Hi Chris,

That is SO awful - losing your stuff like that! Good that you got some of it back, but I guess you're not holding your breath for the rest of it to be returned. It's bad enough when luggage goes missing with the airlines for 24hrs or so, so it's no surprise that having your stuff stolen soured the rest of the trip for you.

I hope your travel insurance comes thru' for you quickly & your next trip is a lot better (ie. without such incidents).

Regards,
Clare_S

Hello, hello--

Becky White here, another person whose camera and assorted things took a "Roman Holiday" on that tour! I was fortunate that the most valuable item, my camera, was found by the Polizia and returned by the time I got down to breakfast. I guess I'm crazier than Chris--I dragged myself around Rome that day, having only about 3 hours' sleep following making the report at the Carabiniari station in the middle of the night into the wee hours. We left the station at 2:15 a.m., and at 3:15 our TD got a report that some of our things were recovered!

Since I was the only American on the bus, and it was my first trip to the Continent, unlike Chris I felt I "had" to tour Rome . . . who knows when I'll get a chance to do all that again. And, I had a Classics minor in college, so this was incredibly meaningful for me to see.

Anyway, in spite of the theft and the shock of it all, it was a DREAM trip for me, I really mean it, and please don't let this dissuade any of you from going. I had a blast, and what fun to come home and have another week off, since in the U.S. it was Thanksgiving and I felt I could afford a few extra days off!

I paid for ALL the extras and only wish I hadn't bothered with the boat trip on Lake Lucerne and the side trip to Versailles and the Louvre. The Louvre I would have done on my own in any event and would have happily put off Versailles until another time because I LOVED Paris! I eventually ditched the bus and took off on my own for the rest of day and just walked and walked. It was fabulous. Lucerne was another great "walking around" town and because I took too much time on the boat I did not have sufficient time to tour the Impressionist museum plus shop for my husband and daughter, whom I left at home, which was a particular requirement of mine! (Especially since my hubby's Swiss Army knife was among the things that got stolen. Chris showed me his wonderful knife set that he got on a previous trip, all engraved, and then I just HAD to get a similar set-up for my husband!)

I enjoyed everyone on the bus, wish I could remember half the history our TD shared with us, and a special "hello" to Chris!

I should also comment that some of us were more, um, "middle class" than other travelers, and frankly I never had a issue with the fact that some could afford more glamorous shopping experiences or purchase options or not (it was quite a splurge for me to purchase all the options and I shall be paying off the credit card for quite a while). So, I encourage you to GO, no matter what "level" you may be at, budget-wise. There were people who purchased very few options, and it seemed the TD was quite accommodating to help them plan what to do.

Hi Becky,

Great to hear from you again. You're absolutely right, it was a great trip, and I certainly hope that our little "mishap" hasn't put anybody off going!

It was a real pleasure to spend so much time with you and Bob from Canada on the trip - I really felt that we three single travellers "hit it off" together, and I very much hope to have the pleasure of your company on a future Insight trip.

Please do keep in touch - you have my e-mail address!

Best wishes,

Chris

I certainly don't recommend going into credit card debt to take a trip to Europe. A better suggestion could be to save up all money and pay for the trip up front.

General Max

So now you're a financial advisor!
Actually,I think it's a good idea to use credit cards for purchases made while travelling. if there is any discrepancy in billing, your credit company can rectify it. It also saves carrying a lot of cash around. I see nothing wrong with splurging a bit while on a trip and paying for it afterwards. I've never begrudged a penny I've spent while travelling.

Hi Chris,
Because nearly a month has passed since your return I am wondering if your loss has been reconciled by Insight, or is in the planning stages at the very least. I do hope you are having ongoing communications and that this report is not sitting on someone's desk.

BJ

Hi BJ,

See my other message elsewhere.

Regards,

Chris

Hi Chris - I did read your post and it sounds like good news to me.

BJ

Cat's inheritance....

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that going into debt on a credit card is a bad idea. I don't recall saying anything about using a credit card while on tour. I think it is a good idea. I use it to pay for all the optionals. The bill does get paid in full when I return to the USA.

General Max

Maxie ...

"I don't recall saying anything about using a credit card while on tour."

Well, I sure did not say anything about credit cards. I hope you are not asking me for help on your memory recall. Go back and check the postings.

Question: Is it possible that one of your memory chips has gone bad?