SF East Bay Hosts Travel Talk: June 15 (online, everyone welcome)

PREVIEWS

FUTURE ONLINE MEETINGS: 2nd Saturdays, except as noted
(May - no online meeting)
July 13, 2024, 11am PT - 1pm PT
(August - no online meeting)
Sept 14, 2024, 11am PT - 1pm PT
Oct 12, 2024, 11am PT - 1pm PT
(November - no online meeting)

IN-PERSON MEETINGS:
Please watch for separate announcements for our in-person meetings.
Click HERE for the most recent announcement with the dates of upcoming in-person meetings.

TOPICS for June 15
Oh my, this is a going to be a fun meeting! Please continue to let me know if you'll have travels to share. Obviously, this "travel group" is traveling! (With some notable exceptions, ahem!) If we don't get to all the trips below, we will continue in July!

Travel Talk: join us in June (and most likely July) as we chat about these destinations!

June meeting - tentative and still in flux with trips and traverers
Convent stays in Italy
Puglia, Umbria, Abruzzo regions and five days in Palermo
Cambridge and the Baltic Capitals (if you haven't been, it's time to add these to your list!)
6N in Rotterdam and a 2 week cruise of Norway
Diving in Cuba and a domestic trip to all 5 Utah National Parks
Live updates (technology willing) from Dublin)

July meeting for sure
Road trip through France
London and 10 nights in Chichester and Arundel (huh? who spends 10 nights in Chichester and Arundel?!?)

We won't get to all of these travels in the June meeting, so please join us in July to hear more!

(Midway through the Travel Talks we'll take a short break and allow up to 30 minutes for Travel Tools)

Travel Tools: this summer, I'll be searching for a new credit card, with better travel benefits. I'll be interested to hear from those who have airline cards, and those with cards with other travel benefits, such as my BofA card which has a nice Trip Interruption/Cancellation benefit.

Please refresh your memory on your own card and join the conversation.

Disclaimer: travel talk can be contagious. The management cannot be responsible for an ever-lengthening travel wish list. Listen to the travel stories at your own risk!

Please add me. Thanks!

Will we need to consider making attendees sign a waiver?

I think that will be prudent.

Please include me, I’ll be returning from a 6 night stay in Rotterdam combined with a 2 week cruise of Norway on June 13.

Sounds fun. Please add me.

I hope to attend unless any unexpected events. Currently on the long bus ride to Tallinn. Don’t want to talk about it :)

Count me in! I will have returned from Cuba and a domestic trip to all 5 Utah National Parks.

Goodness! Exciting stuff to hear about! Tammy, you know I want to hear about your trips! And those Utah parks could make me plan a return trip there…. Carol, hopefully Tallinn is good to you once you arrive! Barbara, that sounds amazing!

As long as I find internet and a good place to attend from (one of my few hostel stays), I should be there. I will be in Dublin.

Oh no, June 15 is the 3rd Saturday. That’s the day of our Sacramento Travel meeting and I can’t do both. I’m sorry I’ll have to miss yours.

I plan to be there. I could show just a few photos from the second half of my France trip if there’s time.

”The management cannot be responsible for an ever-lengthening travel wish list. Listen to the travel stories at your own risk!”

LOL! That’s what happens during our local Coeur d’Alene/Spokane monthly meeting, too!

I will be freshly back from a month in Italy, so if anyone wants to hear about the Puglia, Umbria, Abruzzo regions or my five days in Palermo, hopefully I have good memories to share!

Please add me. I'm not going anywhere, but interested in the travel tools discussion.

Can I just say (wiping away a tear) how proud I am of y'all?!? We're seriously back!

Once I have a good idea of everyone's recent and upcoming travels, I'll decide how to allocate our time across this meeting and the meeting in July. So please continue to let me know!

We will also allow 30 minutes mid-meeting (immediately after the break) for the Travel Tools discussion.

Andrea, sorry that we will miss you! I had to bump to the 3rd Saturday as I will still be traveling on the usual 2nd Saturday.

CL, at least we have rontayca's RS Best of Turkey tour-report-in-progress to follow along. Merhaba to your cats!

Ummm, Jean, of course we want to hear about Puglia, etc.! In fact, it seems we'll have a mini Italy theme, with you and SharYn both just back. That's good because it's been too long since I've been to Italy and I will enjoy the inspirations!

