A Cascade of Unfortunate Travel Events

Our bumbling—my husband’s and mine—set off a cascade of unfortunate travel events. And as a result, our three-generation family group was separated, finding ourselves in three locations: two in a train headed for Switzerland, one in the Milan train station, and five in a train headed for Milan.

What happened?

All set to board a train, Steve and I remembered we had forgotten to activate our Eurail passes. Since we had ordered old-time paper passes, we had to go to a ticket center with a long line. And our son, likely doubting our capabilities (though he was much too gracious to say so), came to help . . . and we’ll spare you the details from there.

All that day, we wondered when we’d get together again. And if we’d miss riding the Glacier Express through the Alps. All that day we searched for new routes on phones losing their charges, wishing our chargers and our computers and everything else we needed hadn’t been left behind to burden those already managing their own luggage.

That evening when Steve and I watched the last train pull into St. Moritz, we didn’t know if our kids and grandkids were on that train. But they were.

Today, God willing, we plan to ride through the Alps. And together!

People sometimes think it’s brave to travel with kids. But obviously seniors—who do well when they remember they forgot—are the greater liability.