Traveling with Women 101

To Have a Successful Trip with Women

1. Someone has to be in charge

2. If you get lost always have a meeting place.

3. Get every ones cell phone number and program them in your phone.

4. Make Spa appointments (or any other apt) in advance

5. Research the area to know what to see and do.

6. Have a plan

7. Have a sense of humor

Now in this story the names have been changed to protect the the really nice ladies I met.

I think my 7 steps to a successful trip is crucial for any woman traveling with friends or with people that you do not know. So out of the seven I think they got...1!!

I go to the airport by myself and check in and sit at the terminal. Waiting for my friend who invited me to show up with her friends...we will call my friend "Cheryl", I start to get nervous. No one is there 5 min to boarding. I call her and she tells me that they are buying magazines. So at least I know they are coming.

We get to Budapest and check into the Corinthia, a very nice hotel. After unpacking we regroup in the lobby to figure out what to do first. Now before the trip someone emailed all the cell phone numbers so that we would have them for the trip. Do you think they programed their phones? No! So me, the only one that does not know any of them pulls out my printed sheet of all the phone numbers so that they can start to program their phones.

Then the six of them cannot decide on what to do first, where to go. So after a 1/2 hour we have a plan. Then we have to wait another 20 min for "Alissa" who always seemed to be 20 min late for everything. So we decide to go to the Fisherman's Bastion

The seven towers symbolize the seven tribes of the Magyars that settled in Hungary.

Parliament Building is one of the oldest legislative buildings in Europe.

So OK we see one thing, and I could see the Parliament Building from this view. So I guess two birds with one stone.

After this cold windy trip we buy a few souvenirs from a nice man that would not stop talking about his daughter. So after 20 min talking to him we finally were able to escape his store.

Then it was off for drinks and to warm up. For an hour the ladies talk about how they partied in High School. I was so bored listening to these ladies in their 40's recap their youth that I start to text "my friends" the not so fun time I was having! I look over at the table and Cheryl was doing the same thing...texting back home...thank goodness we are thinking the same thing.

So after the stories of their youth we go off to try and find Labirintus. Of course no one knows where this place is and we spend 20 min walking in a big circle. http://www.labirintus.com/en

We do eventually find the place. We grab lanterns and walk through the dark tunnels.

The next day was no more organized than the first. I told the ladies about the flea markets at dinner the night before, something that I had researched before I got to Budapest. So four of us head out to do this. The market is the biggest garage sale, find all your old crap market I have seen. Cheryl negotiates on a antique gnome. I quality item for 8 euro that I know will end up on the Antique Road Show for $100!

So after our bargaining we go back to the hotel to freshen up. Things are not happening, plans are not made, people are late...if you say you will be ready at 12:30 that does not mean 12:50!

We head off to a shopping district to go for lunch and do some shopping

When dinner comes around we all plan to meet in the lobby at 5:30 for cocktails before dinner. We all sit in the bar and look at the drink menu. Ladies are freaking out at the prices of drinks in the hotel. They now want to go to another place to order drinks. But this takes another 30 min to decide this...then of course we still have to wait for Alissa to get to the lounge for us to decide where to go! Cheryl lost it! She told the ladies I am taking a cab to the restaurant, you can walk there, I am going! I obviously go with her in the cab. Finally someone taking charge! We get to the restaurant and it is a hole! They do not have soda as a beverage in this place! Alissa got this great recommendation from the "spa". We both looked at each other and said "we are not eating here". That is when I said "screw the roaming charges I am finding a place to eat, I am taking charge of the rest of the night!" I find a review in the New York Post about Osteria, a great Italian restaurant. http://www.osteria.hu/index.php?lang=en My friend Cheryl asks if I know where it is. I told her no, I am going to hail a cab, ask him, and tell him to take us there. So I walk out to the main street and grab a cab. The place was wonderful and the meal and service was great. Finally a good night! Cheryl and I recap the last few days and we are ready to come home.

Last day was spa appointments so how can you go wrong with that!

So like I said in the beginning 7 steps to a successful trip, live them, learn them, love them!