Up until last weekend, I had pretty much been planning my trip by surfing the web but I finally broke down and bought a travel guide. Seemed like a good idea at the time but considering it was a picture on the cover of a travel magazine that got me going on this trip in the first place, I should have thought twice, no 10 times, before buying the book. But I couldn't help myself. Not only does the guide have lots and lots of "pretty" pictures to whet the imagination but there's something about the act of thumbing through the pages of a book that surfing on the web will never replace.
Anyway, since the weather was so yucky (hot and humid, humid and hot) this past Sunday, I decided to stay in and read the travel guide. Seemed like a good idea at the time but the last time I read a travel guide, I ended up going away on a trip that lasted 7 weeks!
So, history does repeat itself - either that, or I refuse to learn from my mistakes! By the time I got to chapter 4 of the guide, I had already decided to extend my trip by a couple of days. By the time I got to chapter 8, the trip was extended by a week so what started off as a 9 day vacation is now a 3 week vacation.
My only salvation was going to be that for some reason (i.e., no hotel, no flight, beaucoup bucks for changing plans, leave request denied etc.) that I could not extend my trip. But alas (me pretending to be sad), that would not be the case.
I sent out a few email inquiries and placed a few calls. Everyone I contacted was extremely helpful and in less than 1/2 a day (and a twist of my arm), I managed to change my itinerary to accommodate for the additional days. As for the additional cost, hey, I may never make it back to this place so I might as well take the plunge.
I'm now MORE excited than ever because I'll be visiting a few more places that I've always been fascinated by but never thought I would ever go to. In the meantime, I have to stop reading travel guides or else I might never return to the office!!