything. What pleasure you have given us!! Enjoy!! Bailey Zimmerman http://baileyzimmerman.blogspot.com

  6. I am a bit surprised that you have not linked this volcanic activity with man made global warming!?!

  7. Has anyone at ETBD, including Rick, given any thought to beginning a second kind of tour, that is, for older folks (perhaps alums of Rick’s earlier tours when they were young) which would book hotels with elevators and restaurants onsite, provide door-to-door transport, amd some extra amenities that are not part of the current tours? Many people, I think, would greatly enjoy the Rick Steves tour experience, but are not able to take the more spartan aspects of it. Maybe you could call them senior tours. Some older folks have plenty to spend, but need more help than the young people.

  8. Louisa (and I think I’m breaking a posting rule here) the answer to your question is yes. ETBD is conducting a survey of older alumni travelers on the interest for less “spartan” tours.

  9. Thanks for the news. I have never taken a Rick Steves tour and I would like to very much. However, at my age I need less luggage dragging over cobblestones, fewer stairs to climb, and climate controlled rooms. Are there others out there like me? P.S. my encrypted word was decades–of which I have more than seven.

  10. louisa – even though I’m 60+ I put in a vote for smaller, MORE active tours – I’d like the Bus, Bed and Breakfast tours back. I pack light and can handle stairs. Maybe RS needs three kinds of tours – original, softer and hardier? Intrepid, a budget Aussie outfit I use on occasion in Asia, has Basix, Original and Comfort.

  11. There are plenty of other tour companies that offer the type of tours Louisa wants. The sort of changes she proposes are understandable, but not for a ETCD tour. Of course, I’m only 75, so maybe I might feel differently in ten or fifteen years.

  12. This morning I very reluctantly cancelled (rather delayed) my flight reservation on a trip to Germany (ATL-STR). Looks like a good call as the flight was later cancelled for the fifth day in a row. But I am retired and flexiable so I will go as soon as they start flying again. I feel for those on time budget and well remember those days. I tend to agree with the those supporting the “Senior Tours”. I may need to take advantage in a few years. Yes, there are groups offer such but they are not (I repeat NOT) ETBD!!!!

  13. My wife was stranded in London, after flying over for one meeting. She’s still there. She had been planning a trip to Ireland this summer — we’ve got the Rick Steves guide book and everything — but if the volcano keeps going off I’m not sure we’ll have the stomach for the risk. This disruption makes me wonder if it is reasonable to expect to be able to flit across the globe as if it were nothing, or if the American schedule — a week is a very long vacation — is fit for travel. Perhaps 20 years from now travel will involve leaving one job and coming back to look for another, spending a week each way on a boat and a month or two there, like 100 years ago.

  14. I just read that this is the first time that a volcano in this area have ever disrupted Europe. This volcano blew a month ago with no disruption. The unlucky thing this time is an unusual high presure that doesn’t want to go away. But is expected to in a couple of days. Since when does Ireland have consecutive days of sun and no rain. So once this passes things should move along. It may not happen again.

  15. I agree with those looking for more senior tours giving more help to older members. And I TOTALLY agree with bringing back the bus plus tours where the price was a little less expensive and more independent.

  16. I have just added you to Twitter and found your wonderful blog! If I may be blunt, it is refreshing to read things like you’re a little drunk or read humorous jokes with an ash hole… It makes you all the more human! Sometimes your PBS shows make vacationing in Europe seem like some kind of perfect heaven, and we all know that isn’t quite so! Would LOVE to read a blog or see an episode about everything that goes wrong on a trip and how to solve or cope with it. Keep on writing and keep on travelling… And always show your human side… It is, after all, who we are! And as I always say… If the road of life were a straight path, we would all fall asleep at the wheel!

  17. I too enjoyed the BB&B tours with Rick> They taught me a better way to travel so I could do it on my own which I have many times but I once again wish to relive the the wonderful closeness and friendships I had with my tour group. Here’s hoping the the real experience of the BB&B returns.

  18. Rick, I would like to second fotostuf’s idea about an episode on what to do when things go wrong. Life isn’t always a bowl of cherries and it would be nice to have help navigating around the roadblocks that we run into sometimes.

  19. Here’s a brief scene for such a show – not of Rick per se – but of a young American couple who were religiously following Rick’s guidebook recommendations when they booked a hotel in Paris. Due to the fact that they were of meager means, they decided to stay at a Rick-recommended 2-star hotel on Rue Cler in Paris. You know, the same Rue Cler that Rick touted in his earlier ‘Travels in Europe’ days. Opening the door to the room and noticing stains on the carpet (and the ceiling!) they looked at each other and wished they had brought their slippers. Yuck. Then, the next morning at 4:00 a.m., they were awakened by the loud clatter of vehicles, people, etc. as all of the produce and butcher shops on Rue Cler were preparing to open. For inexperienced travelers, which the couple was at the time, they didn’t think to ask for a room not facing the street, and Rick had left that minor detail out of his Paris guide. Well, suffice it to say that the couple learned a valuable lesson during that trip. And, while the husband thought he was being savvy by traveling the ETBD way, it completely backfired and ensured that he and his wife would nver stay in another Rick-recommended hotel ever again. The End.

