| What To Do About Bolloxed Vacation?
I had the annoying news that my scheduled group vacation, touring the
Netherlands by barge and bike, from the 30th April to the 7th May, has
been cancelled for lack of a sufficient number of participants.
I have the choice of accepting a different vacation for the same dates
or the same vacation for the week after, 7th to 14th May.
The different vacation for the same dates takes the same route, but
there is much more cycling - average 50 km a day rather than 25, and the
barge is less comfortable (there would be a slight refund for this). I'm
worried that I do not have the physical level suddenly to start doing 50
km a day, when the most I've ever done in one stint is 28. I will not
have time (or a place) to train on my current schedule. And I don't want
to undertake an ordeal for what is supposed to be a fun, relaxing holiday.
OTOH, I have already bought a non-refundable train ticket for the
original dates. If I take the easier tour at the later date, I have to
pay an extra 103 Euros to buy another train journey. In addition, I end
up with a discontinuous vacation. It starts on April 16th, with an
already booked stint in London and Cambridge. Instead of ending on the
7th with a return to work on the 9th, it would mean returning to work
between the 2nd and the 6th to depart again on the 7th.
How can this forum help me in my decision? I suppose the only opinions
you can input are regarding the longer journeys. Given that this is flat
terrain and good Dutch country roads, and that there should be
relatively less mental stress because there will be guides to show us
the way and we will be in a group, so I won't have to worry about
traffic or getting lost, is 50 km much more tiring than 25? Another
consideration is, people on this tour will be fitter and more active
than on the lazy tour, and I'm worried about not fitting in as well
socially. I don't want to be a drag on the group.
What do you suggest? Oh, and does anyone want to buy a cut-rate
round-trip Paris-Amsterdam by Thalys for the 30th-7th?
EFR
Ile de France
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