I would like to join this meeting. I like seeing the faces behind the screen names.

I am going to Barcelona in October and cruising the Mediterranean.

Last October I went to London and then down to Southampton cruising to Lisbon.

just curious - how many hours of zoom room have you convinced avirosemail to contribute for this marathon???? I'm 8 hours ahead of you and might be dead by then!!!

actually possibly 9 hours because I think we will be road tripping through France (or possibly Belgium) about then... I may have to report from on the road

Hah! Bring snacks and a pillow, we're pulling an all nighter!

Nah, Nigel, we'll keep it to our usual 2 hours. Clearly we won't hear about all the trips, probably just a few and we'll continue in July. And beyond.

I remember when we were digging old trips out of the attic to reminisce about. This is a good problem!

I'm 10 hours ahead, but willing, nay looking forward, to joining this lovely group again.

CWsocial, I totally understand. Sometimes I have to shift the date away from the 1st Sunday of the month for the International meeting for the same reason. Have a good meeting.

Sounds like a fun meeting! Count me in!

Please add me!
Thanks,
Cynthia

Please add me. This will be my first time to visit this group but there are lots of familiar names! Looking forward to seeing you all!

Well, I’d like to try my first online meeting! Sign me up - I’m home for the summer - all travels on hold while we deal with a situation - so it will be some vicarious fun for me.

You are all "in." This will be fun to look forward to. OK, Nigel, maybe we'll bring our pajamas and pull a travel all-nighter. Hah!

jody, welcome and glad you can join the fun. I will send you a forum message with some preliminary setup instructions.

Everyone, avirosemail has hooked me up with our meeting invite and I will send that out in the week leading up to the meeting, so it doesn't get buried in your forum inbox.

If I go radio silent for a while, it's only because I am traveling. There is room for anyone who would like to join. I'll send the meeting link after I'm back and much nearer the meeting date. I just wanted to get this announcement set up now, while I have time.

OK, back to packing!

happy travelling

Valerie - I hope your situation is nothing too serious. I'm glad you'll join us for the online travel sharing fun!

I've just sent you the "preliminary setup" in a forum message and will send the meeting link much closer to the date.

Nigel - thanks! Keep the place warm and dry for me? Or at least just showers ... I can deal with those!

Why not? Lynn (Boise) is always telling me I should meet you!

Janet, it’s a great meeting and a great group!

Janet, welcome! I've just sent you a forum message with preliminary setup instructions to follow so that you'll be able to join the meeting.

So, you all may be wondering how we are going to hear about so many trips in 2 hours.

First, we will save some for our July meeting.
Second, I'm going to impose a little structure so that we can hear about as many trips as possible.

What Were Your 3 Favorite Things About Your Trip

Timing: each traveler will have 6 minutes, with questions (after) for up to 10 minutes.
Photos: if you'd like to share photos (optional) you can share up to 4, each of which can be:

1) a map of your trip (optional)
2) a single photo - a favorite thing or "wow" moment, e.g., my balloon ride in Cappadocia!
3) a slide or photobook page of photos with a theme, for example "the cool castles I went to in England" or "beautiful cathedrals I visited in Italy" or "fabulous scenery from Slovenia" or "the best day ever on the Amalfi coast"

If you prefer to just tell us about your trip, please use the same idea and tell us your 3 favorite things or themes from your trip.

Whenever my brother asks about my trips, he always phrases it as "what was your favorite thing about your trip, Sis?" (There's only so much "conversation" he can tolerate!) So think of this as a variation .... "what were your 3 favorite things about your trip?"

I just realized I will still be in Switzerland on June 15, so I won't make it to the meeting. But I bet it will be great and hope to see everyone at the next meeting.

Good idea, CWSocial! We’ll have to prepare using a timer so things will move along. One problem: hearing the best things will whet our appetite even more!! :)

Well, Barbara, in case it rains that night and you are tucked inside, I find I like attending from Europe. Times often work well for a bit of early dinner and then a meeting. LOL. And if you show France pictures in July, I will miss them!

Barbara N, I'm sorry that we'll miss you by a tiny bit, but we'll look forward to hearing about France or Switzerland in July and perhaps the other in the fall.

I will try to make June 15 if not traveling to Santa Barbara for Father’s Day.