  20. You can’t win ’em all. People buy Consumer Reports-recommended Toyota’s and get surprised. Alan Greenspan turns out to have feet of clay. The Pope drops the ball. French rail unions strike during the worst transportation glitch in history. I’d give Rick another chance before writing him off.

  21. I agree with Bill – we have been to Europe a few times now and always try to stay in 2 or 3 star hotels. Although I must admit we do try to stay out of the very Touristy areas, such as Rue Cler. We use Rick’s books and recommendations all the time and have never been sorry.

  22. Sorry to hear of your troubles , no more 2 stars. I also tried a Rick Steves hotel in Siena but didn’t realizewhat the bathroom description meant… Shower and room all one piece! Ack! But you know what? It was a blast anyway! Ya live and learn… That’s the whole point of travelling tl Europe! If it was the same as travelling in the US, why bother! Why not just get up and watch them set up shop… All on a foreign language! It isn’t a Marriott for a reason! And so what if there are a few stains? Call it patina and move on… C’est la meme chose!!

  23. I’ve used Ricks accommodation recommendations exclusively on two treks to Europe and have yet to be disappointed! You simply cannot apply your ‘American’ expectations to what you’ll get in Europe, which is what the joy of travel is all about.

  24. No More 2 Stars: If Rick Steves was the ONLY source of information that you used when planning your vacation to Europe, then you short-changed yourself. With ANY guidebook (Rick Steves, Lonely Planet, Frommers, Fodors), you need to CROSS-CHECK their hotel and restaurant recommendations with another source of information, such as Tripadvisor.com. I have found great hotels through Tripadvisor that weren’t even MENTIONED in a guidebook. Sorry Rick didn’t work out for you. At least you had stains on the floor IN PARIS and not at the local fleabag motel in your hometown. :-/

  25. If I’m not mistaken, somewhere in the intro of every guidie Rick reminds us that his information is “not the final word.” As Mr. Elliot mentioned, Tripadvisor.com is a great source of alternative information. And they actually go further than just hotel recommendations; they have an amazing travelers’ forum on a variety of subjects.

  26. Hello to you older folks out there! I am going to Europe solo in september. I took my 75 year old mom 3 years ago. We stayed in hostels, and with hosts. My dream job would be to help on tours of people just like you! Someday I will do it!! Jill

  27. Thanks to everyone for their helpful comments. However, there is a minor point to be made: remember my reference above to the TRAVELS IN EUROPE show? Our trip occurred 15 years ago – before “Rick Steves Europe”, the web as we know it, Trip Advisor, blogs, g-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Kayak, texting, Skype, etc. Cell phones were the size of my shoe (12 wide). However, we did travel with a ‘Lets Go’ guide (didn’t want to stay in a hostel) AND a Baedeker’s guide (for excellent history, maps, and diagrams), but we went with Rick’s hotel recommendation. Anyone remember the famous line from Animal House: “Face it Flounder, you ****** up, you trusted us”. Well, we just ****** up; we put too much faith in Rick’s recommendation. By the way, we used state-of-the-art technology when we FAXED the hotel with our reservation request. Lastly, our recollection was that Rue Cler was not a very ‘touristy’ site at that time, kind of like what Cinque Terre used to be compared to now. Rick’s shows and books apparently changed both.

  28. We were in Dingle, Republic of Ireland when the Iceland volcano erupted. We were having such a good time, we were thrilled we had an excuse to extend our stay. Although not everyone is in a position to extend a trip, we were fortunate to have some money put away “just in case”. The wonderful owner of our BnB said “It is much better to be stuck in a strange country than it is to be stuck in a strange country’s airport!” We took it to heart and traveled on! We traveled Ireland with Rick Steves 2010 Ireland book and we were not disappointed.

  29. We were in Dingle, Republic of Ireland when the Iceland volcano erupted. We were having such a good time, we were thrilled we had an excuse to extend our stay. Although not everyone is in a position to extend a trip, we were fortunate to have some money put away “just in case”. The wonderful owner of our BnB said “It is much better to be stuck in a strange country than it is to be stuck in a strange country’s airport!” We took it to heart and traveled on! We traveled Ireland with Rick Steves 2010 Ireland book and we were not disappointed.

  30. Got stuck in London during the “ash fallout” Sunny days, great sun tan weather. Not a cloud in the sky. We strongly suggest going directly to Little Venice and taking the canal boat tour to Camden Town and visiting the Camden Town Market – which is the old canal boat horse stables. The large brass horse statues are beautiful. On our final we went to St. Paul’s evensong and had a wonderful time. After the service we stayed for the organ recital. They had three organs playing and it was a wonderful experience. We made the best of it. BA picked up our hotel tab for the layover. Fly BA.

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