Gallagher's Travels: Letter From the Editor: June 2007

Letter from the Editor

June 2007

Dear Friends,

Interested in all the Broadway news? Thinking of making a trip to New York City to catch some shows? Savor all this and more while making your plans at www.broadwaystars.com, which has a ton of information and links to keep you busy for days.

~o0o~

Now is a good time to think about reserving your late summer and fall cruise. It’s mind boggling to think about all the places and styles of cruising available.

Barge cruises are available in wonderful European and Asian rivers and canals. There are adventuresome destinations like Miramar (Burma) or the Amazon, relax on the Mediterranean or Caribbean, chose mega huge or small intimate vessels, follow chocolate, sports, art, music and other themes throughout the world.

In making a choice, think about what you enjoy or would like to try on a land trip and relate this to the water options available. If you like intimate gourmet times with museums and vineyards barging in France and other waterways of the European countryside will fit the bill perfectly. Does the idea of spending a week with the same sixteen people not your idea of fun? Go for the mega ships where you can mingle with the hordes, small groups or no one.

Whether it’s your first or 50th cruise this time travel with just girlfriends or your entire multigenerational family. River cruises are small to medium size boats, barge cruises are usually less than 20 persons, rent a personal yacht with or without a crew or how about a week on a houseboat? Interested in cruising the smaller ports of the Caribbean or have access to inlets in Alaska or Norwegian fjords? Is the ship new, old or refurbished? Is this to be a pricey celebration trip or an inexpensive getaway?

Then check out the Centers for Disease Control website for information on health safety, and the International Cruise Association website for more information. Get advice from friends keeping in mind how similar is their lifestyle to yours. Special needs? Some ships are better equipped for wheelchairs than others; certain cruises have dialysis equipment on board or consider traveling with your own health care aide.

These are just a few things to think about. I’ve cruised with people that follow the same line just different ships several times a year, almost living on board and becoming part of a shipboard "family."

Listed below are many possible sites but certainly not all for your consideration and research.

~o0o~

Ahhh…the magic of computers, I had a detailed report on my experience of being stranded for many hours on a state highway within site of Interstate 95 near the Virginia/North Carolina border disappear into the never never land of wherever detailed manuscripts decide to disappear to in computerland. Here is a brief synopsis of that disastrous adventure of which I obviously survived.

We travel I 95 several times a month from Washington to North Carolina using the 295 bypass around Richmond and as this is a highly traveled federal and state highway route with frequent and well equipped exits one does not expect problems. The Virginia Highway Patrol seems to always be in attendance if you creep over the 65 limit.

On one trip south my car broke down at the 295/I95 junction and I called home first to report the news, then my auto coverage through two different cell phone companies which turned out not to exist (and is another long story), and finally to 911 which led me to the nearest small town who kicked the call to the Virginia State Patrol.

My opinion of police dispatchers over the years has seldom risen above less than adequate and after this experience it is a wonder more people don’t die from their ineptness, lack of concern or knowledge of geography. No I don’t know the last mileage marker I passed nor do I know the county I’m in. I do know the state, the highway ("hello junction of a state and interstate highway?") but that wasn’t good enough and after 4 ½ hours of freezing cold, hunger and darkness approaching the Highway Patrol dispatchers now hang up on me saying "no one could find me with my lousy information." It was time for radical action.

First of all if you are standing outside your car using a cell phone or just sitting in your car with the hood up people assume you are ok and someone is coming, well forget that crap. The answer is to take the brightest largest piece of clothing or cloth in your vehicle (I had a huge yellow quilt) stand out side and start waving it, jumping up and down doing a kind of chicken dance. Truckers stop immediately and everyone for miles knows you need help. The kind truck driver gave the identical information to the highway patrol dispatcher and a few minutes later an officer showed up. He said this was the first time he had heard a call for me?

He guided me to a nearby station that did repair work and they drove me to a nearby hotel pointing out restaurants for dinner. Well the next day and over $800 lighter I was back on my way. An expensive lesson but now I call that emergency number posted occasionally on signs or 911 every time I see anyone stranded by the side of the road just to make sure someone will check on them. I give detailed information as to their location, especially if they are in an area of North Carolina where no cell phone works.

I can also totally understand why the couple that disappeared near Rocky Mount, NC last Christmas after driving off I95 and it instantly being reported by another driver were still never found for weeks. Most likely the dispatcher (and I believe the tapes back this up) messed up the call when sending it out to the North Carolina officers. Police are wonderful and do great things but without the best trained support staff it’s hard for them to do their job.

Stranded by the side of the road? In any other kind of trouble? Scream, kick, yell, wave banners, throw things and call everyone you know. Don’t be shy, do what it takes to get the attention you need to become safe again.

~o0o~

Be sure and check out the cruise line and associated websites below, and we have new stories from our reliable regulars and several new travel writers on board. A great team!