Seeing how we will be at the Vancouver airport next week at this time, we decided to pin down a few more dates on our fast-approaching, four-week trip.
We had hoped to 'travel like in the old days' without hotel reservations and all the micro-planning that has crept into travel since the advent of the Internet.
However, the mere presence of online booking has changed things. Even though June is not a peak travel season, hotels, especially in European capitals, can fill up in advance. I guess the days of hopping off a train and finding a spot to sleep near the city's central station is less popular in 2024. What to do?
Upon buying air tickets to Berlin, Germany, we made reservations for when we get off the plane. Yet, we've still left the exploration of Poland somewhat open and have only booked some hotel nights in Warsaw. Furthermore, as we are sure the date of return flight from Riga, Latvia, we've scored nights near the end of the trip both there and in Vilnius, Latvia.
I'm sure that someone will sell us a bed for the unreserved ten nights of the journey. That will still foster the idea that we are masters of our own destiny. For we could board a train bound for places we overhear from other travellers. Or we could linger in a city longer than we'd originally planned.